Ben Garside Email & Phone Number

Eighteen years’ experience in international development including fourteen years in renewable energy, with an extensive technical background in IT and Engineering, I have a passion for delivering innovative, trusted, and green solutions through locally appropriate engagement, on-ground implementation, systematic monitoring of impact and knowledge sharing. An ability to combine a people-centred approach to research with strategic programme leadership and team management has resulted in my expertise developing business models that work for marginalised communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin-America in the fields of: energy; food and agriculture; climate change adaptation; information and communication technologies. Key specialisations:𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 – built and led energy team on a portfolio of work including research and delivery on people-centred energy as part of a holistic approach to energy use in health, water, climate smart agriculture, and other community livelihood priorities. Co-led establishing a social innovation lab to catalyse fairer and greener energy systems in Tanzania working, with energy companies. Developed and managed a programme of work on monitoring and catalyse ‘social learning’ co-learning for change to address complex problems associated with adapting to climate change. These included developing new initiatives, identifying synergies between programmes, putting together a fundraising strategy, developing finance models, and managing diverse stakeholders to maximise impacts 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – lead M&E expert on a number of projects including a €2 million decentralised energy project in Nigeria; developed framework and tools to better design and improve energy services; research interest in better measuring the impact of ICTs on the poorest𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆 – leading advocate on energy access for IIED’s energy team, including bringing together groups in conflict in Nigeria and engaging with a civil society response to the UN Sustainable Energy for All initiative and energy Sustainable Development Goal (SDG7)𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁 – 5 years working in ICT and Telecoms. This has informed 18 years in the development sector managing a range of projects - ranging from increasing energy access and improving associated impacts, to participatory mapping of communications issues of grassroots waste-picker cooperatives in Chile, enhancing impacts using social networking tools.