Otto Farkas Email & Phone Number

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

As a member of the Inclusive Finance Group (IFG) within VisionFund International (VFI), the microfinance subsidiary of World Vision (WV), this new role involves leading the integration of financial inclusion and innovative finance strategies into humanitarian programming, strengthening economic integration and resilience for vulnerable populations affected by climate, conflict, and other disasters during the pre and post-emergency periods. Responsibilities include collaborating with key partners, developing a portfolio of financial solutions, and spearheading the implementation of innovative products and services within the organization's resilience and recovery framework. The objective is to establish robust linkages between financial inclusion and humanitarian programming, contributing to sustainable recovery efforts.

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Responsible for leading a newly formed department tasked with accelerating the adoption of new business approaches to transforming agri-food market systems, working with partners, leveraging innovative finance, and creating new programs to achieve impact at scale.

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Responsible for co-leading the resource mobilization and business development efforts to implement Nutrition International’s ambitious global strategic plan (2018-2024) to improve the survival, health and well-being of 800 million vulnerable people, with special focus on women, newborns, children and adolescent girls, by improving their nutritional status. Nutrition International (NI) is a global leader in finding and scaling solutions to malnutrition through increased coverage, leverage and influence. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, NI supports over 60 countries with nutrition interventions around the world.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

WV Ethiopia is the largest country operation of World Vision International with over $100 M annual turnover, half of which is made up of grants with a significant potential for further growth. The Resource Development Director provides leadership in the development and implementation of the WV Ethiopia Resource Development Strategy and in the acquisition of new government, multilateral, foundation and private non-sponsorship resources to enable World Vision Ethiopia to increase its contributions to child well-being and National Office strategic objectives through increased revenue in priority sectors. The Resource Development Director ensures resource diversification, strengthened donor networking, and improved resource acquisition capabilities for World Vision Ethiopia. Working closely with Resource Development team members and with technical specialists in each sector, he is responsible for the implementation and coordination of grant acquisition processes, leading in pre-positioning, proposal development and donor liaison, will track grants acquisition performance metrics and ensure enhanced capacity of Ethiopian staff in resource acquisition.

Manila, Philippines

Provides strategic leadership, program management and business development support for World Vision operations in ten countries in the Asia-Pacific. Provides strategic leadership, program management and business development support for World Vision operations in ten countries in the South Asia and Pacific Region with over 5,000 employees and US$ 200 million annual budget. These include: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. Responsibilities include: Managing diverse teams of technical professionals in Education, Health & Nutrition, Child Rights & Protection, Livelihoods, Faith & Development, Disaster Management, Policy & Advocacy and Urban Programming. Coordinating technical branding, positioning and partnering, evidence-based impact and technical innovations. Supporting quality assurance and accountability, resource development and grant acquisition, and innovation portfolio management. Advancing multi-stakeholder collaboration and strategic engagement with regional bodies such as Asian Development Bank (ADB) and facilitating strategic partnerships with private sector and other INGOs.

Friedrichsdorf, Germany

Responsible for leading, coordinating and supporting a portfolio of prioritized innovations and partnering initiatives within World Vision (WV); designing and supporting the roll-out of the global Innovation Management Framework; developing and maintaining strong and effective working relationships across other innovation and collaboration functions within the wider WV Partnership and external stakeholder groups; championing technology innovation for cash programming and providing executive leadership for the Last Mile Mobile Solutions (LMMS) business unit (www.lastmilemobilesolutions.com), an ‘internal start-up’ and award winning technology innovation platform aimed at improving humanitarian service delivery.

Mississauga, Ontario

July 2011 - Oct 2012 - Director, Resource Acquisition & ManagementResponsible for leading, coordinating and supporting the growth and diversification of all non-fundraising revenue streams for WV Canada (i.e. >25% of total annual income); also expanding innovation and collaboration opportunities for resource development through partnering with Private Sector Corporations, Academia, and other organizations.Sep 2006 - June 2011 - Director, Humanitarian & Emergency AffairsResponsible for providing executive leadership to WV Canada’s disaster management and emergency response activities, including public and private grant acquisition and management; as well as leadership and line management of 20 staff.Oct 2000 - Aug 2006 - Programme Manager, Emergency Response & Disaster Management Responsible for managing the Asia-Pacific and the Americas portfolio for HEA, including oversight for the 2004 Tsunami Response activities with over $30 million dollars in grants and contracts.

Toronto, Ontario

Responsible for developing and teaching a course on “Project Design and Planning,” as part of the International Project Management Program (IPMP), a post-graduate level full year diploma program for young professionals seeking employment in the field of international relief and development.

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Responsible for providing management and technical support in the implementation of the Development of a National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education Program for the 21st Century (WASH-21) Project in collaboration with the Government of Mongolia and the World Bank.

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Responsible for pioneering the World Vision program in Mongolia and providing overall leadership and management support for the implementation of all activities for the first four years of its operations.

Master’S Degree, Master Of Arts In The Social Sciences, Graduated With Honors

Completed undergraduate and masters level training at the Department of History and the Department of Inner Asian Studies. M.A. Thesis.

Post-Graduate Studies In Applied Social Sciences, Cultural Geography And Social Medicine

Enrolled in the “Ph.D. en Sciences Humaines Appliqués” programme of the Université de Montréal. Completed Semester Graduate Seminars.