Let us walk with you on your sustainability journey

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About the founder

Shada El-Sharif is an advocate for climate action, green economic transition, and sustainable development in Jordan and the region. She is the Founder and CEO of SustainMENA. For over 20 years, Shada has held leadership positions and senior advisory roles, driving green policies, projects, investments, finance, and partnerships in a range of sectors including energy, transport, water, agriculture and waste. She is considered a thought leader on green economy/investment/finance, climate change policy, clean technology, water-energy-food-environment (WEFE) nexus, ESG/sustainability frameworks, and green innovation and entrepreneurship, writing and speaking on these issues through national and international platforms (with native fluency in English & Arabic). hada has contributed to the formulation of Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision (EMV), with a focus on the Green Jordan and Sustainable Resources growth drivers. She served as Investment & Green Economy Lead at the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit in Jordan, Sectoral Reform Lead/Climate Advisor at the Reform Secretariat (Ministry of Planning & International Cooperation), Director of the Jordan Environment Fund (Ministry of Environment), and Director of Cleantech at the USAID Jordan Competitiveness Program, among other leadership roles. She also serves as a mentor for ‘green entrepreneurs’, and women in tech. Shada has served as an observatory member  for multiple EU-funded projects on the Water-Energy-Food-Environment (WEFE) nexus contributing policy papers, advocating for policy reforms and an improved business environment driven by green, nexus-based approaches. She has delivered advisory services to a number of international organizations, including AFD, EU, WB, UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO, ESCWA, Dutch MFA, FCDO and others. She holds an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School, as well as MEng and BSc degrees in Environmental Engineering from Cornell University.

Shada is a proud mom of three.

Services

 

Policies

  • Policy analysis and research

  • Evidence-based policy recommendations

  • Bilingual research and reporting (English & Arabic)

  • Areas of expertise: climate change (adaptation & mitigation), environment, clean technology, climate finance, green economy, corporate responsibility, sectoral planning,

    Projects

  • Project development advisory (concept note/proposal development)

  • Situation analysis & stocktaking

  • Project impact management, monitoring, and evaluation

  • Sustainability management consulting (strategy, reporting, impact, implementation)

   Partnerships

  • Stakeholder mapping and engagement strategy

  • Stakeholder engagement (public, private, civil society, international finance institutions/partners)

  • Capacity building and training

  • Workshop facilitation

Engagement examples

  • Climate and environment mainstreaming in national planning strategies

  • Policy case study for UN organization on the potential for women empowerment through small-scale renewables in rural areas

  • Support organization of a regional conference on gender and e-mobility

  • Preliminary market assessment of potential investments in electric buses

  • Proposal development support services for a national impact investment proposal

  • Capacity building and training on climate/environmental policy, clean technologies and other areas

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