Ronald Lenz

Director of Innovation and Programme Director MENA

Innovation in justice starts where people’s daily problems meet collective action – when governments, startups, civil society and communities build solutions together.

As Director of Innovation at HiiL, Ronald leads the organisation’s innovation strategy and programmes: the Justice Accelerator and the Justice Innovation Labs. The Justice Accelerator has supported over 200 startups and CSOs across Africa and the Middle East, providing digital and community-based services that help people resolve everyday justice problems related to work, housing, land, family, and small businesses. The Innovation Labs, co-created with local stakeholders, have produced solutions such as a labour inspection platform in Tunisia, a GBV survivor tool in Nigeria, an AI-powered land hotline in Niger, and community justice centres in Ethiopia. He also drives HiiL’s AI Agenda, promoting the responsible use of artificial intelligence for people-centred justice.

As Programme Director MENA, Ronald oversees HiiL’s PCJ programmes in Tunisia, Syria, and Iraq. These focus respectively on employment justice and SMEs; access to documentation, women’s safety, and the right to work in the private sector; and housing, land, and property rights. Across the region, he builds partnerships between governments, startups, and civil society to design evidence-based solutions that improve justice, stability, and livelihoods.

Before joining HiiL, Ronald held senior leadership roles at the Human Cities Coalition, Hardt Hyperloop, and GoodUp, and co-founded 7scenes. His earlier career at Waag Futurelab combined technology, design, and social innovation. Ronald has served as an advisor to the OECD, United Nations Global Compact, and the Dutch Coalition for Humanitarian Innovation. 

He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology and completed executive programmes in Leadership (THNK), Strategic Innovation (University of Oxford), and Sustainable Finance (University of Cambridge).

With over 20 years of leadership in innovation and international development, Ronald has a strong track record in managing complex, multi-stakeholder programmes in emerging markets. His work centres on systems change through innovation, public-private collaboration, and the empowerment of local ecosystems.

See Ronald’s profile on LinkedIn.

Contact info

[email protected]
+31 (0) 70 762 0700
+31 (0) 62 7021 1204