About Us
We are an award-winning global strategy consultancy specialising in social and environmental change.
Our Mission
Founded in 2011, our mission has been to build the capacity of nonprofits, businesses and philanthropists to achieve impact and growth - from grassroots groups through to global organisations pursuing systemic change.
Our Method
Our collective intelligence, unparalleled cross-sector network and hands-on team expertise make us the advisor, partner and employer of choice for those who care about doing good.
We do this at three levels, through our Strategies, which are developed through human-centred and participatory approaches; our Activation work, where we provide direct practical support to ensure all our clients’ strategies are successful and responsive; and finally, our Sector Transformation work, where we use our cross-sectoral knowledge and experience to deliver new ideas, projects and thought leadership, to #FixTheFlow of resources for good.
Our Values
We are a proud B Corp, which means we put impact at the forefront of everything we do. You can learn more about the B Corp movement and why it matters here.
As a queer and women-led firm, intersectional feminist values are at the core of who we are, what we do, and how we work. We aspire to create a workplace that centres and celebrates social and environmental justice, and the learning and unlearning required from all of us to get there. As a collective, these are the values we live by:
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Integrity
We practice what we preach, with a fundamental responsibility to be honest, ethical and true to our values.
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Dynamism
We pride ourselves on our energy and experience. We move with speed and execute with care.
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Performance
We push ourselves and our clients to deliver work that rethinks the status quo.
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Progress
We seek out innovative ideas and solutions to strengthen the social impact sector.
Our Team
As a B Corp, we seek out and nurture the very best talent in the social impact sector, valuing both in-house and lived experience. We also work with a brilliant network of associates to deliver the right combination of experience and expertise to all projects.
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Emily Collins-Ellis
CEO (she/her)
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Rachel Stephenson Sheff
Managing Director (she/her)
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Alisha Fernandez Miranda
Chair & Senior Consultant (she/her)
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Carlos Miranda
Founder (he/him)
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Caitlin McLoughlin
Advisor (she/her)
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Harriette Tillott
Advisor (she/her)
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Carli Keilholz
Associate (she/her)
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Charly Pye
Associate (she/her)
Alisha Fernandez Miranda
Alisha’s career is dedicated to fixing the resource flow to make social impact a more inclusive, efficient space that helps innovative programmes build scale and become sustainable, growing the pie for everyone.
Advising I.G. since its founding in 2011, she joined the firm full-time in 2015 as Managing Director, and took the position of CEO from 2018 to 2021. She brings to the team over a decade of experience in CSR, philanthropy and women and girls related work. She is adept at designing strategies, identifying and solving problems, making thoughtful connections, and bringing people together. Having also mastered the art of balancing pragmatism with permission to dream big, she has become the driving force behind I.G.’s various sector transformation projects like ’The Mesa,’ a digital platform designed in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to support social change agents on their philanthropic journey.
Previously, Alisha was the Director of TrustLaw, the Thomson Reuters Foundation's global pro bono service, and managed global community investment at Standard Chartered Bank, where she designed the global expansion strategy for the Goal programme in 21 countries, the largest corporate programme supporting adolescent girls in the world.
Alisha is the author of the memoir, My What If Year, featured on Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, NPR and as one of People’s Best Books, and the host of podcasts Extra Shot with Alisha Fernandez Miranda and the award-winning Quit Your Day Job. Previously she co-founded Not My Style, an app focused on fashion supply chain transparency, and served on a wide range of for- and non-profit boards, including the Creative Advisory Committee at Fideres, Social Misfits Media, now owned by freuds, Women Win, B Lab, Coin Street Community Builders, UN Women, and others. She received a Master’s Degree in Gender, Development, and Globalisation from the London School of Economics, and graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Women’s Studies.
Carlos Miranda
Carlos Miranda is an entrepreneur passionate about business with purpose. Over his career, he has founded three businesses that help both for- and non-profit organisations realise their social impact ambitions - whether it’s through providing strategic advice or helping them make better use of technology.
Carlos founded his first venture, I.G. Advisors - an award-winning strategy consultancy specialising in social and environmental change - in 2011. I.G. is a globally recognised strategic partner to a wide range of local and international organisations, from start-ups to some of the world’s biggest social impact players. I.G.’s clients include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UN Women, Amnesty International, the Ford Foundation, Adobe, and many others.
Through his work at I.G. Advisors, Carlos experienced first hand the often stark digital and technological divide that exists between the for- and non-profits worlds. His next two businesses aimed to bridge that gap.
In 2012, Carlos founded Social Misfits Media, a digital agency that helped social and environmental focused organisations design and execute dynamic social media strategies. In 2020, Social Misfits Media was fully acquired by freuds Group. Carlos remained involved with Social Misfits and freuds as a Non-Executive Director until 2022.
In 2014, he co-founded Lightful, a technology company that helps purpose-focused organisations by providing them with reliable, robust, and practical digital support, tools, and expertise. Lightful has developed the digital and technological capabilities of thousands of non-profits across the world and facilitated tens of millions of dollars of philanthropic donations.
I.G. Advisors, Social Misfits Media, freuds, and Lightful are all proud B Corps.
Over the years, Carlos has served on the Board of many non-profit organizations, including most recently Futuro Media Group, an independent New York based non-profit organisation committed to producing ethical journalism.
Carlos holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and a BA from New York University. A native Spanish speaker and an avid fan of ramen, coffee and sci-fi, he’s also father to very rambunctious boy-girl twins. Unfortunately, he failed to convince his wife Alisha of the benefits of naming them Luke and Leia.
Rachel Stephenson Sheff
Energetic and highly engaged, Rachel is an industry-leading impact professional with a passion for social and environmental justice.
As I.G.’s Managing Director, Rachel is responsible for overseeing all I.G. client work, and supporting the team to deliver on the firm’s strategy across and beyond the sector. Since joining I.G. in 2016, Rachel has been fundamental to establishing our reputation and best practices, and has led on many key accounts in the non-profit, corporate and philanthropy spheres. She is known for her skilled facilitation, sharp strategic brain, and Canadian enthusiasm that motivates people to get things done.
Rachel is also the producer and host of I.G.’s podcast, What Donors Want, which offers a fresh, dynamic (and slightly irreverent) view into major gifts fundraising from the donor’s perspective. Beyond the podcast, you can hear Rachel speaking regularly at major sector events related to power-shifting philanthropy, social justice and non-profit work.
Prior to I.G., Rachel was a major gifts fundraiser in New York where she worked on everything from multi-million-dollar performing arts capital campaigns to community-based fundraising for HIV/AIDS at the Metropolitan Opera, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Housing Works.
She recently earned a Certificate in Management from Harvard Business School, and in a previous life was a triple threat graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where she earned a BFA in Drama, with minors in Producing and Applied Theatre. These days, she’s more dedicated to another, slightly less prestigious art form – Gilmore girls reruns and 80’s horror flicks.
Harriette Tillott
Harriette is a renowned expert in philanthropy and social impact, celebrated for her proactive approach, enthusiasm, creativity in problem-solving, and commitment to social justice.
Since joining I.G. in 2022, Harriette has made significant contributions across the philanthropic, business, and nonprofit sectors. Her achievements include designing innovative learning programmes for grantmakers, pioneering animal welfare research, leading strategic planning initiatives, and driving the success of a new corporate foundation.
Prior to her time at I.G., Harriette managed several high-value funding programmes focused on grassroots social impact at The London Community Foundation (LCF) and the Jack Petchey Foundation. Additionally, she delivered health services for VSO in rural Zambia. At LCF, she led an equity-focused strategic partnership with the Muslim Charities Forum and played a key role in the award-winning London Community Response to Covid-19. Harriette has also travelled globally, speaking at events and advocating for the equitable distribution of resources through I.G.’s mission to #FixTheFlow (of resources for good). Recently, she joined the Collective Leadership Group, aiming to enhance the resilience of the social and environmental sectors.
Harriette holds a First Class BA (Hons) Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice and channels her passion for justice reform as a Trustee of Switchback, an award-winning criminal justice charity. Her volunteer work spans organisations dedicated to combating social isolation, crime, and corruption, and empowering young people. For fun, you’ll find her playing any sport (particularly football) or cooking up a feast for friends and family (a speciality is homemade pasta)!
Caitlin McLoughlin
Caitlin is a multilingual social impact professional, with a passion for learning. She is known for her expertise in designing and delivering creative learning and evaluation strategies, and conducting rigorous research to improve access to knowledge across the sector.
With a highly versatile and adaptable skillset, Caitlin has worked across all of the firm’s services during her time at I.G. Advisors. She has designed and facilitated learning and knowledge sharing between communities and funder organisations with LocalMotion and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, drafted impactful campaign copy and led fundraising trainings for women and girls charities with The Big Give, and managed grantmaking for I.G.’s philanthropy clients.
