Simone Smit has been working on development in Africa for over 15 years, with a specific focus on environmental sustainability. She is the Director of Africa for The Earthshot Prize, where she works across the region to support and scale climate impact.

Prior to joining Earthshot, she was the Head of Exploration at the United Nations Development Programme, where she worked as part of a global team focusing on innovation to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Simone began her career in academia, designing and implementing projects across climate change, green economy, disaster risk reduction, and humanitarian assistance. Simone holds a Master’s of Management, and her research explored transformational systems change in response to climate change. She is deeply committed to identifying and scaling solutions that contribute to addressing climate change and achieving socioeconomic development concurrently.