Chris Pienaar

Chris Pienaar is a seasoned professional with 25 years of experience in business and international development across various regions like Sub Saharan Africa, Latin America, Middle East (West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan), and the UK.

He has a diverse background in market development within business, government, and NGO sectors, managing medium to large food businesses, social enterprises, and local economic development and agri-business programs.

Chris has worked with prominent organizations like Oxfam, CARE, Hivos, ANDE Network, CEFE, Paltrade, Small Enterprise Centre, Cothrom Ltd, and One East Midlands.

His expertise lies in interim management, sustainable communities, local economic development, turnkey market studies, program design, psychological resourcing and resilience building, economic justice and empowerment programming, enterprise development and coaching, innovation, fragile/complex contexts, and institutional capacity building through training and staff mentoring.

He is currently the CEO of Weconomics Ltd, focusing on Making Spaces, and has served as the International Coordinator of Connected Economies at the New Economics Foundation.

Chris Pienaar is dedicated to social justice and sustainable development, particularly focusing on poverty relief and well-being through personal and economic empowerment.