Alongside her work at I.G., Caitlin is a Trustee at the charity Speech Bubbles and a Volunteer at Fundación Proyecto Fábula. Caitlin also holds an MSc in Defence, Development and Diplomacy (with Distinction) from Durham University and a BA in French and Spanish from the University of Oxford. She has past experience of the education sector, and has also worked at The Power of Nutrition, The Prince’s Trust, and the GSMA.
Outside of work, Caitlin enjoys running and reading, and from time to time can be found trying her hand at learning a new language.
Charly Pye
Charly is a highly driven social impact professional, with an enthusiasm for learning. She is known for her collaborative, open and problem solving approach, as well as her passion for driving social change.
Over the past three years she has developed expertise in relationship-based grant management in both international and local charitable organisations, securing and managing a large portfolio of high value grants with a range of private and public sector partners, before joining I.G. Advisors.
During her time at West London Zone (WLZ), she worked on various cross-organisational projects focused on supporting young people’s mental health, social skills and academic outcomes. Recently, Charly co-led a community engagement project - training young people in the method of community listening - aiming to empower them to use their voices and drive the change they want to see in their local communities. As a previous member of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) group, she contributed to driving impactful initiatives seeking to embed a strong culture of EDI in the organisation - something she is very passionate about. Before WLZ, she worked as a Teaching Assistant in a bi-lingual school, prior to beginning her career in the fundraising sector at an international charity supporting young people affected by HIV and Aids in South Africa.
Charly holds an MA in Development Studies (with Distinction) from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), and a BA in Politics and Spanish from the University of Bath. Outside of work, Charly can be found in the Gym training (or training her friends!), travelling, and spending time with friends and family!
Emily Collins-Ellis
As I.G.’s CEO, Emily is responsible for leading the strategic vision of the firm, and has been fundamental in establishing our capability, culture and industry-leading best practices.
Since joining I.G. in 2015, Emily has worked across all the firm’s services, and managed many of its non-profit, philanthropy and business clients. This has included advising, training and supporting some of the world’s most established, growing and start-up philanthropists, foundations, companies, charities, and social enterprises.
Emily is known for her skilled facilitation of workshops, her ability to find elegant solutions to complex problems, and enabling diverse groups of people to find the most constructive and impactful way forward by listening deeply to their needs. Emily also regularly speaks at major sector events, panels and conferences on fundraising, social impact and philanthropy. In 2021 she was named one of Citywealth Magazine's Top Recommended Philanthropic Advisors, and in 2022 she was selected as one of the City of London’s 30 Civic Futures Fellows.
Beyond I.G., her career has focused on her twin passions of social justice and mental health, most notably with Helen Bamber Foundation, and her academic background includes a BSc in Psychology, a Diploma in Charity Management and an MSc in Philanthropy. She is Co-Chair of the Good Night Out Campaign, which seeks to end sexual harassment in nightlife, and has previously sat on the boards of East London Out Project, the Walk A Mile In My Shoes campaign, the Royal College of Psychiatrists London Division Executive, and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education. So, she really knows what makes a good board meeting.
An organised and lateral thinker, not only does Emily foster and sustain I.G.’s capacity for innovative and forward-thinking ideas from conception through to execution, she does it all without coffee!
Carli Keilholz
Carli is a social impact professional with a focus on sustainable and collaborative practices. She worked with NGOs, public institutions and the private sector both in Europe and internationally to bring about lasting impact before joining I.G. as an Associate.
Previously, Carli worked as a freelance consultant in London, specialised in helping her clients to design inclusive MEL frameworks and implement impact metrics. She combines this knowledge of feminist impact assessment practices with a passion for human-centric strategy design, which she acquired during her time as a project lead in Uganda. There, she spearheaded an intervention targeting female school absenteeism that she built and realised in close cooperation with the local community. Ultimately, this allowed for 300+ girls in the area to finish their education. Carli has also worked as a fundraising executive for the global organisation change.org as an expert in digital fundraising methods and relationship-based grant-making, as well as an in-house social value consultant for the public sector in Germany.
She holds an MSc in Global Politics from The London School of Economics (with Distinction) as well as a First Class BA Degree in Cultural Theory & History and Gender Studies from The Humboldt University of Berlin. Outside of work, Carli can be found in pottery studios around London, dipping her toes into new exercise classes or starting DIY projects at home.