CSW70: Making Systems Work for All: Advancing Legal Reform, Justice, and Women’s Access to Finance

Dr. Robin Mearns: Global Director, Gender, World Bank Group

Robin Mearns is the World Bank Group Director for Gender as of January 1, 2026. He previously held the position of Global Director for Social Development in the World Bank. Since joining the Bank in 1997, Dr. Mearns has held various positions in Washington, D.C., Vietnam and Zambia, including as regional manager for social development in Africa and South Asia. He has led operations, policy dialogue and analytics in community and local development, land and natural resource management across multiple regions. Robin also served as the Bank’s first global lead on the social dimensions of climate change and as sector/program leader for sustainable development (then including infrastructure) in Southern Africa. Prior to joining the Bank, Robin spent a decade in research and teaching on environment and development policy at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and the International Institute for Environment and Development in London. He holds master’s and doctoral degrees in geography from Cambridge University and a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies from the University of Sussex.

Ms. Tea Trumbic: Manager, Women, Business and the Law

Tea Trumbic is the Manager of the Women, Business and the Law project in the World Bank’s Development Economics vice-presidency, where she leads a team producing data and analysis on laws and regulations that impact women’s economic opportunities in 190 economies. She joined the World Bank in 2006 and has worked on production of indicators related to business taxation, credit information, agribusiness, trade, and gender. Before joining the World Bank, Tea worked at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Croatia and the International Monetary Fund. Tea is a graduate from Stanford University and the London School of Economics.

Ms. Wendy Teleki: Head, Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) Secretariat

Wendy Teleki is the Head of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) Secretariat, which is housed in the World Bank and supports women entrepreneurs in over 60 developing countries around the world. Prior to joining We-Fi in 2019, Ms. Teleki worked at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. At the IFC, Ms. Teleki spearheaded efforts to help private and public institutions in emerging markets expand financing and support for small businesses and women entrepreneurs. Ms. Teleki led programs to privatize and build the small business sector in Ukraine in the early 1990s, developed solutions for SMEs in Indonesia during the Asian Financial Crisis, launched innovative SME finance and advisory offerings, and pioneered blended finance efforts.

In 2022, Ms. Teleki was named one of Forbes’s “50 Over 50” women in finance for her leadership in advocating for women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship. Ms. Teleki holds an MA in International Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of Business.

Mr. Frederic Meunier: Senior Economist, The World Bank

Frederic Meunier is a Senior Economist with the World Bank’s Investment Climate Unit. He leads projects aimed at improving business regulations and supporting private sector development. He also leads the Entrepreneurship database project–which measures trends in entrepreneurship around the world and the We-Fi Data project – which collects gender disaggregated data from business registries. He obtained a degree in economics from Sciences Po and studied at Georgetown University. He holds a Master’s degree in economics from the College of Europe (Belgium) and a Master’s degree in international business from ESSEC business school (France). Prior to joining the team, Mr. Meunier worked at Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking, where he focused on project finance and public private partnerships.

Ms. Anna Johansdottir: Permanent Representative to the UN, Iceland

Ms. Sidsel Bleken: Ambassador for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Norway 

Sidsel Bleken has been Norway’s ambassador for women’s rights and gender equality since 2020. In her career in the foreign service, she has focused on gender equality, global health,  development policy and aid management, with a geographical focus on South Asia. She has served as Norway’s ambassador to Bangladesh and has been posted to the embassies in Poland and Pakistan.

Ms. Amy O’Brien: Deputy Head of Gender Equalities and Rights Department, United Kingdom

Amy O’Brien is Deputy Head of the UK’s Gender, Equalities and Rights Department, leading the UK’s global engagement on women and girls. Her 16 year diplomatic career has specialised in human rights, peacebuilding, and gender equality in diplomacy and development including postings in Kenya, Somalia and Sri Lanka.

