ABOUT US
Propelevate is a boutique consulting firm working at the intersection of the private sector and social impact.
Propelevate believes a better world is possible when:
Patriarchy isn’t a given.
Everyone is able to fully realize their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
All entrepreneurs, everywhere have a chance to see if their ideas can change the world.
Climate action is considered in all social impact initiatives.
OUR TEAM
Before we were consultants, we were doers. We were responsible for designing and executing strategy, launching products and services, achieving sales targets, delivering social impact targets, entering new countries, securing funding, and managing teams in diverse global contexts.
Because we have been in your shoes, we understand you and value your experience. We get up to speed quickly. We understand that new ideas need internal and external buy-in and what effective change management looks like. And we can be a trusted partner - we know that doing is imperfect, and we don’t judge.
We have expertise in both impact and commercial spaces. We are effective translators for commercial clients stepping into the impact space, and vice versa. We can expedite the learning curve by sharing insights from previous initiatives working at the intersection of social impact and the private sector.
We can help generate new ideas, unlock the potential of integrating social impact or commercial models and do so with credibility and confidence.
Krisila Benson
Managing Director
Krisila is a social impact, global health and entrepreneurial leader with a talent for effectively integrating social impact and commercial ventures. She has a wealth of operational experience across 70 countries, led or contributed to more than $100M of new funding, managed teams ranging from 2 to over 1,100 people, and is a gender lens investing (GLI) expert.
Inspired by her extensive experience designing, launching, leading, scaling, measuring and advising social ventures, Krisila launched Propelevate to champion investors and entrepreneurs to successfully navigate the intersection of the market and social impact. She developed a business plan and fundraising strategy to secure funding for the introduction of life-saving technologies to Sub-Saharan Africa, and leads a team focused on increasing investment by asset owners into VC funds that benefit women, among other engagements. The range of clients she has directly supported include: 2Flo Ventures, Asian Development Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (in partnership with Catalyst Global), Investing in Women (an initiative of the Australian Government), Medical Credit Fund, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, RHIA Ventures, and Vivacelle Bio.
Prior to Propelevate Krisila worked as the Senior Director of Program Services at TechnoServe; Country and Program Director with PSI in the Central African Republic, Guinea and India; and the Director of Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities. Earlier in her career she spent several years in the Sahel, working for the US State Department in Niger, Hewlett Packard in Senegal, and PSI in Burkina Faso.
Reflecting her global experience, Krisila is fluent in English and French, is proficient in Spanish, and is conversational in Hausa. Krisila holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley and a BA in Political Science from Boston University.
Risha Hess
Principal
Risha is a seasoned public health professional working primarily on sexual and reproductive health. She looks at the world through a marketing lens informed by behavioral science. She is passionate about the intersection between social impact and private sector and sustainable business models especially as they relate to gender and reproductive justice.
Prior to Propelevate, Risha was Country Director at MSI Reproductive Choices in Ethiopia; held various marketing and behavior change roles at PSI in Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, Kenya and India; and was the Vice President of Better World Advertising. Risha holds an MBA from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
OUR APPROACH
Our approach is client-centered. We meet you where you are, working with your frameworks and requirements. We boil down vast information to meet your needs. We are able to work with a broad range of stakeholders from frontline workers to board members, to create alignment and excitement around a common vision or plan. We understand that new ideas need internal and external buy-in and what effective change management looks like.
We help create custom solutions adapted to your needs with clear next steps.
“We appreciated the bespoke, highly tailored nature of the consultancy service that Propelevate delivered. The TORs were critically examined and they offered suggestions on how we should shape and improve the consultancy process – rather than simply delivering what we thought we needed!”
— Joanne Hemmings, Asst Director of the Dept of Design & Innovation, Options
We partner with a network of globally-based consultants who are from the countries where our clients work. We are committed to growing the ecosystem of business advisory services in diverse global contexts, and our partnership model facilitates a broader range of exposure, experience and connections between our clients, who are largely international in focus, and partner consultants, who generally own or represent small but ambitious country-specific firms.
This model offers our clients a best-fit staffing model, with exactly the right expertise, language skills, geographic skills and networks for any engagement.