Verity O'Shaughnessy

Verity O'Shaughnessy

Role: Partnerships Manager

Team: Strategic Partnerships team

Profile:

I am a Partnerships Manager in the Private Sector Engagement team. I oversee the team’s portfolio of partnerships with the private sector with a focus on women’s economic empowerment and humanitarian emergencies. I support the team to work with our private sector partners to achieve income objectives for CARE, multiply impact for communities living in poverty and influence business practices for greater social impact. I also directly manage strategic partnerships with Diageo, Twinings and Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG). I specialise in women’s economic empowerment throughout the value chain from smallholder farmers to retailers and customers, in particular through managing CARE’s partnerships with Diageo and Twinings. Within the IHG partnership, I focus on developing a strategic approach with IHG to the whole disaster relief cycle including response, recovery and preparedness.

I joined CARE in 2015 from the Fairtrade Foundation where I specialised in developing markets for fairtrade products grown by smallholder farmers and workers in coffee, tea, sugar and cocoa value chains. I have a BA in Development Studies from the University of Sussex, which is where my passion for working with the private sector to achieve development impact sprung from!

One good thing I've watched

Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette is a powerful punch of the realities of being somebody that exists in society’s margins and an account of why this means Hannah is leaving comedy. Hannah shares her personal experiences of the abuse and discrimination she has endured for being seen as ‘other’ and the cultural norms that have enabled it. A heart-breaking (and at points hilarious) call to recognise “diversity is strength”.

Email: OShaughnessy@careinternational.org

Twitter: @VOShaughnessy


Blog posts

In a politically volatile environment, CARE is working to implement Community Development Forums (CDF) in tea estates in Sri Lanka. The CDFs are delivered in partnership with the tea workers, estate management and trade union representatives and

Violence and harassment in the workplace - whether in Westminster, Hollywood or McDonalds - continues to make headlines. Its impact on workers and business is increasingly becoming apparent. CARE research in the Cambodian garment sector revealed

CARE and Diageo have conducted an in-depth gender analysis of Diageo’s barley


Humanitarian team

CARE International UK’s humanitarian team supports CARE’s humanitarian work by accessing funding, and by providing project management and technical advice and capacity to CARE’s country offices and CARE’s emergency responses. CARE has a strong focus on ensuring that all our humanitarian programming responds meaningfully to the needs and capacities of different people, whatever their gender, identity or particular circumstances. CARE’s emergency shelter team is also based at CARE International UK.

Climate Change & Resilience Team Leader

I am an environmental scientist with a background in international development, specialising in climate change adaptation, natural resource management, disaster…

Head of Humanitarian

I joined CARE International UK in 2017 and currently head up our Humanitarian team. Before CARE, I worked for DFID…

Inclusive Governance team

Poverty and social injustice are caused and maintained by unequal power relations that result in the inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities – between women and men, between power-holders and marginalised communities, and between countries. CARE believes poor governance is a key cause of poverty and social injustice. Our Inclusive Governance team promotes inclusive and accountable governance systems so that poor and marginalised people have influence over decisions that affect their lives. We help communities get organised and get their priorities included in development planning. We work to increase women’s voice and leadership in public life. We support service users to hold service providers to account. We work with public authorities and service providers to help them become more transparent and responsive to poor and marginalised people.

Head of Governance

I joined CARE International UK in 2006, with 15 years experience working in the NGO development sector. I have extensive…

Governance and Accountability Advisor, Africa

Currently I am advisor on inclusive governance and accountability for the Eastern, Southern and Horn of Africa region within CARE…

Programmes and Policy team

The Programmes and Policy team is responsible for overseeing programme quality and multiplying the impact of our programming by encouraging governments, business and donors – based on the evidence we witness on the ground – to adopt policy reforms that support the world’s poorest people and communities. Working in partnership with our country programmes, women’s rights organisations and civil society, we put forward the views of the most marginalised to governments, including the UK government, multinational businesses and global institutions and press the case for change. In short, our goal is to change the rules of the game that keep people poor.

Head of Advocacy and Policy (Jobshare)

After 10+ years working in the development and humanitarian sector I remain passionate about putting disaster and conflict-affected people at…

Senior Advocacy and Policy Adviser

I work in CARE International UK’s Advocacy and Policy team. I focus on gender and climate change, women’s leadership in…

Strategic Partnerships team

Strategic partnerships are a key way for CARE to increase and widen our impact. Our Private Sector Engagement team partners with national and multinational companies to co-create innovative 'inclusive business' approaches that drive new opportunities for poor people as producers, workers, entrepreneurs, and consumers. We – and our partners – believe this makes good business sense: helping to generate efficiency, securing supply chains, accessing new markets and products, and improving credibility with consumers who increasingly expect companies to behave responsibly. Our Institutional Partnerships team connects the vision and commitment of our funding partners with poverty-fighting programmes throughout the world.

Senior Corporate Partnerships Executive

I manage CARE’s Cocoa Life partnership with Mondelez in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, working to create a vibrant, strong cocoa…

Partnerships Manager

I am a Partnerships Manager in the Private Sector Engagement team. I oversee the team’s portfolio of partnerships with the…

Women’s Economic Empowerment team

Our Women’s Economic Empowerment team leads CARE’s work globally to ensure women have greater access to and control over economic resources, assets and opportunities. We focus on four inter-related pathways to economic empowerment, based on a combination of women’s core economic roles as producers, workers, entrepreneurs and consumers: financial inclusion, women and value chains, dignified work, and entrepreneurship. We also focus on supporting the involvement of women in creating resilient markets in fragile and humanitarian contexts.

Senior Advisor – Financial Inclusion

Prior to joining CARE International UK as Senior Advisor – Financial Inclusion, I led the Women and Youth Financial Inclusion…

Advisor – Dignified Work

I provide technical expertise for CARE globally on Dignified Work – CARE’s strategy for promoting access to gender-equitable, economically empowering…

I joined CARE in August 2014, because I believe strongly in our focus on economic development, gender equality and people…

CARE International alumni

Many CARE staff who have written Insights blogs have since moved on to other roles. Your blogs are still part of the CARE story – and we welcome any future contributions you may make to Insights and to our shared learning on what works in humanitarian response and international development.

Helene Gayle was formerly President and CEO of CARE USA. A medical doctor, she was previously Director of the HIV,…

Dr Robert Glasser was formerly the Secretary General of CARE International responsible for coordinating the work of the CARE confederation.…