Ms. Sarah Hendriks: Director for the Policy, Programme, Intergovernmental Division, UN Women

Sarah Hendriks serves as UN Women’s Director of the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Support Division (PPID). In this role, she drives UN Women as a global thought and practice leader through cutting-edge policy analysis, strategic guidance to field programming and intergovernmental support to normative advancements for gender equality. She has over two decades of work across multistakeholder partners, including government, public sector, foundations, NGOs and research institutions. Prior to joining UN Women, Ms. Hendriks served as the Director, Gender Equality, Global Growth & Opportunity at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2015-2019), developing the Foundation’s first-ever strategy on gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, and as the Global Advisor on Gender Equality and HIV/AIDS at Plan International Canada (2005-2010), leading the Canadian Government’s coordinated investment on HIV/AIDS and youth in Africa.

Ms. Sanda Ojiambo: Assistant Secretary-General, CEO and Executive Director, UN Global Compact

Sanda Ojiambo is the Executive Director and CEO of the United Nations Global Compact as well as an Assistant Secretary-General. With a Master’s in Public Affairs and Development Economics, she began her career in NGOs and the UN, notably contributing to Somalia’s first Human Development Report and launching reproductive health programs. She later joined IPPF Africa Regional Office, advancing pan-African women’s health and rights initiatives, and rose to Director of Programmes. At Safaricom Plc, Ojiambo integrated Sustainable Development Goals into corporate strategy and led philanthropy efforts. In her current UN role, she directs global corporate sustainability initiatives, advises UN leadership on private sector engagement, and fosters strategic partnerships.

Dr. Anino Emuwa: Founder, 100 Women @ Davos

Dr. Anino Emuwa is the founder  of 100 Women @ Davos, a global community of impact-driven women leaders, and the Managing Director of Avandis Consulting in France. A former corporate banker, she works at the intersection of inclusive leadership, emerging technologies, and governance, with a focus on responsible AI. She serves on several international boards, is a member of the UN Women Leaders Network, and is a Distinguished Fellow at École des Ponts Business School’s ReTech Center.

Ms. Mona Sinha: Chief Executive Officer, Equality Now

S. Mona Sinha is the Chief Executive Officer of Equality Now, where she leads worldwide efforts to reform laws that discriminate against women and girls – to date, having helped change over 130 laws worldwide. With 25+ years of cross-sector experience, she has supported 90+ organizations to advance social justice. She is the former Board Chair of Women Moving Millions and serves on the Advisory Boards of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, Columbia University’s Tamer Institute of Social Enterprise, and Reykjavik Global. Her leadership has earned recognition from Forbes, Apolitical, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Ms. Diana Marrero: Chief Partnership Officer, Foreign Policy  

Diana Marrero designs and leads strategic partnerships and initiatives that engage and inform leaders around the world. At Foreign Policy, she leads a high-performing team of executives who develop global, high-profile programs in collaboration with strategic partners in government, the private sector and civil society. Projects span events, podcasts, research and more. The team works with partners on projects aimed at informing and engaging stakeholders at major global convenings such as WEF, COP, UNGA, the World Bank Meetings, etc. Initiatives span across a variety of sectors, including tech, finance, health, energy, climate, sustainable development, defense and national security. Among other projects, she also leads Foreign Policy’s Her Power initiative, aimed at amplifying women’s voices in foreign policy and global affairs.

Prior to joining FP, Diana launched and directed The Hill Latino, serving in a business capacity to drive revenue and buzz for a new media brand focused on Latino public affairs at the established national media company, The Hill. Before shifting to the business side of media, Diana was an award-winning journalist, beginning her career at The Miami Herald and later serving as the Acting Washington Bureau Chief for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Arizona Republic, among other publications. She is the founder and past president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists-DC.

A graduate of the MBA program at Georgetown University, Diana concentrated in marketing, strategy and international business. She also successfully completed the International Business Diplomacy honors program at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. Diana is fluent in Spanish and continues to work on her French.

