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Anna Farina

Anna Farina

Head of Crisis Anticipation and Risk Financing, Start Network

Anna is the Head of Crisis Anticipation and Risk Finance at Start Network, a global network of NGOs driving innovation in humanitarian action. With extensive experience in anticipatory action and climate risk financing, Anna leads efforts to design and scale systems that release funding before crises strike, helping communities prepare and respond more effectively. She and her team have worked closely with governments, local organizations, and international partners to strengthen disaster risk financing mechanisms, including Start Ready, a multi-donor pooled fund for climate-related hazards. Passionate about shifting power to local actors, Anna advocates for community-driven approaches that challenge traditional humanitarian models and ensure faster, fairer, and more inclusive crisis response.

Before joining Start Network, Anna worked extensively on crisis response for Syria, collaborating with local and international actors to support communities affected by the conflict. This experience deepened her commitment to shifting power and resources towards local responders and embedding community voices at the centre of humanitarian decision-making

Earlier in their career, Anna worked in the private sector in banking, specialising in leveraged finance, mergers & acquisitions, and corporate debt restructuring. This financial expertise now underpins their work in developing innovative climate and risk financing mechanisms that bridge the worlds of finance and humanitarian action.

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