MEET OUR BI TEAM
AMMAARAH MARTINUS, Founder BI4GOV
Passionate about positive change, governance, and innovative research in South Africa, Ammaarah Martinus founded BI4GOV when working as a Director of Policy, Research and Analysis at the Western Cape Government, Department of the Premier. She saw the importance of showcasing and connecting BI practitioners and their work to highlight how behavioural insights can influence policy development and implementation in the social sector in the global South. Ammaarah has done extensive work in implementing and evaluating behaviourally-informed programmes and interventions within government, with the view to scale. She is currently a Senior Programme Officer at UNESCO, MGIEP.
CONTRIBUTING RESEARCHERS
RUTH CAPON, Policy and Strategy Researcher, Research and Analysis, Department of the Premier, Western Cape Government, South Africa
Ruth grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. She is interested in using behavioural insights to implement evidence-based policy and create a culture of innovation and care. She holds a Bachelor of Social Science in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, an Honours degree in Politics (Justice & Transformation) and a Masters in Urban Studies, from the University of Cape Town. Her work experience since her studies has been in the NGO, academic and government sectors. She is currently a Policy & Strategy researcher in the Department of the Premier, in the Western Cape Government, where she works on embedding evidence and innovation into social service policy and programmes.
KIARA KLITZNER, Assistant Director, Policy, Research and Analysis, Department of the Premier, Western Cape Government, South Africa
Kiara is passionate about social and spatial transformation and tends to use a spatial lens to interpret complex societal issues following her postgraduate degree in City and Regional Planning at the University of Cape Town. She welcomed Behavioural Insights as an additional and unique lens - when first supporting BI4GOV-led initiatives - to alternatively approach problems and find ways to achieve a desired positive impact in a resource-limited context. She is currently a team member of a unit that seeks to facilitate and promote innovation in the provincial, Western Cape Government and continues to hold a keen interest in behaviour change.