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Our Team

Leading Experts in Blended, Innovative & Sustainable Finance

Meet our expert team

We are pleased to have leading experts in the field of blended finance from the private and public sector as well as academia in our team. A highly valuable asset is our extended network of advisors and researchers that provide mission-critical input for individual research and education projects.

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Team Leads Initiative for Blended Finance

Bjoern Struewer 2026 Website cut

Bjoern Struewer – Initiative Lead

Bjoern Struewer is Founder and Co-CEO at Roots of Impact, a trusted advisor and fund manager for impact investors, philanthropists, and catalytic funders. Through its unique impact-by-design approach, Roots of Impact unlocks the potential of capital across the full spectrum to deliver positive outcomes for people and the planet.

Bjoern brings more than 20 years of experience in the finance sector, including 12 years at Credit Suisse, most recently as a Managing Director in Private Wealth Management, leading expert teams in delivering highly tailored investment solutions for sophisticated clients. After leaving the banking industry, he founded Roots of Impact to make finance purpose-fit for impact and innovation – working closely with partners to pioneer Impact-Linked Finance, develop catalytic capital solutions, and launch funds and facilities for high-impact opportunities.

In addition to his role at Roots of Impact, Bjoern leads the Initiative for Blended Finance, is Co-Chair of the Impact-Linked Finance Fund, and teaches at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, alongside guest lecturer roles in Innovative Finance at other universities. Bjoern is Senior Collaborator at the Competence Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth at the University of St. Gallen.

University of Zurich Center for Sustainable Finance & Private Wealth

Falko Paetzold – Academic Lead

Dr. Falko Paetzold is the Founder of the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) and Managing Director of the Competence Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth at the University of St. Gallen (CCSP-HSG).

He has been an Assistant Professor of Social Finance at EBS University. Before founding CSP, Falko was a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, a postdoctoral researcher at MIT Sloan, a sustainability analyst and M&A consultant at Bank Vontobel, and a partner at Contrast Capital. Falko is the founder of GreenBuzz, an international network of sustainability entrepreneurs. He holds an MBA from the University of St. Gallen and a PhD from the University of Zurich, and is the Academic Lead of the Initiative for Blended Finance.

Christina Moehrle prof

Christina Moehrle – Education Lead

Christina Moehrle is Lead Communications at Roots of Impact. In addition to her communications expertise, she designs blended finance and impact investing learning content for onsite and online education programs and acts as a program facilitator and trainer. She has been managing and co-designing the IIBF program of the Initiative for Blended Finance since its inception in 2018.

In 2011, the impact sector became Christina’s passion and freelance profession after 25 years in leading structured finance, investor relations and venture capital roles. She also enjoys sharing her impact finance knowledge as a pro bono advisor and mentor to impact entrepreneurs, and she frequently publishes on impact finance topics in leading sector media. Christina is a member of the German journalist association DFJV and acts as the education lead at the Initiative for Blended Finance.

Advisors Initiative for Blended Finance

Timo Busch

Prof. Dr. Timo Busch

Hamburg University
David Wood

Dr. David Wood

Initiative for Responsible Investment at Harvard Kennedy School
Peter 2

Dr. Peter Beez

Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation
Dirk Lehmkuhl

Prof. Dr. Dirk Lehmkuhl

University of St. Gallen
Lars Stein

Dr. Lars Stein

Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation
Mark Plant hi res

Mark Plant

Center for Global Development
Aakif Merchant

Aakif Merchant

Convergence Blended Finance

Research Team Initiative for Blended Finance

Researchers from universities and other partner institutions are nominated based on individual research projects.

Contact: info@roots-of-impact.org