Catherine Highet

Financial Sector Specialist

Catherine Highet is FinEquity's  Digitally Enabled Financial Inclusion Thematic Lead. Prior to this role, she worked with the GSMA Connected Women program and FHI 360, focusing on digital inclusion activities, including DFS, digital identity and gender equality. Catherine has also consulted for several digital development partners in the public and private sector including IREX, Mozilla and Souktel. 

By Catherine Highet

Blog

Customer Focus Brings Green Technology to Rural Women in India

Customer-centricity means understanding people's financial needs and realities. Sistema.bio in India uses this approach to offer affordable biodigesters to rural women, leveraging carbon credits.
Blog

Seven Insights From Samunnati on Income Diversification

In collaboration with CGAP and IDH under ABERA, Samunnati drives business innovation and gender and climate goals. Together, they've identified seven insights on income diversification for women in India, detailed in this blog.
Blog

Climate Resilience Through Financial Services: Farzana’s Story

Women, especially those in low-income countries, are faced with higher risk, greater vulnerability, and fewer tools to cope with the impacts of climate change. Financial services can empower women to manage climate risks and build resilience.
Blog

Can Free Phones Close the Digital Gender Divide?

Mobile phone affordability — the focus of most programs to distribute free phones to women — is far from the only barrier to women’s use of mobile phones.
Blog

The Digital Gender Divide Won’t Close by Itself – Here’s Why

Men and women engage differently with digital services - including digital financial services - because of, among other factors, gendered social norms that don't change nearly as fast as technology.