In March, Mari Pangestu took the position of the World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships to oversee the World Bank’s policy, research and external relations agendas. The We-Fi Secretariat, as well as other multilateral partnerships housed in the World Bank Group, are now reporting to Ms. Pangestu.
Dr. Pangestu, a distinguished international policy and management expert and former Minister of Trade and Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy in Indonesia, has been a strong advocate for women’s economic empowerment for many years. She has progressed the gender agenda in international fora such as APEC, WTO and her home country Indonesia focusing on better access of women to finance and markets.
“Empowering women entrepreneurs through platforms such as We-Fi, is not only about fairness, but about good economic and business outcomes,” says Ms. Pangestu. “I have seen the great contribution of women-led SMEs to the economy, to livelihoods, to human capital and productivity in my various roles in the government and most recently as chairperson of a bank which had a micro lending program for women. We must ensure that these gains are not lost due to COVID-19 and We-Fi can play a role by leveraging key partners to support this agenda.”
