ZAINAB KAKAL

Zainab is a life-long learner. Her curiosity has taken her across the world to work with governments, private sector, and nonprofits. She has 14+ years of experience in starting, designing, and managing innovative initiatives in sustainability. She has worked on frontier projects in climate, energy, and cities with deep dives in tourism, mobility, and circular economy.

Currently, she is the Regional Innovation Specialist at United Nations Development Programme Pacific - Fiji where she leads innovation programming, learning and design across 16 countries. Previously, she served as the Head of Experimentation at UNDP Pacific and has worked with Xynteo, World Resources Institute, Educate Girls and co-founded a responsible travel company.

She has a degree in journalism and social entrepreneurship. A boundary-spanner, she uses systems thinking, sensemaking and experimentation as tools of her trade. She thrives in interdisciplinarity and is constantly experimenting with methodologies and frames that create deeper connections between people and communities. In her free time, she reads, goes on long walks, and writes. Her poetry has been published in 5 anthologies.