Credo

Do what
we preach

LeFil Consulting functions like a commercial enterprise with a social purpose: we put impact first, but use the rigor and methods of business to do so. We offer top-notch business consulting to solve social problems, in a way that is more cost-effective, innovative and focused than traditional consultancies.

Fresh hard facts and strategic thinking

All our work is based on extensive first-hand data collection and analytics. We do not pretend to know best practices and solutions upfront, but we seek to learn from the actual facts and performance of the most successful players in a given field. And we go the extra mile to think through the strategic implications for our clients.

Collaboration
before competition

The problems we are addressing are so massive that there is enough space for everybody to solve them. In all our work, we seek to advance sectors as a whole, not only our individual clients. We also operate through a global network of partners and professionals, to bring the best set of capabilities to our clients, wherever they are.

Team

LeFil Consulting has its main team and office in Zurich. However, its network spans multiple continents, as it works closely with like-minded consultants, experts and entrepreneurs around the world.

  • Jessica Graf

    Jessica Graf (Zurich-Switzerland) is the Founder and Managing Director of LeFil Consulting. Before LeFil, she spent 8 years in developing countries, serving public and non-profit institutions, such as the UNDP, Action contre la Faim, the OSCE and the Swiss Foreign and Economic Affairs. She then worked at McKinsey & Company and managed Vietnam Holding Asset Management for another 6 years. She graduated in Political Sciences at the University of Geneva, and holds an MBA from INSEAD. jgraf@lefilconsulting.com

  • Cecilia Gamba

    Cecilia Gamba (Bologna-Italy) is an Associate Partner at LeFil. Before joining, Cecilia worked as a data analyst at WegoWise, Inc. and Elevate Energy, both US-based organisations providing energy efficiency services for affordable housing. In these positions, she specialised in leveraging data for effective product/program development and delivery. Prior to that she was a researcher with the Chicago Booth School of Business’s Initiative on Global Markets. Cecilia holds a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Bologna. cgamba@lefilconsulting.com

  • Michal Januszewski

    Michal Januszewski (Zurich-Switzerland) is a Senior Consultant at LeFil. Before LeFil, he worked as an intern at the UNEP/GRID center where he gained experience in analysing sustainability strategies and writing industry reports. Passionate about sustainability and international development, Michal volunteered for Sustainable Growth Associates and was a delegate at Youth Adaptation Dialogue 2022. He holds a Master's degree in Global Business and Sustainability from Rotterdam School of Management. mjanuszewski@lefilconsulting.com

  • Lucía Espiñeira

    Lucía Espiñeira (Buenos Aires-Argentina) is a Consultant at LeFil, and serves as the firm's Focal Point for Latin America. Before LeFil, she worked as a Senior Analyst at ZIGLA, where she gained experience in strategy, monitoring, and evaluation of social impact projects across Latin America. Passionate about gender equality, Lucía volunteers at Ecofeminita, where she coordinates the #MenstruAcción campaign for menstrual justice, which has influenced public policies in Argentina. She holds a degree in Economics from the University of Buenos Aires and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Economic Sociology at the National University of San Martín. lespineira@lefilconsulting.com

  • Line Cottier

    Line Cottier (Zurich-Switzerland) is a Junior Consultant at LeFil. Before joining LeFil, she gained experience across public, private, non-profit, and research institutions at the nexus of climate finance and development, including Blue Earth Capital, South Pole, the City of Zurich, CFK Africa, and Persistent Energy. Outside of LeFil, she is actively engaged in non-profit initiatives spanning sustainable food systems, gender equity, and youth empowerment. She holds an MSc in Economic Policy for International Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science, as well as a BA in International Affairs from the University of St. Gallen. lcottier@lefilconsulting.com

  • Sam Zak

    Sam Zak (Zurich-Switzerland) is an Analyst at LeFil. Before joining LeFil, he worked as Chief of Staff at an XPRIZE winning marine carbon dioxide removal start-up where he gained experience in climate tech and frontier carbon removal markets. He also worked at the World Economic Forum where he served as Coordinator for 1000 Ocean Startups, a coalition backing ventures for ocean health, driving knowledge and outreach efforts. Sam holds a MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and BA in History from the University of York. szak@lefilconsulting.com

Collaborators

  • Farai Chikomba

    Farai Chikomba (Harare-Zimbabwe) is an environmental scientist and carbon project specialist collaborating with LeFil on a project basis. With 7+ years of experience across the carbon-project lifecycle, he has worked on forestry, agroforestry and land-based climate mitigation projects across Southern and East Africa, as well as other continents, as project developer, technical reviewer and independent auditor under the Verra VCS & CCB, Plan Vivo and Gold Standard frameworks, including as a Technical Review Panel Member for Plan Vivo and Senior Program Officer for Verra. He holds an MSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Cape Town.

  • Cindy de Léon

    Cindy de León (Guatemala City-Guatemala) is a gender mainstreaming specialist and r.rise-accredited technical assistance expert, who regularly collaborates with LeFil. With 13+ years of experience across Latin America, she specializes in women's economic empowerment, investment readiness, and gender-responsive strategies for entrepreneurship ecosystems. She has worked with UNDP, USAID, Global Affairs Canada, and the U.S. Embassy, and leads her own women's economic empowerment initiative. She holds a Marketing degree from Universidad Rafael Landívar and an MBA Magna Cum Laude from Universidad Galileo.

  • Malou Geerlings

    Malou Geerlings (Zurich-Switzerland) is a sustainability professional who regularly collaborates with LeFil in its due diligence work. She also works as a Project Manager in the Environmental and Health Department of the City of Zurich, where she leads projects on climate action, sustainable food systems, and monitoring and evaluation. Prior to this, she worked in academia and volunteered with Fairtrade initiatives. She holds an MSc in Environmental Sciences and a BSc in Environmental Engineering from ETH Zurich.

  • Inès Mazas

    Inès Mazas (Uruçuca-Brazil) is a consultant with expertise in strategy, impact measurement and management, and gender inclusion, who regularly collaborates with LeFil. She served as a consultant at Accenture and Hystra, and worked for five years in Guatemala as Head of Impact at Alterna, an incubator and impact investing fund for rural entrepreneurs. She holds a Master of Science in Business and Administration from the ESSEC Business School and a Master in Public Policy and Development from Paris Descartes University.

  • Aziz Mebarek

    Aziz Mebarek (Tunisia) in the Founding Partner of AfricInvest. Aziz has over 20 years of experience in the private equity industry in the Maghreb, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Europe. He participated in raising around 1 billion USD private equity funds as well as structuring and executing several equity transactions. Prior to AfricInvest, Aziz was the General Manager of two industrial companies, ILVA Maghreb and Tunisacier International (part of Ilva the Italian Steel manufacturing conglomerate).

  • Eric Kacou

    Eric Kacou (Abidjan – Ivory Coast) is the Co-founder and CEO of Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners, an advisory and investment group to entrepreneurs and leaders across Africa and the Caribbean. Prior to ESPartners, Eric led the Rwanda National Innovation and Competitiveness Program and advised leaders of business, government and development organizations worldwide. He earned his MBA at the Wharton School and his MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School.