Kat comes to Acumen from international development charity, SolarAid where she created and grew the research and impact measurement activities to be a resource for the off-grid energy sector, now housing some of the most comprehensive data on energy access in rural Africa. SolarAid won the 2015 UK Social Enterprise Award for proving impact and was a finalist for the Best Practice in Research Award by PEGNet in 2013. She brings to Acumen the three years of data and learning from this work and a number of funded large-scale research projects being delivered throughout Africa. Kat chairs the impact working group at the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association and led the development of the sector’s harmonised impact metrics framework, being adopted by IRIS.

Kat was recognised as Recharge 4040 Young Leader in Renewable Energy, was a finalist for the 2014 Red magazine Women of the Year award and launched the 2015 UNESCO International Year of Light alongside HRH Duke of York.

Kat acts as a Research Advisor to the United Nations Capital Development Fund, previously created and led the monitoring and evaluation system at social enterprise Riders for Health and worked in M&E and programme management for the United Nations World Food Programme in Malawi. She has a BSc in Economics and International Development from the University in Bath and an MSc in Development Policy, Process and Practice from the University of Reading.