Dr. Holly Ritchie is a (post-doctorate) research affiliate at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), part of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR).. She has a background in finance, international development (MA) and enterprise development with experience in Afghanistan (10 years), Kenya (6 years), Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, the Middle East and Brazil. In 2013, she obtained her PhD (Cum Laude) at the ISS. She also works as a independent development consultant, based in Kenya. Recent assignments include the development of Gender Profiles for Somalia and Sudan under the African Development Bank and UN Women (Lead Consultant). She further acts as a Gender and Enterprise Advisor for the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) across the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
At ICFI, Holly has been involved in the project Exploring Refugees and ICTs. In 2018, she drafted a desk research paper for ICFI. ‘Refugees and ICTs: Innovating towards Inclusion and Integration in Fragile Environments?’. Alongside her ongoing academic research related to refugees, she runs a small project for Somali refugee women in Nairobi, Kenya under her social enterprise platform Thrive for Change.
Dr. Holly Ritchie has a strong interest in institutions, gender, inclusion, and innovation in ‘fragile’ economic development. Her research and work has looked in particular at (poorer) women’s enterprise participation in marginalised, conflict and refugee settings. She focuses on social inclusion/integration in business and value chains, and looks ahead to social outcomes from economic empowerment.
