Instructor

Dr. Roberto Ridolfi

Dr Roberto Ridolfi PhD, MBA, MSc
Dr Ridolfi is a strategic and impact investment advisor, blended finance and sustainability expert, lecturer at various Universities with over 37 years relevant experience since 1985 of which more than 23 at managerial level. Member of Fondazione ENI Enrico Mattei Scientific Advisory Board (FEEM-SAB). Associate Member of Centro Interuniversitario per la Ricerca per sviluppo Sostenibile (CIRPS). Special advisor at international centre for advanced Mediterranean agronomic studies (CIHEAM). Member of scientific committee of SFIDE (university UNITELMA Roma) and President of the network of International NGOs Link2007
He holds a PhD in A Technology from the Sapienza University (Rome), an MBA from the Open University (UK) and magna cum laude degree in engineering from the Sapienza University. Roberto speaks Italian (mother tongue) English and French and authors several articles and interviews in Italian and English.
Director at the European Commission for Sustainable Growth and Development, he has performed as chair of the Africa Infrastructure Investment FUND managed by European Investment Bank. As Director of the European Commission he has authored several policy actions and EU communications and regulations, implemented innovative initiatives on sustainable finance such as Electrifi, Agrifi, EDFI management company, chaired several investment committees with European Development Finance Institutions and EU Member States, and main author/promoter of the first ever policy on private sector for development, the External Investment Plan of the EU in Africa with innovative guarantees linked to the SDGs via the European Fund for sustainable development (2013 up to 2017)
He had been Assistant-Director-General for Programme Support and Technical Cooperation and special Advisor to the DG, at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (2018 up to Sept 2020) where he launched AGRINVEST.
Twice Ambassador/ Head of delegation of the European Union: from 2005 to 2007 he served in Suva (Fiji), in charge of the relations of the EU with 15 Pacific countries and territories where strategy was on climate change diplomacy, 10 years ahead of COP21, in 2010 appointed in Uganda in the first batch of appointments by the newly created European Diplomatic service till September 2013. In Uganda, he set up the first equity fund for small agriculture investments.
As Head of Division at the EC he launched successfully new initiatives like the first ever Global fund of funds on renewable and energy efficiency (GEEREF) managed by the European Investment Fund (EIF-EIB) where he was Chairman of the investment committee Joined the European Commission in 1994 and worked as resident development and economic advisor in several delegations of the Union, including Malawi, Namibia, and Kosovo where he was Head of Monitoring.
Throughout Accession negotiations (2001-2004), he was the Principal Coordinator dealing with Environment and Transport in Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP) editor of the Guidelines for successful PPP still available as the sole publication on the topic by the EC. Extensive experiences in the field of blended finance, Finance for development, renewable Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Agriculture, Food security, Human development, external relations
He had important experience in the private sector before joining International Organisations as Marketing Director, Research and Development Director, Finance Director of SMEs. (1985-1994).