David Sturmes

A specialist in mineral supply chains, voluntary sustainability standards and inclusive value chain development, David’s role at The Impact Facility centres on the development of programmes and strategic partnerships that strengthen the resilience and profitability of SMEs operating in mineral-rich communities.

David has worked across East and Central Africa, Guyana and Europe co-developing programmes aiming at the professionalization and formalization of ASM, including international market access, and community development. Through this work, David has built up a broad understanding of gold, gemstone and cobalt value chains, from artisanal mines all the way to international refiners and on to downstream brands.

David helped develop The Impact Facility’s approach leveraging blended finance and building on the notion of incentive-based, continuous improvement to achieve inclusive sector development. In his role as Director for  Programme and Business Development, David engages corporates, non-profits, (impact) investors and institutional stakeholders to forge partnerships – across industries and supply chain tiers –  dedicated to addressing complex challenges through strategic collaboration.

“It is easy to get overwhelmed by the numbers, facts and statistics around the ASM sector. Obviously, we need to find scalable solutions to the issues and challenges at hand, but at the end of the day, we are not trying to change statistics, we want to uplift all these incredible real people that stand at the origin of complex, global supply chains. Hard-working men and women who welcome us into their lives as business partners and trusted advisors.”