An alliance that connects wisdom with action
Global Impact Alliance brings people, knowledge and capital together to act on challenges that no single sector can solve alone.
A platform for systemic action
Global Impact Alliance is a global alliance and platform. We connect Indigenous and ancestral wisdom with leadership, science, entrepreneurship, policy and capital, and turn what emerges into action.
We began from a simple observation: the people who most need to talk to each other rarely meet. Indigenous Elders and institutional investors. Scientists and community leaders. Policymakers and entrepreneurs. When they do meet, with trust, time and a shared purpose, better decisions follow.
Today GIA is headquartered in New York, with an African hub in Kenya, and works with members and partners around the world.
Vision
An Age of Wisdom: economies and institutions guided by long-term thinking, rooted in nature and accountable to future generations.
Mission
To connect diverse forms of knowledge, leadership and capital, and turn that combined intelligence into systemic action with measurable, lasting results.
Principles we work by
Our philosophy is set out in the Wisdom Age Charter. In practice, it comes down to six principles.
From understanding to lasting impact
Every engagement follows the same arc, whether it begins with a leadership journey, an investment question or a community project.
- 01
Understand differently
Bring Indigenous, scientific and practical knowledge to the same question.
- 02
Collaborate differently
Build trust between people and sectors that rarely work together.
- 03
Invest differently
Direct patient capital with insight from the people closest to the ground.
- 04
Act differently
Support community-led action with clear roles, fair terms and time.
- 05
Create lasting impact
Measure what changes, share what we learn and build on it.
Three convictions behind our work
Why Indigenous and ancestral knowledge matters
Indigenous peoples care for many of the world's most intact ecosystems and hold knowledge of land, water and community refined over generations. That knowledge offers what modern systems often lack: long time horizons, attention to relationships and an understanding of limits. We work with knowledge holders as partners and teachers, with respect, consent and fair benefit.
Why systemic thinking matters
Isolated fixes often move a problem somewhere else. Systems thinking helps us see the connections between finance, ecology, governance and culture, and find the points where a change can spread. It keeps our work focused on causes rather than symptoms.
Why collaboration across sectors matters
No government, company, investor or community can solve interconnected problems alone. Each holds part of the picture and part of the means. GIA's role is to build the bridge in practice: between Indigenous leaders and the institutions of finance, business and policy.
Founder, team and advisors
Founder
Core team
Erik van Buuren
Strategy & Science
Camilla Moura Santos
Systems Analysis & Research
Diego Romeiro
Natural Ecosystems
Zaenab Hage
Project Management
Advisors
Expert advisors
Flora Tram Hodac
Transformation
Pascal Tsachouridis
Marketing
Tamas Pocze
Finance
Andrea Friedrich
Leadership
Martina Epple
Communication
Wisdom Council of Indigenous Elders
Elders and wisdom keepers who guide the Alliance and bring the perspective of long-term stewardship to our work and to our members.
Wisdom Age Foundation
The Alliance and the Wisdom Age Foundation are two parts of one ecosystem. The Alliance cultivates wisdom and builds bridges between Indigenous leaders and the worlds of finance and policy. The Foundation turns that into projects on the ground, with a focus on biodiversity, water and Indigenous leadership.
The work ahead is too important to do alone.
Whether you steward capital, lead an institution, hold traditional knowledge or build solutions on the ground, there is a place for you in the Alliance.