Rachel Jones

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Geographical Coverage: Global (with specific international country experience in Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Germany, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, South Africa, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe)

Areas of Expertise: Social Innovation Labs, Multi-stakeholder facilitation, Working with collective trauma, Systems coaching, Accompaniment, Team and leadership and individual coaching, Synthesis report writing from dialogue interviews, Learning history reports

Company/Organization: Reos Partners

Website: Reos Partners

A Heart-Centered Leader in Social Innovation

My multicultural upbringing and the dynamic environment around me have profoundly influenced my passion for fostering innovation and meaningful change in communities and organizations. Over the past 16 years, I have worked as a Senior Consultant at Reos Partners, leading transformative projects worldwide.

I hold a BA in Social Work from the University of the Witwatersrand. I am pursuing an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation at the University of Cape Town, focusing on collective trauma and designing inclusive solutions. I am also a certified Organizational Relationship Systems Coach, which has helped me guide teams and stakeholders through complex systemic challenges with empathy and clarity.

I have been privileged to work in over 20 countries, addressing pressing issues like gender-based violence, financial inclusion, and climate resilience. One of my most rewarding experiences has been leading the Inclusive Insurance Innovation Lab (iii Lab), where I facilitated collaborations that developed innovative solutions at the intersection of climate change and financial inclusion.

I am deeply committed to promoting gender equality and diversity. This commitment shines through my work with the Partners for Prevention Social Innovation Lab, where I coached teams to create scalable solutions for GBV prevention. My superpower is incorporating inclusion and empathy into all my work, creating safe, collaborative spaces, and employing trauma-healing-centered approaches to enable collaborative actions.

Throughout my career, I have facilitated multi-stakeholder processes that bring diverse voices together to address shared challenges. Notable examples include the Rapid Action Lab for Vaccine Equity and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation Leadership Programme. These experiences have allowed me to uncover transformative solutions for societal challenges like food security, social cohesion, and leadership development.

Looking ahead, I envision using my research and experience to heal collective trauma, deepen understanding between diverse stakeholders, and inspire co-creative processes to tackle global challenges. Outside of work, I balance my life with creative outlets like dancing, pottery, painting, cooking, and spending quality time with family and friends. These moments bring me joy and rejuvenation, fueling my passion for my work.