The most valuable thing you can offer any partner, including government, is honesty – not agreement or flattery. The kind of thinking that helps people see their situation more clearly and builds trust and relationships that last
Bryony Stentiford, Director, Business Development, Riva Network
The end of traditional aid is not a crisis for Riva. We’ve been moving towards this moment for more than a decade, and Bryony Stentiford is one of the reasons we’re ready. Bryony has spent ten years building the partnerships and funding relationships that have allowed us to move beyond our previous NGO role, to become something more compelling in services and approach to nation builders, notably government.
Bryony works at the intersection of what Riva knows and what the world is willing to pay for. That means understanding clients and funders’ priorities and constraints and matching that to Riva's expertise and services. It also means building the spaces where those relationships form: the symposia and convenings where Riva's ideas reach the people who can act on them.
Bryony came to international development through events management for global brands, followed by environmental engineering and professional fundraising – a trajectory that helps her understand what makes an organisation genuinely attractive to investors. She holds an MSc in Environmental Engineering from the University of Leeds and is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. She is based in Haarlem, Netherlands.
A few highlights
- Grew Riva's foundations income from €1.8 million to €6.1 million (2016–2024), improving proposal success rates from 50% to 75%
- Event Director for All Systems Connect 2023 – over 700 attendees including 10 ministerial delegations, €500k+ in sponsorship raised
- Developed a single new foundation funder from a $75k initial project to over $800k across four projects over five years
- MSc Environmental Engineering and Project Management, University of Leeds; Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (MCIOF AdvDip)
- Experience across international NGOs, private sector and major commercial organisations in Europe, Asia and Latin America
- Working languages: English, with knowledge of Dutch, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese