InFiNe.lu scholars to Harvard / Boulder Education Programme

InFiNe.lu scholars to Harvard / Boulder Education Programme

Every year, as part of its mission, InFiNe.lu offers scholarships to its member to attend prestigious programme and training in financial inclusion.

Who are the 2016 lucky InFiNe.lu scholars, meet them and follow them during their experience (blog):

• Boulder Microfinance Training – July 18 – August 5, Italy

Two scholarships were offered to attend his training this summer. Who are the scholars?

Anita Kover started her career at the BNP Paribas in Paris, where she had her first contact with microfinance conducting a pro-bono consulting project in West Africa through the bank’s professional association Microfinance Sans Frontières. Prior to joining Innpact, where her role is to support the Investment Committee of the Microfinance Enhancement Facility, Anita had been a technical assistant in accounting and financial management contributing to the launching and scaling of early-stage MFIs and social businesses in the Entrepreneurs du Monde network in West Africa. Anita holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Corvinus University of Budapest and a Master’s degree in Corporate Finance from the EDHEC Business School in France.

Olivia Fechner is graduated of Rouen Business School. She had a first experience in microfinance within a MFI in Chile where she realised an analysis of the social impact of the institution. She then went deeper into her knowledge of the sector by getting involved in the financing of MFIs in Africa and in Asia for the Grameen Credit Agricole Microfinance Foundation in Paris. She is now in charge of the follow-up and of the expansion of a portfolio of MFIs in Latin America and in Asia for ADA investment team.

• Harvard Kennedy School “Rethinking Financial Inclusion: Smart Design for Policy and Practice” – April 17-22, Boston

Sachin Vankalas is a seasoned finance professional with over a decade of experience in Microfinance and Responsible Investing sectors. At present he works for LuxFLAG as a Head of Operations and Sustainability. Prior to joining LuxFLAG, he worked first as an Investment Officer for a Swiss Asset Management firm operating in developing countries and before as a Rating Analyst for an international rating agency specialised in Microfinance. His professional assignments included ratings of financial institutions, due diligences, institutional assessments and investment projects (of over USD 50 million) for more than 75 financial institutions across continents.

• Harvard Business School – Accion programme on Strategic Leadership in Inclusive Finance in Boston, from 28 March to 2nd April 2016.

Sarah Canetti is Senior Investment Officer for ADA, in charge of managing of the African and Asian portfolio of the Luxembourg Investment Fund LMDF.

She has several years of experience in the inclusive finance as she first worked for a Network and several NGOs, in the fields of Development and Microfinance, in France, South Africa, Uganda and Peru. Then Sarah became Head of Strategic Planning for an investment company specialised in private equity in Microfinance, MicroCred, located in Paris, and worked 5 years for this Investment Company, where she, during 3 years, hold several middle management positions in its Greenfields (Mexico, Ivory Coast…).

Sarah holds a Master in Finance & Management from the French business school: Ecole Supérieure de Commerce et Développement 3A.