Karen Hitschke

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) - Building Bridges

With a career spanning over 25 years in the Social Business, Health Tech, and Impact Investing sectors, Karen Hitschke brings a wealth of expertise and a profound commitment to driving positive change. She is a firm believer in bringing together people, cultures, and ideas to transform business and society.

Former Chief Operating Officer of the WHO Foundation, Karen’s leadership and strategic vision have driven organizations towards greater impact and sustainability. Graduating with a degree in Biology, she later obtained an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France. Karen’s career has encompassed roles in both for-profit and non-profit sectors, including board memberships and advisory positions. She is a Board Member, Co-Founder, and former Managing Director at Yunus Social Business Global Initiatives, an Impact Investing organization funding social businesses across India, East Africa, and Latin America.

Her deep knowledge of finance, in both the public and private sector throughout multiple geographies, lies at the heart of the initiative and supports the execution of the Building Bridges Foundation’s mission to further align finance with sustainability.