Nelson Kasadha

Experience

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  Plan International

  Sept 2009 - Sept 2014

  Community Development Facilitator

  Designed and successfully implemented over 10 grants that supported women and youth to start, grow, and scale micro-enterprises to create jobs and transform househlod living standards. The grants were from a portfolio of donors that include USAID, European Union, NORAD, SIDA, AUSAID among others.

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  Mildmay Uganda

  Sept 2014 - Oct 2017

  Led the organization's program design and innovation, grants acquisition and management, and donor relations management functions. Responsible for the effective grants cycle management including opportunity identification, proposal development, donor relations management, and reporting on a fund portfolio of approximately USD20 million per year. Wide donor experience including USAID, DFID, CDC, and private foundations:• To increase funding and sustainability of the organization's operations, developed over 17 funding proposals worth a combined value of $240 million, and won 53% of proposals/bids submitted.• Led a cross-functional team on a critical mission to win a competitive bid to renew a contract with a client (donor) who constituted 90% of the organization's income.• Reviewed periodic program and budget performance reports of sub-partners to assess progress on targets and budget spend, discuss performance bottlenecks, and execute remedial actions - leading to over 95% achievement on all project targets.• Developed and executed a capacity building plan for sub-partners which increased their project performance and compliance to grant rules and conditions by 20% within six months.• Prepared periodic grant performance reports for senior management and (clients) donors. Show less

  • Program Design Specialist

    Jan 2017 - Oct 2017

  • Grants Development Officer

    Sept 2014 - Dec 2016
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  Green Supply Chain Partners

  Feb 2019 - now

  Founder & CEO

  I lead a wonderful team of innovators and inclusive growth evangelists to design and manage inclusive, reliable, and transparent supply chains connecting smallholder suppliers in Africa to global markets. My key tasks include:* Setting the company's strategic vision,* Creating an environment to maximize the creativity and success of our team,* Identifying and securing resources for promoting the growth of the company

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  The ELMA Philanthropies

  Jul 2019 - Mar 2020

  Associate Program Officer

  Based in the East Africa Region office and collaborating with a global team based in New York, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, led grants award management process for development projects across East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Ethiopia). - Continuously analysed development trends in the Eastern Africa region to identify project investment opportunities inline with ELMA's program focus areas of Education, Health, and Livelihoods - Conducted thorough due diligence, including critical analysis of proposals, budgets, work-plans, to identify risks and advised the board on the structuring of the grants accordingly- Drafted grant recommendation memos and other documents to the board for grant award decision-making- Managed grant administration systems to manage grantee performance and compliance- Represented ELMA externally to among other stakeholders, governments and, other donors, upon delegation. Show less

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  Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU)

  Mar 2020 - Nov 2022

  Investment Specialist/Technical Director

  Sector leader, portfolio manager, and technical lead on a USD41 million MasterCard Foundation – Young Africa Works project to catalyse market systems-driven innovation and systems change to create 300,000 new jobs for youth, 70% young women:- Provided technical team leadership and coaching, ensuring that technical teams have robust technical approaches and plans aligned to delivering the overall project strategy.- Set up project management systems, establishing implementation frameworks and standards, defining work packages, success measurement criteria, methodologies, and tools.- Led technical engagements with MasterCard Foundation's technical team, defining project priorities, discussing implementation opportunities and challenges, and keeping them informed about project risks and opportunities.- Directly managed the most complex and strategic portfolio that comprised over 40% of the the project's investment portfolio and impact results. Show less

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  Standard Bank Group

  Nov 2022 - now

  Manager, Programmes - Stanbic Business Incubator

  I oversee the full spectrum of program operations including research and analysis of the SME development landscape, programme design, execution, and reporting for a dynamic portfolio of 10+ projects annually. My focus is on driving the capacity-building of 500+ SMEs each year, catalyzing job creation and fostering local economic growth. This involves aligning, leading, and motivating a talented programmes team and coordinating resources across the Standard Bank Group, designing innovative projects and training programmes, coaching and mentoring entrepreneurs and business leaders to foster business competitiveness, access to finance, and optimizing market access.I have had the privilege to drive the organization’s strategic transformation by overhauling or improving 70% of existing programs to align to the organizations mission and SME capacity as well as pivoting from being solely focused on SME training to establishing a distinct niche in "SME Access to Finance”. This strategic pivot has not only expanded our impact but positioned us as a leader in navigating the intersection of SME development and SME Finance. Show less