Financing Poverty Alleviation: Financial Services for the Poor with panelists Mary Ellen Iskenderian, Fola Adeola, Lynn Pikholtz and Reemaben Nanavaty at the 2007 Global Philanthropy Forum Conference held at the Googleplex in Mountain View, CA.
Bio
Fola Adeola
Mr. Fola Adeola is the founder and chairman of FATE Foundation a charitable foundation to promote entrepreneurship among the youth in Nigeria. He is also the founder of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc where he is presently a director. He served the bank as the pioneer Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for 12 years. Before founding Guaranty Trust Bank Plc in 1990, Mr. Adeola was the Deputy General Manager & Divisional Head, Financial Services Division of the Continental Merchant Bank Limited (1986-1990). He also served as a manager of the NAL Merchant Bank Plc from 1982-1986. Prior to this experience, he served as a senior auditor at D.O. Dafinone & Co.
Mr. Adeola has presented over twenty papers in various countries on a wide range of topics. He attended Yaba College of Technology where he obtained his HND in Accountancy. He has also obtained degrees from the London School of Accountancy, the International Institute for Management Development (IEP), the Lagos Business School (CEP) and the Harvard Business School (OPM). In 1999, Mr. Adeola was awarded membership of the National Institute of Policy & Strategic Studies (MNI).
Mary Ellen Iskenderian
Mary Ellen Iskenderian became President and CEO of Women's World Banking in September 2006, making her the organization's first new president in 16 years. Ms. Iskenderian brings to WWB over 20 years of experience in building financial systems globally as a director at the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group. She is poised to develop and launch WWB's new strategy that will focus on continued leadership in capital markets development, renewed strategic focus on gender and women's leadership initiatives, and the creation of an expansion strategy for WWB's global network of microfinance institutions and commercial banks.
Ms. Iskenderian has held numerous leadership positions in various regions and sectors at the IFC, including Director of Partnership Development, Director of Global Financial Markets Portfolio and Director of the South Asia Regional Department. She currently sits on the advisory boards of the Dignity Fund and Kiva. Prior to joining WWB, she was a director on numerous corporate boards, including ShoreCap International, an important equity and loan fund for microfinance.
Ms. Iskenderian received an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Organization and Management and a B.S. in International Economics from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
Reemaben Nanavaty
Reemamben Nanavaty is Director of Economic and Rural Development of Self Employed Women’s Association - Co-ordinating the Rural Development programme of SEWA in 14 districts of Gujarat, with a total of 315878 (67% of the total membership) women. The programmes mainly focus on providing full employment and self reliance to the women, by addressing the area specific needs.
Lynn Pikholz
Lynn Pikholz, a South Africa national and formerly a Senior Managing Director of ShoreBank International, ShoreBank's international consulting company, serves as the President and CEO of Exchange. Lynn has over ten years of development finance experience and has worked closely with development finance institutions in Southern and Eastern Africa, South East Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe as well as in the U.S. Employed by ShoreBank Advisory Services since 1996, she has written extensively on development finance. Lynn previously worked in South Africa for a major commercial bank and for The Urban Foundation, and she holds an Honors Degree in Marketing and Economics from the University of Cape Town and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and a Masters degree in Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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