Julie Blümmel-Gascoin is a senior finance professional with over a decade of experience driving impact through financial engineering and cross-sector partnerships. She has lived and worked extensively in frontier markets, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where she shaped her commitment to genuine collaboration and sustainable solutions. In this interview, she reflects on her career journey, the role of innovative finance in driving social impact, and the values that have guided her across sectors and geographies.

Interviewed by Charlotte Gaudin-Miles

1. In your current role as Associate Director Innovative Finance at Save the Children Global Ventures, what are you most focused on, and what opportunities do you see for innovative finance to drive greater social impact?

The primary focus and overarching theme of my work is child-lens investment. This framework that we apply across our portfolio describes how capital works to positively impact children and their well-being by mobilising both philanthropic and investment capital. Within this space, I specialise in blended finance, which crowds in additional capital into projects and programmes that traditionally relied on grants. 

International Development is undergoing a major shift due to shrinking budgets and strains on official development assistance. The goal is to ensure remaining funds stretch further, increasing the sustainable reach of available money while attracting entirely new sources of capital.

Regarding opportunities for innovative finance to drive social impact, my conviction is that finance is a powerful tool that many people understand intuitively, giving us immense leverage to reach our goals. There is a growing demand to generate both financial returns and social impact simultaneously. Next-generation wealth owners, for example, are increasingly asking how they can deploy the capital they have been entrusted with, and I see close alignment between their impact goals and our mission. 

Beyond that, I think we need to continuously ask how we measure return and performance: by looking beyond obvious financial returns to account for the broader social outcomes of our investments especially with regards on how we support future generations. 

“Finance is a powerful tool that people understand intuitively, giving us immense leverage to reach our goals”

2. Looking back at your career so far, you’ve moved across different sectors, roles and geographies, including extensive experience in Sub-Saharan Africa. What have been some of the key turning points in your professional journey, and how have they shaped the work you do today?

I believe one of the most defining decisions in my career was moving to Côte d’Ivoire early on to do international volunteering. What was supposed to be a two-year assignment turned into nearly a decade, allowing me to travel extensively across West and Central Africa, navigating a variety of business cultures. Starting my career at a development finance institution placed me in meetings with CEOs and Ministers; an experience that was both humbling and formative.

I have always been deeply motivated by the social and sustainable value of my work and the tangible impact it achieves. Along the way, I became increasingly drawn to the leverage you can achieve through blended, innovative and sustainable finance.

I was fortunate to have employers who invested in my professional development, and I came to understand that the financial acumen I’d built in corporate settings could be effectively translated to the NGO world. That was a real lightbulb moment; realising I could apply my existing skill set in an entirely new way to drive social change.

“I came to understand that the financial acumen I’d built in corporate settings could be effectively translated to the NGO world”

3. Your career has taken you from finance and banking to international organisations and the development and humanitarian sectors. What motivated these transitions, and what has been the common thread connecting the different experiences and choices you’ve made along the way?

I would say the common thread in my career is a desire to work in alignment with my values. That has consistently been one of my primary motivations. What also ties my experiences together is a focus on access to essential services, whether that’s water and energy, or, in my current work, education and health. These equity and public service lenses are very close to my heart. 

Beyond that, I am someone who thrives on continuous learning and growth, which also means seeking out inspiring people to collaborate with, and I’ve been fortunate to find plenty of them. Of course, continuous learning brings the challenge of pushing the boundaries of your work while building on the core skills you offer. Ultimately, it’s about drawing on your experience and growing your expertise, while expanding into new sectors and institutions. 

“The common thread in my career is a desire to work in alignment with my values”

4. You’ve worked across sectors and environments where leadership often means bringing together people with very different perspectives and priorities. What does good leadership mean to you, and what do you think organisations can do to create more inclusive cultures where women can thrive and progress?

To me, leadership is two-sided: there is the leadership you want to be exposed to, and the leadership you strive to embody yourself. My different experiences have shown me that leadership isn't just about navigating corporate culture, but cultural backgrounds as well. People bring their unique histories to the table, and good leadership ensures that everyone is given a platform and genuinely heard. 

We all carry our own biases. I am a firm believer in enabling people to be the best version of themselves but doing so requires acknowledging that alignment doesn't require everyone to think the same way. That is precisely why you need diverse talent from varied cultural backgrounds, alongside the humility to recognise what you know, and what you don't. Especially in international development, creating space for different perspectives is crucial. 

When it comes to supporting women, having spent much of my career in male-dominated environments, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to be taken seriously or recognised at the appropriate level of seniority, particularly when surrounded by often older professionals. In those situations, I believe it’s essential to remind yourself of the value you bring to the table. Ultimately, sometimes all it takes is just one person in the room who is willing to listen and value the perspective you offer. 

“Good leadership ensures that everyone is given a platform and genuinely heard”

5. Across all the different sectors and roles you've navigated, your North Star has always been about creating sustainable impact. Today, what is the most important message or truth you would like to share with others who want to use their careers to shape a better future?

What has guided me throughout my career has been constantly asking whether I am aligned with my core values, which requires dedicating time to reflect on what those values are, be open to course correct, and acknowledging that they will naturally evolve over time. It also means accepting compromise. You may also sometimes take on a role that suits your current stage of life rather than perfectly matching your ideals, but it can serve as a vital stepping stone. I’ve learned there is no single right way to build an impactful career. 

Experience has made me pragmatic. By that, I mean that you can find value in every single role. It ultimately comes down to whether you feel you’re in the right place to achieve your desired impact or outcomes. For some, that means ascending the corporate ladder to wield strategic decision-making power; for others, it's about proximity to direct social impact. It’s about staying true to yourself and keeping your ultimate goals in sight, even if you have to adjust your course or timeline along the way. 

Finally, you have to create your own opportunities. You must be proactive in shaping the skill set and professional profile that will ultimately lead you where you want to go. 

6. Can you tell us what motivated you to join the 11th edition of the WIL Women Talent Pool, and what do you think makes a programme like this particularly valuable at this stage of a woman’s career?

A variety of motivations led me to join the programme. I really felt it was a fantastic opportunity to pause, reflect, share with peers, and continue to build my career. As I mentioned earlier, it is essential to create your own opportunities. Being part of the programme is a wonderful way to engage with inspiring people across many different sectors, bringing fresh perspectives and international exposure. 

I truly believe in the power of networks. The mentoring component was a major motivator. I am particularly looking forward to receiving feedback and guidance from senior, experienced women who have successfully forged their own paths. 

7. As a member of the Blended Finance Collective (BFC), what is your role?

Through the broader work of Global Ventures, we support an ecosystemic dialogue, drive capacity building, and raise awareness around the potential of blended finance as a tool. Recently someone made the point, that blended finance means as many different things as there are people talking about it; there is no single, universally agreed-upon definition. The BFC strives to share case studies that help ground the dialogue in real-world examples, defining what blended finance actually means and demonstrating what it can achieve, while being open about what doesn’t. 

8. Outside of your primary work, do you do any other voluntary work focused on supporting women and emerging leaders in finance? 

Mentoring has long been a core priority of mine, whether by offering guidance to junior colleagues, fellow alumni and former interns as they navigate their careers or participating in formal programmes.

Since last year, I’ve served as a mentor for the International Institute for Management Development (IMD)’s Driving Innovative Finance for Impact programme in Lausanne. In that role, I guide cohort groups as they work on real-life case studies, helping them refine, incubate and scale their financial products ahead of a final pitch competition. It has been an extremely rewarding experience, and one I look forward to repeating.