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Founder & CEO · Terra Vita Global
A better future
begins with
strong foundations.
I’m Theresa van der Walt. I build the systems and conditions that help people, organisations, and communities thrive.
Governance. Evidence. Sustainable impact.
Connect with me on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)
Theresa van der WaltFounder & CEO · Terra Vita Global
PeopleOrganisationsCommunitiesEcosystems
01
The person behind the work
A builder of systems.
A connector of ideas.
Theresa van der WaltFounder & CEO, Terra Vita Global
I believe that lasting change begins with the conditions we create for people, organisations, and communities to thrive.
I am the Founder and CEO of Terra Vita Global, where I work at the intersection of governance, evidence, institutional development, and sustainable impact.
My passion lies in helping organisations make better decisions by building the systems, structures, and governance environments that enable trust, accountability, and long-term value creation.
By nature, I am a builder of systems and a connector of ideas. I am drawn to complex challenges, emerging opportunities, and the space where innovation meets human development.
02
Leadership & contribution
Turning purpose
into structure.
Helping organisations create the foundations for meaningful and sustainable progress.
Read my founder’s note (opens in a new tab)Current leadership
Founder &
Chief Executive Officer
Terra Vita Global
- 01
Building systems and governance environments that support trust and accountability.
- 02
Connecting evidence, institutional development, and sustainable impact.
- 03
Helping organisations make better decisions and create long-term value.
My work at Terra Vita
Building the connections
that make decisions hold.
I lead the development of an ecosystem that connects programme preparation, field evidence, institutional responsibilities, financing pathways, and learning. The aim is a traceable route from what we know to what we can responsibly do.
Evidence Vault & IAS Registry
Maintain provenance, access, institutional roles, and the basis for authority.
Terra Vita Hub
Bring agreements, obligations, and responsibilities into a shared working structure.
Assessment & Evaluation
Examine evidence, expose preparation gaps, and support accountable human review.
Explore assessment (opens in a new tab)Discovery & Funding Engine
Research opportunities and examine financing routes against a programme’s readiness.
Explore Discovery (opens in a new tab)Explore Funding Engine (opens in a new tab)Academy & Expert Review
Develop the capability and specialist judgment needed to learn, challenge, and improve.
An evolving ecosystem. Deployment and integration are established for each engagement. AI supports analysis; people retain decision authority and accountability.
03
Selected projects & initiatives
Global purpose.
Grounded in place.
My work brings institutional questions into real programme settings: what is known, what needs preparation, who can decide, and what must happen next.
KenyaFeasibility preparation
Food-Forest
Living Laboratory
University of Eldoret · Uasin Gishu
A proposed university living laboratory connecting agroforestry, food production, land restoration, teaching, and farmer learning.
- My contribution
- Leading Terra Vita’s preparation and coordination around study integration, evidence, institutional roles, and financing options.
- Next step
- A proposed 90-day feasibility study, with scope, resources, permissions, and responsibilities to be agreed before delivery.
SomaliaProgramme preparation
Jazira Coastal
Regeneration
Coastal resilience · Local counterpart AECBED
Connecting coastal stewardship, conservation capability, and resilient livelihoods through evidence-led programme preparation.
- My contribution
- Programme leadership, governance design, evidence readiness, and accountable preparation with local counterparts.
- Next step
- Close the funding and institutional conditions for mobilisation through a non-debt, grant-supported pathway.
AfricaDemonstrator
Continental
Governance Spine
55 African Union country nodes
A demonstrator for examining how country context, opportunity, programme evidence, institutions, and finance connect.
- My contribution
- Developing the governance architecture and institutional use cases, with national authority and data ownership kept visible.
- Next step
- Bounded institutional testing. The demonstrator provides a basis for exploration; adoption is engagement-specific.
BoliviaProposed preparation
ORO Ecológico
Nexus
Tacana–Cavineño pilot discussions
Exploring a defined preparation pathway for a locally grounded pilot, connecting ambition with evidence and accountable next steps.
- My contribution
- Scoping Terra Vita’s potential role in readiness, evidence governance, and preparation planning.
- Next step
- Confirm the mandate, counterpart responsibilities, resources, and agreed scope before activation.
A wider horizon
Further project-development conversations include Nepal, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria. Each opportunity follows its own evidence, authority, and readiness pathway.
Selected work · October 2026. Stages describe preparation and development; they do not imply financing approval or completed delivery.
04
Where I focus
The foundations
of lasting impact.
Four connected areas shape my work. Each contributes to the conditions in which progress can take root.
01Governance
Building the structures and governance environments that enable trust, accountability, and better decisions.
Trust & accountability02Evidence
Placing evidence at the heart of organisational decision-making, so that choices have a clear and considered foundation.
Informed decisions03Institutional development
Strengthening the systems and structures that help organisations develop, work with purpose, and create long-term value.
Stronger organisations04Sustainable impact
Creating the conditions for meaningful progress that can endure across projects and generations, supporting people, communities, and ecosystems.
Long-term value05
The bigger goal
Terra Vita / Living Earth
Create the conditions.
Let life flourish.
The name Terra Vita, meaning “Living Earth,” reflects a philosophy that guides both my professional and personal life: when the right conditions exist, people, organisations, and ecosystems have the capacity to flourish.
Our larger goal is to help institutions turn knowledge into legitimate, timely action—and retain the ability to learn, correct course, and protect the people and ecosystems affected by their decisions.
Evidence
What do we know, and what remains uncertain?
Authority
Who is responsible and authorised to decide?
Action
What will happen, under which conditions?
Proof
What changed, and what should we learn?
“To help build the foundations upon which a better future can grow.”Theresa van der Walt
Curiosity
Drawn to complex challenges, emerging opportunities, and the connections between ideas.
Integrity
Guided by a belief in trust, accountability, and the responsibilities that come with leadership.
Legacy
Inspired by the possibility of creating something that outlasts any single project or generation.
06
Books & published perspectives
Ideas that reach
beyond the project.
My writing explores the relationship between evidence, institutions, responsibility, and the consequences of the choices we make.
Forthcoming books
The Missing
Middle
How Evidence, Institutions and Capital Must Reconnect to Deliver Lasting Change
Why evidence, capability, and capital need an institutional connection to become lasting change.
ISBN 978-99993-5-803-3
Institutional Judgment
Under Automation
How Evidence, Authority and Remedy Become Decoupled in Algorithmic Governance
How institutions can preserve the capacity to question, intervene in, and correct automated decisions.
ISBN 978-99993-5-804-0
What Will They
Say About Us?
Our civilisation through the eyes of those who come next
A reflection on care, responsibility, and the legacy of today’s choices, viewed through an imagined future archive.
ISBN 978-99993-5-805-7
Forthcoming titles. Release dates and purchase links will be added when confirmed.
Enquire about the booksRead my perspectives
Published writingEssay · LinkedIn
When Programme Failure Becomes Systemic Failure
Read the essay (opens in a new tab)From Soil to Soul · October 2026Terra Vita Global: Programme and Organisation Update
Read the newsletter (opens in a new tab)The Governance Spine BlogThe Founder’s Note
Explore the thinking (opens in a new tab)07
Begin a conversation
A better future
is built together.
My mission is simple: to help build the foundations upon which a better future can grow.
Ideas. Institutions. Possibilities.
Let’s explore where our work connects.
Start a conversation t.vanderwalt@terravita-global.com