GOGLA Team

Adelina Alexandru is GOGLA’s industry trendspotter, holding the position of Junior Project Manager and Digital Content Marketeer. With a Master’s in Communication Science from the University of Amsterdam and a Bachelor’s in Media and Communications from the University of Sussex, UK, she is committed to creating content that highlights the progress being made in sustainable development.

Before Adelina jumped on board with GOGLA, she worked as a Marketing Specialist at a recruitment agency, where she played a key role in content development and social media management. Her interest in making a positive impact on society began long before joining GOGLA. For two years, she has been a volunteer at Audiopedia, a platform dedicated to closing information gaps by offering easy-to-understand knowledge in various languages, especially for those in low-literacy situations. In addition to her passion for empowering remote communities, Adelina is also interested in gender representations in media and CSR communication strategies.

In her free time, Adelina enjoys baking and creating delicious vegan desserts, going on relaxing bike rides in nearby parks, and getting lost in thrilling mystery novels.

Anne is GOGLA’s Market Insights Manager, responsible for the delivery of research outputs in the off-grid energy sector. Prior to joining GOGLA, she worked as a consultant and project manager at EED Advisory Limited, a multidisciplinary pan-African consulting firm based in Nairobi, Kenya.

In her role, Anne supported the implementation of projects within the energy, water and climate change nexus. These included energy access surveys, off-grid energy market assessments, feasibility studies, field data collection, and the development of technical research outputs.

She has experience working in projects within Kenya, Mozambique, Sudan, and South Sudan. Anne holds a Master of Philosophy in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge, UK and a Bachelor of Quantity Surveying from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya.

Results-driven and committed to the realm of social development, Brenda brings over 6 years of experience in project management and public policy research. Proficient in project management and execution, research analysis, and stakeholder engagement. In her current role as Policy Manager with the Policy division at GOGLA, she is involved in shaping global policy and advocacy strategies, specifically advocating the off-grid solar sector, and promoting clean energy access within the climate agenda and scaling up of productive use of renewable energy (PURE).

Prior to joining GOGLA, she worked as a Program Coordinator at Columbia Global Centers, Mumbai where she supported the coordination of projects and public programs related to Business and Economic Opportunity and Environmental Sustainability. Brenda has also worked with other not-for-profit organizations in the field of gender, health, and education. Additionally, she has authored several articles on public policy that have been featured on various digital platforms. Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Mumbai.

With over 15 years of professional experience, Carlos is an expert in the field of energy access, renewable energies, market-based approaches, and climate change. He also has extensive experience in the areas of youth employment, gender, and social inclusion.

Carlos has resided and worked in different regions including Europe (UK and Spain), the Middle East (Israel, Palestine, Jordan), West Africa (Mali and Niger), and Nepal, and has collaborated with NGOs, public and private organizations in diverse energy-related projects placed in more than 40 countries worldwide.

Relevant milestones in Carlos´ extensive professional career include the implementation of the first solar PV mini-grid system in rural Niger´s history and the first connected solar PV mini-grid system in Palestine. Additionally, he has been involved in policy influencing and market development processes to advance the renewable energy national enabling environment at a high level.

Carlos is currently working as GOGLA´s Senior Project Manager for Productive Uses of Renewable Energy (PURE) and is the global lead in this field for GOGLA.

You can connect with Carlos on LinkedIn or via email at c.sordo@gogla.org.

Collin Gumbu is based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and serves as GOGLA’s Policy and Advocacy Lead. He has with him more than 15 years of experience working within the private sector and leading off-grid-related economic development programs.

Before joining GOGLA, he served as Market Lead of the IFC/World Bank-led Lighting Tanzania Programme where he led market development activities of the Program that sought to contribute to the market transformation of Tanzania’s off-grid solar sector. Most recently Collin worked for Africa Clean Energy (ACE) Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) as Country Manager for Tanzania and Rwanda where he worked with the 2 governments to improve enabling environment policies for private-sector delivery of stand-alone solar solutions to off-grid communities.

He holds MBA in Marketing from the University of Dar es Salaam and is also a Certified Public Accountant. In his leisure time, he likes watching football and reading novels.

Drew is the Head of Performance & Investment at GOGLA. He has more than 17 years’ experience working with companies, governments, donors and NGOs to catalyse markets in the off-grid light and power sector.

