Caitlin Burton 2026 Speakers

“Caitlin Burton is the CEO of Zipline Africa and Emerging Markets. Over the past seven years she has helped grow Zipline from a single distribution center in Rwanda into one of Africa’s most consequential technology companies. Zipline now operates 13 droneports across several countries in partnership with governments, reducing the cost and complexity of public health supply chains while saving an estimated 17,000 lives per year.

Previously, Caitlin helped build Africa’s early fintech ecosystem, developing first-of-their-kind digital financial products with telcos and banks that introduced tens of millions of unbanked households to savings, credit, and insurance. She later scaled the pay-as-you-go solar energy model across Africa, launching and growing a solar energy enterprise in five countries before its acquisition by one the largest utilities in Europe — marking the sector’s first successful exit in Africa.

Caitlin is a longtime advocate for market-based approaches to development and has worked closely with governments, multilaterals, and the private sector to displace the aid industrial complex with high-impact interventions driven by well-aligned incentives. She holds an MPA from Cornell University and a BA in International Affairs from The George Washington University.”