Tanja Buwalda
Tanja is our Business Development Director at Rethink Ireland.
She brings a wealth of cross-sector experience and a deep commitment to social impact. Her professional background spans health tech, FMCG, luxury travel, PR, and marketing, alongside years of entrepreneurial leadership. Having long balanced a career in the private sector with voluntary work in the charity world, she jumped at the opportunity to align her passion with her profession by joining Rethink Ireland.
A natural connector, she specialises in building meaningful partnerships that match ambitious social innovations with visionary donors. She understands the complex challenges facing communities in Ireland today—and draws on her diverse experience to help address them through powerful, purpose-driven collaborations.
Tanja is a passionate advocate for equity, informed by both personal experience and a strong belief in using privilege and platforms to create opportunity for all.
A big fan of tech, she’s energised by the possibilities of AI to advance social innovation—but only if it’s done right. She’s a champion of ethical use, equitable access, and bias-aware design, to ensure AI benefits everyone, not just a select few. Tanja completed an MSc in Digital Marketing Practice, further strengthening her skills at the intersection of communication, strategy, and innovation.
Outside of work, she’s most at home on the salsa dance floor or tending to her ever-growing jungle of succulents.
Want to explore a potential partnership or share an idea? Drop Tanja a line at tanja@rethinkireland.ie she’s always up for a good conversation.
