CGAP Welcomes New Members to Its Executive Committee (2017)

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 28, 2017 - The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) welcomed five new members to its Executive Committee, the governing body that functions as CGAP’s board of directors.

The 11-member Executive Committee, chaired by Carolina Trivelli, provides strategic guidance to CGAP staff on its work to advance financial inclusion by expanding opportunities for poor people and helping them build economic resilience.  The committee will play a crucial role in helping shape the next five-year strategy for CGAP, which takes effect from July 2018 through June 2023.

“The emergence of the digital economy is reshaping the financial services industry, creating new opportunities and risks for poor people.  We are particularly pleased to have the rich experience of our Executive Committee members bringing a diversity of perspectives to the table.  They will help ensure that CGAP remains at the leading edge of action-oriented research for financial inclusion,” said CGAP CEO Greta L. Bull.

The new members are:

  • Fernando Maldonado, Acting Team Lead, Digital Finance, US Global Development Lab, USAID
  • Djalal Khimdjee, Global Head, Access to Finance & Structured Finance, Agence Francaise de Developpement
  • Jason Lamb, Deputy Director, Global Partner Alignment, Financial Services for the Poor, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Bindu Ananth, Chair, IMFR Trust, India
  • Maha Bahou, Executive Manager, Payment Systems, Domestic Banking Operations and Financial Inclusion Department, Central Bank of Jordan

Ananth and Bahou join as at-large members.  The other new members are assigned to constituency groups (Foundations, Multilateral Development Banks, Development Finance Institutions, and Bilateral Agencies), which represent the more than 30 member organizations that contribute to CGAP. 

The Executive Committee members whose terms continue are Brigitte Klein, Project Manager for the Global Initiative for Access to Insurance at GIZ GmBH; Zissimos Vergo, Team Leader Private Sector Development, Trade, Regional Integration at the European Commission; Daphne Motsepe, former Chief Executive, Unsecured Lending, at Absa Bank; and Doug Pearce, Practice Manager, Finance and Markets Global Practice at the World Bank.


About CGAP

CGAP is an independent think tank that works to empower poor people to capture opportunities and build resilience through financial services. We test, learn and develop innovative solutions through practical research and active engagement with our partners on building responsible and inclusive financial systems that help move people out of poverty, protect their gains and advance global development goals. Housed at the World Bank, CGAP is supported by over 30 leading development organizations committed to making financial services meet the needs of poor people.