Conor Riggs

F. Conor Riggs leads iDE’s Global Agriculture Initiative and guides our market systems development methodologies, including commercialization of resource-smart technologies, market access, and last mile delivery. With over twelve years of expertise in market systems development, inclusive business facilitation and human centered design, Conor’s work involves the development, prototyping, testing, and implementation of business models that deliver affordable, accessible and aspirational products and services to low-income market segments. Over his career, he has assumed leadership roles spanning a diverse spectrum of initiatives, including agricultural mechanization, women-led SME development, multi-sectoral food and nutrition security, WASH, livestock, micro-irrigation/solar pumping, and solar micro-grids. In order to deploy these solutions, he engages with a wide-range of international government agencies from countries including the United States, Switzerland, Sweden, The Netherlands, and partners with a wide range of national industry leaders and multinational enterprises to support more than 2,000 last mile entrepreneurs at the base of the pyramid. Conor has worked throughout Asia and Africa, including Bangladesh, Thailand, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. He first began working with iDE in 2012 as a senior manager in its Bangladesh country program, where he served as Deputy Country Director of Programs. Conor holds a BBA in Business Economics and Public Policy from The George Washington University and an MA in International Economics and International Affairs from The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University.