Ingrid Westerfors

Background

About Ingrid Westerfors

For over 20 years I have been active within the field of sustainability, through paid and voluntary work. Initiating and being part of collaborations to meet societal challenges. I am well experienced within social innovation, cooperative and circular business development and social finance. I love to contribute to the development of value driven organisations and society at large. I have a strong background in social finance and banking, NGOs and the social economy, sustainable development, and corporate social responsibility. My academic background is in environmental management and business administration at the University of Gothenburg. Right now enjoying studies within cooperative leadership. I have worked with management and coordination of a wide range of projects, from international to national and local collaboration projects and conferences. After 7 years of growth and development within microfinance and Mikrofonden Väst, and as a project manager for innovation projects within community-led housing, social enterprises etc at Coompanion Göteborgsregionen, I am now moving on. I will continue work with the development of social enterprises, cooperatives and community-led housing, circular business models and innovation. With 15 years of experience within social finance I most recently worked as acting operations manager at Mikrofonden Väst and senior microfinance expert within the national, EU-financed project Microfinance for Swedish Social Enterprises. In December 2023 I got appointed to step in as the acting operations manager, including daily operations, strategic planning, reporting and stakeholder relations of the organization. Being part of a national microfinance institution, Mikrofonden Väst provides loans, guarantees, and coaching to cooperatives, NGOs and social enterprises. Parallell to this I worked as a project manager within an innovation project to develop community-led, affordable housing. Following years of project management and active work within thr field of building co-ops, tiny houses and circular building materials. Previously I was elected and worked three years as a board member and vice chairperson of JAK Medlemsbank, a member-owned cooperative bank. Until 2017 I worked 8 years as the regional officer, business advisor, with communications and customer relations at the cooperative bank Ekobanken. All in all a very broad and useful experience within social finance and sustainable banking.