About the Founder

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Felix Rottmann – Founder and Executive Director of Kisasa ESG Consultants – is a Tanzanian-German, MA-qualified ESG specialist with 15+ years of experience advising financial institutions, project developers and companies across Africa and beyond. Based in Nairobi since 2015, he combines technical environmental and social (E&S) expertise with extensive experience in project implementation, stakeholder engagement, governance and strategic oversight.

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Felix advises clients on identifying and managing E&S risks and opportunities throughout the project lifecycle, from early-stage development and due diligence through construction and operations. His core areas of expertise include:

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• Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD);

• Environmental and Social Management Systems and Frameworks (ESMS/ESMF);

• Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA);

• Stakeholder engagement and grievance management;

• Resettlement and livelihood restoration;

• E&S monitoring, audits, corrective action planning and capacity building; and,

• Community development and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, governance and implementation.

 

Felix has particular experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors, alongside assignments in agriculture, manufacturing, transport and hospitality. His work is grounded in international standards including the IFC Performance Standards, Equator Principles, World Bank Environmental and Social Standards and World Bank Group EHS Guidelines, as well as the requirements of leading development and financial institutions such as DEG, KfW, FMO, EIB, Proparco, Norfund, Finnfund and AfDB.

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A key differentiator is Felix's experience on different sides of the investment and project-development process, as a consultant, adviser to lenders, member of project management teams and Board member. This gives him a practical understanding of both financier expectations and the operational realities faced by companies implementing international E&S requirements. His approach focuses on developing practical, proportionate and context-specific solutions, rather than mere compliance on paper.

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Felix also has extensive experience helping project developers design and implement effective community development and CSR programmes. This includes developing CSR strategies and governance arrangements, establishing mechanisms through which projects can identify, prioritise and fund community initiatives, designing stakeholder participation and decision-making processes, and supporting the selection and oversight of implementation partners. His approach aims to move community investment beyond ad hoc projects towards structured, transparent and sustainable programmes that respond to local priorities while supporting a project's wider stakeholder and sustainability objectives.

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Prior to establishing Kisasa, Felix had overall responsibility for E&S management at the 310 MW Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) project in Kenya, supporting the project through development, construction and into operations. HE continues to support LTWP in an advisory capacity.

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Alongside his consulting work, Felix serves as a Non-Executive Director of Serengeti Energy, a pan-African renewable energy company, and as Executive Director of Winds of Change (WoC). Under his leadership since 2015, WoC has delivered 100+ community development projects worth more than €6 million, principally in education, healthcare and access to water.

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This combination of technical expertise, lender and developer experience, Board-level governance and hands-on implementation enables Felix and Kisasa to identify risks early, develop workable solutions and help clients strengthen E&S performance over the long term.

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Kisasa collaborates with a trusted network of specialist professionals, providing additional technical expertise where required while retaining a focused, senior-led approach.