Kathleen ELSIG (US, Switzerland) is Director of Global Partnerships at the World Alliance of YMCAs. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, she took up the role in January 2022.

She has 20 years of international experience raising funds and building shared value partnerships with global and local non-profits, businesses, UN agencies, philanthropic organisations, academic institutions, and communities. She has held senior leadership roles, including for the Global Apprenticeship Network, WWF, Switzerland’s Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. She is also a senior associate with the Partnering Initiative, where she has supported international foundations and philanthropic organisations pivot to a partnering approach with grantees.

With experience working in Europe, Africa, Asia, Central Asia, and North America, she has a Masters Degree in European Political Affairs, diplomas in nonprofit management and fundraising, and has studied widely in corporate sustainability.

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Caroline is a social finance practitioner and systems change leader. Following ten years in strategy management consulting, she has held executive management positions for 20 years across venture philanthropy, catalytic philanthropy, community led finance and impact investing. Across the US, Australia, Asia and Europe, organisations include Accenture, New Sector Alliance, Social Ventures Australia, The ten20 Foundation and Opportunity Child and most recently World YMCA Geneva, Switzerland where she currently leads Global Impact Investing.

Caroline is interested in social investment practices that * harness the full potential of private and public capital for social impact * listen to and embed the voices of community and young people as those with the lived experience * set incentives that reshape traditional power dynamics and enable collaboration, joined up approaches and integrated solutions.

She is an active Board member of a range of Australian and Asian based non-profits that tackle poverty, gender equity, biotech innovation, and the Arts. Caroline is an Honorary Senior Fellow at The University of Melbourne, Australia where she graduated Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and holds a Masters of Business Administration from I.M.D Lausanne, Switzerland, and a diploma Managing Non Profit Organisations from Harvard University, USA.