Itad supports values‑driven learning, strategy, and action for impact in complex environments. As governments, foundations, multilaterals, and other social impact actors work to address systemic challenges and pursue long‑term change, we help them use evidence to make sense of what works, how, and for whom.
Our work often involves supporting strategic direction, strengthening organisational learning, and facilitating reflection and collaboration across systems. These approaches are increasingly vital as the development and humanitarian landscape continues to shift, with growing uncertainty, changing funding models, and heightened expectations around impact, equity, and accountability.
East Africa sits at the centre of many of these dynamics. As partners navigate political, social, and economic volatility alongside ambitious development goals, there is a growing need for locally grounded, adaptive, and evidence‑informed approaches that respond to complexity.
To support this work, we are pleased to welcome Catharine Russell to lead Itad’s East Africa regional office based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Meet Catharine Russell
Catharine brings 15 years of experience working across evaluation, learning, and strategic advisory roles in Africa and globally. She has worked extensively with governments, donors, UN agencies, NGOs, and philanthropies, supporting them to strengthen evidence use, learning systems, and adaptive approaches in challenging contexts.
Before joining Itad, Catharine held senior leadership roles focused on monitoring, evaluation, and learning, with a strong emphasis on complexity‑aware evaluation, systems thinking, and locally led learning. She is widely respected for her ability to bridge technical rigour with practical decision‑making, and for building trusted partnerships across diverse stakeholder groups.
Based in Nairobi, Catharine brings deep regional knowledge and a strong commitment to strengthening African‑led evaluation, learning, and evidence ecosystems. Her experience aligns closely with Itad’s approach to working with complexity, supporting partners to reflect, adapt, and act in pursuit of equitable and sustainable change.
“We are operating in an era of unprecedented uncertainty, but also enormous opportunity,” Catharine says. “What matters most is how organisations learn, adapt, and make decisions in real time, and how they do that in partnership with the people and institutions closest to the issues. I’m excited to join Itad at a moment when this kind of work has never been more important.”
As East Africa Regional Director, Catharine will focus on strengthening Itad’s local partnerships, supporting high‑quality, context‑responsive work across the area, and contributing to Itad’s global thinking on learning, evaluation, and adaptive strategy. She will also play a key role in nurturing talent and collaboration within Itad’s Nairobi‑based team and across the wider organisation.
We are delighted to welcome Catharine to Itad and look forward to the leadership, insight, and regional expertise she brings as we continue to evolve our work in the East African community and beyond.
To find out more about how our East Africa team can support your work, get in touch now.
