19th September 2024
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our HX Webinar: how innovative financing can fuel humanitarian progress, held on 19 September in partnership with ICVA. The recording and slide deck are now available.
Watch the recording featuring innovative finance expert panellists Ragia Amr (Flat6 Labs Start Mashreq), Ellen Brooks (IRC) and Carolina Douek (Save the Children Global Ventures) together with co-hosts Pawel Mania (HLA) and Elise Baudot Queguiner (ICVA).
Hear fascinating insights and discussion on how innovative financing mechanisms can enhance the impact and sustainability of humanitarian efforts, with a focus on emerging trends and practical applications.
Speakers
Ellen Brooks: Director, Innovative Finance, International Rescue Committee
Ellen is Director for Innovative Finance at IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab, managing a portfolio of projects realigning capital behind humanitarian outcomes. She has over a decade of expertise working in the Middle East in finance, investment advisory, fundraising, and policy and served as a Vice President in JPMorgan’s Private Banking division from 2014-2019. Prior to that, she was living and working Cairo, Egypt, at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt on economic and investment policy. Ellen holds a B.A. in Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles; and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs: International Finance, Middle Eastern Studies.
Carolina Douek: Associate Director for Innovative Finance, Save the Children Global Ventures
Carolina is an Associate Director for Innovative Finance at Save the Children Global Ventures (SCGV). Prior to joining SCGV, Carolina was a Principal at Crestone Venture Capital, where she led financial inclusion-focused investments in emerging markets. Carolina also worked at the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, where she led strategic initiatives for Latin America and the Caribbean. She has also worked at Integration Consulting, a global strategy firm, with a focus on M&A and Private Equity. Carolina holds an MBA/MPP from the University of Oxford and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil).
Ragia Amr: Program Director, Flat6 Labs Start Mashreq
Ragia is the StartMashreq Program Director at Flat6labs. Ragia has been supporting startups in Egypt for more than 8 years and has 10 years of cumulative experience in development and entrepreneurship. Before joining Flat6labs, Ragia was working as a Senior Program Specialist at Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program in The American University in Cairo. Ragia holds a Bachelor degree and a Masters degree in Economics from The American University in Cairo.
Pawel Mania: HLA Deputy Director Impact and Influence [co-host]
Pawel Mania is a values-driven humanitarian professional with over 15 years of experience in international development and humanitarian response, having worked for Sightsavers International, the British Council, and the European Parliament Human Rights Committee. Pawel is currently the Deputy Director for Impact and Influence at Save the Children UK’s Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA). He is passionate about localising humanitarian efforts, promoting peacebuilding, and strengthening civil society. His expertise spans research, evaluation, policy development, and advocacy, with a proven track record of advising, mentoring, and leading teams to deliver impactful projects across the globe, including in Uganda, Poland, Ukraine, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Pakistan.
Elise Baudot Queguiner: Head of Humanitarian Financing, ICVA (International Council of Voluntary Agencies) [co-host]
Elise Baudot Queguiner is Head of Humanitarian Financing at the International Council for Voluntary Agencies (ICVA). Prior to joining ICVA, Elise spent 19 years at the International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies (IFRC) including as their General Counsel and Global Director of Policy, Strategy and Knowledge and 5 years as an entrepreneur and consultant specialized in advancing local leadership and strengthening not for profit organizations. She has lived and traveled extensively in Asia and West Africa. Elise began her career as a corporate lawyer specialized in project financing. She holds a Juris Doctorate from New York University School of Law and attended both the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland and St Anselm Colleges in the United States. She is French/American, based currently in Geneva, Switzerland.
About the HLA Webinar Series
The HLA Webinar Series is an online initiative designed to connect, inform and inspire humanitarians from around the world. We promote information sharing and knowledge exchange on topical issues facing the sector.
Through these regular free online sessions, we strive to bring you fresh and engaging insights from a diverse range of speakers ranging from seasoned leaders to more recent entrants to the sector.
Our HX Webinars build on the dialogue and themes from the inaugural Humanitarian Xchange, an initiative designed to spark new ideas and solutions to create lasting change in the humanitarian sector.