In his current role, Drew leads the team to strengthen GOGLA member and industry performance and improve access to finance in the sector. He believes that optimising value for customers, economies and the environment is the driver for increased investment and industry growth. He’s most proud to have led an industry initiative to establish the GOGLA Consumer Protection Code, and loves working with off-grid solar companies to help drive cutting-edge technological innovation in villages and homes across Africa.

Drew holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Nottingham and has lived and worked in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. His love for the mountains has brought him to live in the Netherlands.

Passionate about climate and social justice, Eva has more than 15 years of experience in communications, marketing, project management, and social impact. She joined GOGLA in May 2021 as Media and Campaigns Manager and is now the Senior Communications Manager.

The previous 8 years Eva worked at Airbnb, where she oversaw brand growth in Spain, led the Social Impact Experiences program in Southern Europe, and took on the role of Social Impact Manager for the Barcelona office, coordinating corporate volunteering and environmental impact awareness projects.

She holds a Master’s in Humanitarian Management, Development, and NGO Management from the UPEC in Paris and a Bachelor’s in Advertising and Public Relations from the UAB in Barcelona. She speaks Spanish, English, French, and Catalan and, in her free time, loves spending time with family and friends, the outdoors, good food, yoga, movies, and dancing.

Gloria Kuyoh is a Junior Project Manager – Productive Uses of Renewable Energy (PURE) at GOGLA, supporting PURE-related activities at both regional and global levels.

She is a highly motivated professional adept in cross-sector stakeholder engagement and project management. She is currently pursuing an MS in International Relations from Liverpool John Moores University and holds a BS in Business Science, majoring in Actuarial Science, from Strathmore University. Gloria’s professional journey includes her role as a Program Assistant at the Law Society of Kenya, where she developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the department and led successful fundraising initiatives.

Gloria has also contributed significantly to impactful projects like the Bars to Justice LSK Project and the Purple Ribbon Campaign, demonstrating her commitment to international and national development initiatives. She is an Associate Member of both the Public Relations Society of Kenya and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Kenya.

Khosi is the Executive Assistant, reporting to GOGLA’s Executive Director (ED). She provides operational support to the ED and the management team and oversees GOGLA’s monitoring, evaluation, reporting activities, and delivery of flagship events. She manages information and workflow among GOGLA’s Board of Directors, Advisory Board, and Committees.

She has over 15 years of work experience within the energy sector. Before joining GOGLA, she served as the Finance and Administrative Officer for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Power Africa Communications Service (PACS) project at Green Powered Technology LLC, South Africa field office for 4 years. Before joining GPTech, she successfully operated her business, supplying energy distribution products and services to South Africa’s only power utility, Eskom, as well as to Transnet, various municipalities, and mines.

Khosi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting Sciences from the University of South Africa (UNISA), an Advanced Programme in Sourcing and Supply Chain Management certificate, and an entrepreneurship certificate from the Goldman Sachs-GIBS 10,000 Women Certificate Programme.

She is an avid marathon runner and hiker, she also enjoys cycling and scuba diving.

Hein Schillings is the Head of Finance and Operations at GOGLA. Before joining GOGLA, Hein has a long year experience responsible for Finance and Operations in retail, trade and production in fashion. Hein worked as an Auditor and for a number of start-ups and scale ups in IT-related sectors. His ambition always is to improve organisations and support teams by structuring processes and provide relevant data to make their work more efficient and more easy.

Hein holds a master degree in Business economics and auditing at the Erasmus
University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Jane Kimani is GOGLA’s Head of Membership & Events. Her primary responsibilities at GOGLA include advocating on behalf of members, strengthening the organization’s membership base, enhancing member offerings and engagement, connecting members with a suite of business services, organizing strategic industry events, and creating powerful forums for stakeholders to connect, share knowledge, and innovate.

With 17 years of combined experience in strategic business operations, logistics, human resources, and people and culture across technology, international development, and education, Jane has spent 6 years working in business operations within the renewable energy sector, specifically focusing on PAYGO.

Jane is passionate about building from the ground up, with experience in both large corporations and start-ups. Throughout her career, she has designed and implemented large-scale, high-impact programs and events in sub-Saharan Africa, including serving as the supply chain lead for a Kenyan government-led program that deworms 5 million children annually. In that role, she designed systems, developed playbooks, SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), processes, and policies for the program.

Jane is committed to building strategic relationships that leverage the power and passion of people to deliver results.

Karsan Narendra Reddy works as GOGLA’s Program Officer for the South Asia region, bringing with him five years of experience in the energy sector, gained through his involvement in the sustain plus program of CINI-TATA TRUSTS.