Ms. Seema Jalan: Deputy Director, Program Advocacy and Communications, Gates Foundation

Seema Jalan joined the Gates Foundation as Deputy Director to lead Gender Equality Program Advocacy and Communications in November 2022. Previously, she served for a decade as the Executive Director of the Universal Access Project and Policy at the United Nations Foundation, a multi-stakeholder initiative of philanthropists, advocates and companies striving for a world where all people can realize their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Seema has more than 20 years of experience promoting gender equity and girls’ and women’s health and human rights globally. She co-created with partners a new philanthropic vehicle, the Resilience Fund for Women in Global Value Chains; and served as a public member of the first U.S. delegation of the Biden Administration to the 65th Commission on the Status of Women. Seema previously led Women Thrive Worldwide’s global policy portfolio, where she was instrumental in contributing to the adoption of the first-ever U.S. government strategy to address violence against girls and women globally, announced by President Obama in 2012; and to USAID’s comprehensive gender policy. Seema has worked with the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction in Ethiopia, Women for Afghan Women and the United Nations. She supported U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney’s efforts to address the wage gap and gender inequity in the workplace. As an expert on gender equity and sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice, Seema has been quoted in top-tier media outlets including Slate, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, and Vice.; and has provided commentary on these topics in Medium, The Huffington Post, CNN, Forbes and The Hill.

Ms. Tamara Cook: Director of the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA).

 Ms. Cook leads the team that supports Her Majesty Queen Máxima’s s work as the UNSGSA, housed at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York.

Ms. Cook joins the Office of the UNSGSA from Financial Sector Deepening Kenya (FSD). As CEO of FSD Kenya, she leads the organization’s strategy to strengthen financial markets and advance financial health for low-income households, women, and micro and small enterprises (MSEs). With nearly three decades of experience in financial inclusion and financial health, Ms. Cook has worked with the Gates Foundation, CGAP, and Equity Bank. She also served as the FSD Network Chair from 2021-2024. She holds a master’s in business administration from INSEAD in France and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from the George Washington University.

Ms. Dalma Hernández: Social Banking and Relationships Manager, the Dominican Banker’s Association

Dalma Hernández is the Social Banking and Relationships Manager at the Dominican Banker’s Association. She is a graduate in Economics from the Pontifical Catholic University Mother and Teacher (PUCMM) and holds a master’s degree in Applied Economics from the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, China. She has more than 10 years of experience in economics and economic and social development.

Christian Pennotti: Executive Director for Digital Impact, CARE

Christian Pennotti is Executive Director for Digital Impact at CARE, where he leads the organization’s global efforts to ensure that technology expands opportunity rather than deepens inequality. With more than 25 years of experience, he has led initiatives spanning dozens of countries with annual portfolios exceeding $200 million — building partnerships with donors and institutions including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, CGAP and leading financial service providers to deliver impact at scale. At CARE, Christian has led global efforts to scale informal savings groups, worked with market leading financial service providers to design and scale more inclusive products and helped establish new models to accelerating the growth of women-led micro and small enterprises. A founder, board member, and advisor to efforts ranging from startups to industry-wide networks, Christian is recognized as a global leader at the intersection of digital equality, economic opportunity and systems-level change.

Ms. Milagros Rivas Saiz: Managing Director, Economic Opportunities and Digital Transformation, IDB Invest

Ms. Milagros Rivas Saiz is Managing Dirctor, Economic Opportunities and Digital Transformation, at IDB Invest, which she joined in 2021. She is responsible for leading the Climate Change, Gender and Inclusion, SME Development, Digitalization, and Public-Private Partnerships areas. Before joining the IDB Group, Milagros worked for the International Finance Corporation as Global Head of Strategy Director and Global Head of Advisory Services, a position in which she helped develop highly sustainable projects and open markets to private investment. Previously, she was an Executive Committee member of Acciona Energía. Milagros has extensive experience in consulting, from her work at McKinsey & Co. Milagros earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain).