Banking on Women – Financing the Future for Economic Growth

Women around the globe have less access to formal financial institutions as compared to men and are less likely to have a bank account. In addition the credit gap for women-owned businesses is estimated at $300 billion globally. According to the World Bank, which aims for universal financial access by 2020, most of the 2 billion people worldwide who lack a bank account are women. Financial inclusion of women increases household income, but also has a ripple effect for greater social benefits. Higher female earnings translate into higher investments in children’s education, health and nutrition; and when more women work, national economies grow. Organizations such as the Gates Foundation, JPMorgan Chase and others seek to disrupt this trend and work with women on financial literacy and inclusion in the formal economy.

Breakfast will be provided.

About the Panelists: 

Kari Dohn Decker is managing director of corporate responsibility for the western region of JPMorgan Chase. She sits on the firm’s Global Philanthropy Operating Committee and also helps lead the foundation’s focus on women. She has worked for more than 25 years in public policy, corporate responsibility, and business development. Before joining JPMorgan Chase, Kari was managing director at APX Environmental Markets. She has been California’s director of policy and senior advisor to Gov. Gray Davis, leading initiatives relating to education, the economy, energy, technology, infrastructure and more. In Washington, DC, she held senior international trade posts in the Clinton Administration at the Commerce Department and led the U.S. delegation to the G7 jobs conference. She served as Trade Counsel and Legislative Counsel to U.S. Senator Max Baucus, and was an Associate with O’Melveny & Myers in its DC office. Currently, Kari sits on the Linked Learning Alliance Board, the Jewish Vocational Services Board, and Stanford Center on Longevity Advisory Council, among other bodies. Kari graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. Her J.D. and L.L.M. in International and Comparative law are from the Duke University School of Law.

Murium Hadi is currently a Women Financial Inclusion Advisor at Karandaaz Digital in Pakistan. She brings with her over 15 years of diverse experience in financial sector with commercial and microfinance banks, Telecom as well as development sector. Prior to joining Karandaaz, she was working with CARE International as Sector Team Lead – Women Economic Empowerment & Acting Head of Strategic Program Unit where she was responsible for identifying industry potential for inclusion of women in the value chain, leveraging of digital finance, and creating entrepreneurship opportunities in a financially inclusive manner. She has also worked as Manager New Products & Consultant Corporate Finance for Tameer Microfinance Bank. She has also worked with leading Telecoms of Pakistan including Mobilink, Paktel (acquired by Zong), and Telenor in Treasury & Finance department. Murium holds an M.Sc. in International Finance from Leeds University Business School, UK and Master of Business Administration from University of Peshawar, Pakistan.

About the Moderator:

Saara Romu builds global partnerships that leverage innovative models, technology and new approaches for impact on some of the greatest global challenges today. Saara is the founder of Selkea which is a strategy and management advisory firm that creates transformative initiatives for global change. Prior to Selkea, Saara was the Senior Program Officer of Gender Data & Evidence, where she managed a portfolio of investments that focus on improvement of gender equality by reduction of gender data gaps, greater impacts on social norms and deepening knowledge of gender equality. This remit includes mainstreaming of the major data investments across the diverse programs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Prior to this she worked on global data systems and data strategies, specifically in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals context. She has worked in every global division including: Global Health, Global Policy & Advocacy, Global Development and Global Growth & Opportunity. An advocate for growth of global and regional linkages, Saara served as the relationship manager of the University of Washington for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation programs over 7 years. She has led a National Bioinformatics Program, was a Corporate Liaison in India with a large NGO consortium, and has worked in global investment banking. Her first life was devoted to scientific inquiry, dedicating several years to cellular and computational biology research.

Saara holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Washington and an honors Bachelor of Science in Biology from Queen’s University, Kingston Canada.