Making Change Happen: Lessons From Microfinance Institutions

Prior to joining Triple Jump, Gera worked as financial inclusion consultant for PHB Development. She was involved in numerous Digital Financial Services projects such as go-to-market strategies and the implementation of new products and delivery channels like mobile banking and agency banking, working primarily with institutions in Sub-Sahara Africa. Previously, Gera worked for 20 years in the banking sector for ING Group and the Dutch Central Bank. She also held governance positions as chairperson of the Supervisory Board of the ASN Novib Microcredit Fund and board member of Opportunity Microcredit Romania.
Gera has a master’s degree in Theoretical and Development Economics from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. She is a Dutch national, fluent in English and Dutch, and proficient in Spanish, French and German.

Lessy Karina Flores is Research and Investigation Manager at Banco Popular. She has been leading the digital transformation work for Banco Popular for the past year.
She has 13 years of experience in project management in different industries such as telecom, renewable energy and finance. Lessy has studied industrial engineering with a minor in computer science.

Pierre-Marie has spent 10 years at Baobab (formerly Microcred). He has conceived, designed and implemented digital transformation programs for Baobab's African subsidiaries for nearly three years. 
Prior to that he spent seven years in Africa. First, he served as a Branch Manager for Baobab Madagascar for three years working to instill a client-centered culture and restructuring branches in crisis. He then launched Baobab Tunisia in 2013 - a greenfield microfinance institution - where he served the next four years as Chief Operations Officer in charge of strategy and growth.

Md. Fazlul Hoque is a development professional with more than 37 years of experiences in the field of integrated development, livelihood development, water and sanitation, capacity building and microfinance. His career with BRAC, the largest NGO in the world, for 30 years has given him the opportunity to lead the capacity building program, integrated development program of BRAC in Bangladesh and the country program of BRAC in Afghanistan. Currently he works with SAJIDA Foundation as Senior Director and leads the development programs and new initiatives such as digital microfinance, water and sanitation, health and education. He received his master’s degree from School for International Training (SIT) in Vermont, United States.

Andrée is President and Chief Executive Officer of FIF. Previously, she served as VP and COO, returning to FINCA after serving for several years as President and COO of Women for Women International, a humanitarian organization dedicated to financial, educational, and interpersonal support of women survivors of war, poverty and injustice.
Prior to this, she was Deputy to the President & CEO of FINCA for more than seven years, where she was pivotal in redesigning the organization’s business model from donor-based non-profit to a for-profit operating structure. Andrée has been a board member of Women Advancing Microfinance International and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the FINCA Microfinance Holding Company.