During his tenure, he focused on the identification, implementation and scaling of new technologies in clean energy across India. His work involved collaboration with diverse startups and implementation organizations to scale up Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) technologies in the field.

He possesses extensive knowledge in optimizing the use of excess energy from DRE for productive loads. His educational background includes a master’s degree in energy management from NTPC School of Business, mentored by IIM Ahmedabad.

Laura joined GOGLA in November 2019 as a Project Assistant and is now the Project Manager, Events. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication and Advertising from La Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia. She came to the Netherlands to pursue her Master’s degree in Business Administration called Imagineering. Her Master’s thesis research was focused on Cultural diversity, Collaboration & Communication in Organizations.

Prior to joining GOGLA, Laura worked for several years in the marketing and communications field as a content strategist and social media analyst. She has also developed workshops pertaining to Self Development and Creative Sessions.

She is always looking forward to learning and expanding her knowledge, not only in a professional way but also in a personal way through new experiences. One of her passions is photography (especially macro photography) and nature.

Before joining GOGLA, Laura held several positions as Project Manager of International Campaigns for investment attraction in emerging economies, having developed projects in Nigeria, the Philippines, Panama, and Mexico.

A finance graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. In her work experience, Laura found pleasure in working at the intersection of the private and the public sector and decided to study a Masters in Public Administration while working for Solarplaza where she was introduced for the first time to the off-grid solar sector and GOGLA.

Laura serves as the Senior Access to Finance Manager at GOGLA. In her free time, she enjoys being in nature and practicing yoga.

Linda currently serves as the Investment Readiness Manager at GOGLA where she works towards increasing the volume of investment in the off-grid solar industry and to increase the number of companies that have access to finance.

Prior to joining GOGLA in May 2023, she spent 2 years working as a Venture Builder at Persistent Energy, an investor in early-stage companies in the off-grid solar and climate-smart industry. At Persistent she worked with several companies on finance readiness & path to profitability projects which involved developing their financial models, operational models and overall business strategy. She was also involved in deal screening and execution across a number of off-grid business models such as SHS PayGo, Solar productive use & E-mobility. She has also worked in other roles in Impact investing in Sub-Saharan Africa at SCP, Advisor to AATIF, DWS and Asia Africa Investment & Consulting. Linda is also passionate about gender inclusivity, the success of locally-owned companies and responsible business practices.

Linda holds a BSc. in Financial Engineering from Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya where she is also based. In her free time, she enjoys creative exploration through music, film and art.

Luca joined the team to work on organising GOGLA’s flagship events. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Amsterdam in Communication Science, specializing in Political Communication. In her free time, she enjoys analogue photography and  going to the movies.

Marily assists the management team and financial manager of GOGLA. She has experience in different roles having worked as an Office Manager for three years and a Project manager at different design agencies for over 15 years.

Holding a Master Degree in Mass Communication and Brand Management, Marily is pragmatic and committed and has an open personality with a good sense of humor.

Maxime is GOGLA’s West Africa Regional Representative and based in Yaounde-Cameroon. He has more than 18 years of experience in the energy sector and during the past ten years, ha was involved in the implementation of off-grid electrification projects in more than twelve countries across Africa, where he worked with the private companies and governments to set enabling environment in the energy sector.

Prior to join GOGLA, Maxime served as National Project Coordinator at UNIDO Cameroon Office and Regional Advisor with USAID Power Africa off-grid Program (PAOP) and West Africa Energy Program (WAEP). He has a high experience working on market development; policy formulation for private investment in the energy sector; policy and regulatory framework; economic and financial modelling; training and capacity building; development of financial products with banks and local MFIs.

Maxime holds a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Yaounde 2. He is fluent in  English and French and has a basic level of Spanish.

Nazli joined GOGLA in May 2023 and she serves as Finance Administrator. She holds BA degree in Economics from Ege University and MBA degree in Yasar University which both locate in Izmir, Turkiye.
During her education she spend 1 year in USA and 1 year in Taiwan.

Prior to GOGLA she worked for different scaled companies for almost 10 years. She worked as an Audit Assistant at KPMG and later she worked in various companies’ finance departments as Finance Assistant and Finance Supervisor.

She enjoys traveling to different countries and learning new cultures.

Oliver is GOGLA’s Market Insights and Data Manager. He is notably in charge of the sales and impact data collection and reporting.

Prior to joining GOGLA, Oliver worked as a consultant and project manager for Altai Consulting leading strategy and research consulting efforts in access to energy, financial inclusion, digital inclusion and more – including field assignments in 15+ countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. During this period, Oliver was the lead consultant for GOGLA on the Powering Opportunity impact research.

Oliver holds a Master in Management from HEC Paris business school and a Master in International Business from the CEMS Alliance at Bocconi University.

Patricia is GOGLA’s Program Manager – Policy & Regional Strategy. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce with a specialisation in Administration and Microfinance from Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya.

Prior to joining GOGLA, Patricia worked as a senior business development associate with an off-grid solar company for over 6 years. Her key focus markets were East & Southern Africa. She also has extensive administration experience on both a national and multinational level having worked with companies in both the financial services sector and renewable energy.

She is passionate about spending time with her family, collecting diaries, and writing many to-do-lists!

Patrick is GOGLA’s Head of Policy and Regional Strategy. He is an experienced economic and trade development professional with over 15 years’ experience in the public and private sector conducting private sector development, investment and trade promotion and support.

Prior to joining GOGLA, Patrick was embedded by the International Finance Corporation with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance to drive reform efforts to improve the business climate in Kenya and in the East African Community. He has previously served as the Technical Advisor to the Kenya Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism and as a Senior Advisor for Monitoring and Evaluation with USAID Power Africa. Patrick spent 7 years with the US State of Maryland’s Department of Business and Economic Development and with the World Trade Center in Atlanta.

He holds an MBA and a Master of Science in International Business from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture from Egerton University in Kenya. Born and raised in Kenya, Patrick speaks English and Swahili.

Praviin B Kumaar is the South Asia Regional Representative for GOGLA.

Praviin is a post-graduate from the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), one of the leading Rural Management Institutes in India.  He has 27 years of work experience with leading corporations in India, including for the past 7 years with multilaterals, in the clean energy space.

He specializes in rural marketing, business strategy and distribution management, with extensive work done, and insights- into the Indian markets, urban and rural, across geographies in India, and to a limited extent in Bangladesh and parts of Africa.

Puck van Basten works as a Project Manager with the Performance and Investment team. She leads the work on Corporate Governance and GOGLA’s LEAN Network, while also supporting other workstreams such as Consumer Protection and Circularity.

She aims to make the off-grid solar sector grow sustainably by working towards a higher performance of and investments into the industry. Through upholding and improving standards of consumer protection and enhancing circularity practices Puck’s work aims to better the performance of the off-grid solar industry. Next to that, her focus is on increasing investment opportunities for the sector, amongst others through helping off-grid solar companies ameliorate their corporate governance structures and practices, and providing networking opportunities through GOGLA’s LEAN Network. Last but not least, Puck is dedicated to increasing gender inclusivity in the off-grid solar sector and putting clean, energy access forward for climate adaptation and resilience.

In her spare time, Puck likes to take dance classes, wander around her hometown Utrecht and spend time with her family and friends.

As GOGLA’s Senior Strategy and Programmes Manager, Rebecca helps steer GOGLA’s work and deliver impactful programmes across the organisation. Since joining GOGLA in 2020, she’s led initiatives to define, improve and enhance standards of operations performance in the off-grid solar sector – specifically in areas of consumer protection and circularity – that safeguard and increase social, environmental and business impacts. She also works to promote a gender-forward industry and market-based solutions for energy access in humanitarian settings.

Before joining GOGLA, Rebecca led operations for a Tanzanian-based PAYGo SHS distributor and has worked across the industry in East Africa since 2015. She started her career in project management and consultancy for large engineering and public sector industries in the UK. Rebecca holds a BA in Geography from the University of Cambridge, and an MA in Conflict, Security and Development from the University of Sussex. Outside of work she can usually be found on the nearest hill, mountain or sea!

Sarah Malm is the Executive Director of GOGLA, the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry. She has worked as a leader in over 25 countries, convening diverse partners to support businesses and policies that drive inclusive economic growth and social development.  

Before joining GOGLA, Sarah led strategic communications and outreach for the U.S. Government-led partnership Power Africa. She managed global teams to deliver first-time and improved energy access to over 200 million people living and working in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a presidential political appointee to the U.S. Agency for International Development, Sarah held leadership positions at the U.S. Global Development Lab, working with public and private sector partners to identify, test, and scale social impact models and support entrepreneurship in the world’s poorest communities.

Earlier in her career, Sarah worked with corporate clients and startups across industry sectors as a finance and management consultant. As a public servant, Sarah led strategic planning and business development for a public healthcare district in Austin, Texas, directing $600 million of taxpayer funds annually to support healthcare services in underserved communities. She also worked for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) as the country representative for Syria and as their regional manager for Southeast Asia and Southern Africa, where she managed economic growth and governance programs.

Sarah earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Middlebury College. She lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

Serra is an aquaculture engineer. She holds a master`s degree in water quality & chemistry and an MBA in international marketing &  foreign trade.

After working for several years as an engineer focusing on RAS design and environmentally sustainable aquaculture practices, she heard the siren call of marketing. Considering everything is subject to marketing, she started to pursue a career in digital marketing within Ireland and Portugal.

Like a salmon returns to the river where it was born, she followed her passion for the environment and sustainability and joined GOGLA in mid-2018. Until 2023, she was responsible for organizing and leading GOGLA events. She is now working as a member of the Insights and Data Team while pursuing a PhD at the University of Lisbon – LEAF Research Centre.

Silvia is the East African Membership Associate. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business with an accounting speciality from KCA University in Nairobi, Kenya. Silvia has worked for a number of customer service firms before joining GOGLA and is ready to provide outstanding support to our cherished community, with a deep knowledge of the need for customized attention and a commitment to guaranteeing member happiness.

While working with the membership division, Silvia intends to learn much about the off-grid sector and then help build a strong link between governments and the private sector to promote global energy access.

With Silvia’s infectious energy and unwavering belief in the power of positivity, every challenge becomes an opportunity and every setback paves the way for a greater comeback.

Sinem joined GOGLA in September 2021 as a Project Assistant and her main role is to add value and support the Events and Membership team. Prior to GOGLA, she gained more than 10 years of experience mainly in roles of customer relationship management, operations and business development in global companies. Her expertise is communication management and relationship management with marketing essence which she also applies to her existing role.

She holds a BA degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in International Communication Management from Hague University.

Her main ambition is to increase global experience in different parts of the world with diversified cultures where she can make positive impacts on people’s lives.

Susie leads GOGLA’s research activities and programmes, including the multi-country, multi-company Powering Opportunity impact series.

Prior to GOGLA, Susie held roles as the Senior Communications Manager at Power for All and Campaigns Manager at SolarAid. Before her move into the off-grid industry, she spent 12 years in the finance sector at Lloyd’s of London, working in a variety of research, advisory and management roles, and as a consultant to the insurance industry ClimateWise group — facilitated by the University of Cambridge.

Susie holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London, and a BA Hons in History and Politics from Warwick University. Sponsored by Nokia and G24i she also cycled 13,500 miles around the world to promote the potential of solar energy in 2010, writing a book on her return entitled The SolarCycle Diaries.

Tamara joined GOGLA in January 2024 as the Content and Web Manager, part of the Communications team. She manages the GOGLA website, works with members on communication and marketing ideas, and creates long form content.

Prior to GOGLA, Tamara worked for 6 years as Head of Marketing at The EnAccess Foundation, campaigning for more Open Source solutions in the Energy Access sector. She has over ten years of communication and marketing experience in Energy Access, and a background in advertising, production, and video creation.

Highlights from Tamara’s career include documenting the first solar mini-grid in Matipwili, Tanzania and developing the branding and communication style for two different Energy Access companies. She is passionate about shedding light on the intersection of climate financing and distributed energy solutions, and promoting open and transparent systems whenever possible. 

Outside of work, Tamara enjoys eating Mexican food, cycling long distances, and baking. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Ulrich joined GOGLA in January 2024 as Senior Business Innovation Manager in the Performance & Investment team. He is coordinating the Consumer Care Initiative, co-leading the work on Solar Inverters and contributing to other important projects such as the Responsible Business Index.

Ulrich can look back on an extensive career in the telco industry as a management consultant and line manager in Europe, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa where he helped to connect millions of prepaid customers to mobile networks, bridge the digital divide with innovative communication services and promote financial inclusion through mobile money.

Prior to his current role at GOGLA Ulrich served as Director of Commercial & Innovation for Bboxx in Kigali and London. Over a period of five years he built and led a strong product team responsible for expanding the PAYGo business model from one to more than a dozen solar home systems, and into solar water pumps, clean cooking, smartphones and e-mobility.

Ulrich holds an International MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in the United States and a master’s degree in Business Administration (Dipl.-Kfm.) from the University of the Saarland in Germany. He speaks German, Spanish, English and French. And in his free time you can spot him jogging along the Thames, enjoying a show in the West End or roaming the world from Heathrow airport.