Hedwig Siewertsen is responsible for designing and implementing AGRA’s Inclusive Finance strategy.  Financial services are key in transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle to survive into a business that thrives. AGRA invests in innovations that reduce the cost and risk of agricultural finance. We design and develop blended finance instruments, value chain finance and digital finance products, to make financial services systems work for agricultural SMEs and smallholder farmers that are active in food crops in 11 African countries.

Prior to coming to AGRA, Hedwig served 4 years as CEO of a USD 100 million single family office impact fund, DOB equity, which invests in SMEs in the East Africa. Prior to that she was 12 years Deputy Director and senior consultant in Triodos Facet (now Palladium), a consulting firm specialised in entrepreneurship development and financial services delivery toMSMEs in emerging markets. In that capacity she has worked across 25 African countries to design, monitor, support and evaluate enterprise support programs with a focus on financial services delivery. She started her career as an associate expert for the UN in Madagascar and Tanzania. She has a B.Sc. in Tropical Agriculture and a Masters’ degree in Econometrics.