Sophia Caroline Swire

Sophia Swire is an award-winning pioneer in enterprise and skills development who has spent over three decades creating opportunities for women and marginalised communities across frontier markets. After beginning her career with the leading British investment bank, she co-founded Learning for Life, establishing some of the first community schools in Pakistan’s mountainous regions and educating more than 35,000 children, including Afghan refugees. She went on to launch the global pashmina shawl trend, working with women-led businesses in Nepal to catalyse a 4,000% export increase and boost GDP by 2% at its peak.

Through her non-profit Future Brilliance, Sophia later designed vocational programs in Afghanistan, equipping women artisans with technical training, entrepreneurship skills, and access to international markets. Between 2021–2025, she also led efforts to provide safe passage and support for over 500 Afghan asylum seekers, delivering education, ICT training, and trauma counselling to women and families.

Her experience at the nexus of enterprise, skills, and forced migration inspired her to found GEDI, a venture platform that aims to channel catalytic capital into women-led, tech-enabled businesses across MENA. GEDI combines a commitment to measurable social impact with the pursuit of commercially viable outcomes, particularly in sectors addressing climate resilience, adaptation, and human resilience for displaced populations.

Sophia is also a strong advocate for responsible business and transparency, including emerging safeguards around AI. Through GEDI and Future Brilliance, she works to ensure innovation uplifts and protects women and displaced communities, building a more inclusive and resilient future.