Sarah’s journey into impact began in Rwanda at 19, while working with an NGO. There, she met a researcher studying how the coffee industry had influenced the country’s genocide. This encounter that sparked her interest in the intersection of markets, politics, and peace. She soon shifted her studies to economics, determined to explore how private sector systems could drive inclusive development. 

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Motivated by a belief that private sector solutions must be grounded in research and context, Sarah pursued a PhD in Developmental Economics at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Her work focused on ethical, sustainable approaches to private sector growth in fragile markets, combining foreign investment with local entrepreneurship. See her thesis here.  

 

Her doctoral research took her to Liberia and Sierra Leone, where she worked directly with entrepreneurs, investors, and institutions. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, she explored tools like carbon finance, peace-linked investment, and gender-responsive capital structures, which is all aimed at translating complexity into action. 

 

After her PhD, Sarah consulted for the World Bank, ODI, and CDC Group, where she helped design policies, evaluate portfolios, and advise on impact strategy. These experiences deepened her conviction that research methods from development could strengthen private sector decision-making, aligning impact, evidence, and financial returns. 

 

This led her to found Nia Impact: a firm dedicated to building smart, data-informed, and locally grounded approaches to ESG and impact.

 

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