Who we are

A global membership network and field-building organisation for investors, capital providers, and intermediaries working in public and private markets, across both developed and emerging economies.

Our story

Climate change, COVID-19 and the current economic crisis have highlighted the needs and opportunities for investing with a gender and broader diversity and equity lens. 2X Global is the new name for two
long-standing leaders in the field: GenderSmart and 2X Collaborative, whose respective field building and membership clout have helped to catalyse billions of gender-smart investing dollars since 2018.

Our team

We are a dynamic, purpose-driven, and fully remote global team committed to transforming systems of finance for good. Want to join us?

  • Jessica has a track record in originating, structuring and executing debt, mezzanine and equity deals in emerging and frontier markets with a strong focus on inclusive innovation.

    Prior to her current role, Jessica was Vice President for Private Equity & Venture Capital Investments at DEG/KfW. She was also a Member of the Management Board at ProCredit Bank Nicaragua responsible for the Business Clients Division and managed the Africa Regional Office of MicroFinance Transparency.

    Jessica holds a double degree in International Business Management from ESB Business School and Dublin City University. She is a PhD candidate at University of Siegen, researching the transformative potential of gender lens investing under the supervision of Prof. Friederike Dr. Welter.

  • Marijn has over 20 years of sustainable development experience and has worked in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe. As the founder of Zambia’s first private nursing school, she knows what it takes to do good and make money as a female entrepreneur. Marijn has lived on three continents, travelled to eighty-eight countries, worked in thirty-five and is a mother of four. She is a Dutch national and a South African resident. Marijn has worked for the United Nations, PharmAccess, FMO, and BII, where she was the Interim Gender Finance Lead.

  • Stella is an experienced strategist and facilitator with over a decade of experience building and leading international teams. 

    Stella has been working in the field of gender lens investing since 2019, and previously was the Project Lead for the DFI Gender Finance Collaborative, led the research and design of Project Sage 3.0 and 4.0 alongside Suzanne Biegel and Wharton Business School and played a critical role in the delivery of the GenderSmart Investing Summit as Head of Programmes at GenderSmart.

    Stella's interest in finance as a tool for social change was seed whilst studying for an MA in Peace Studies where her research explored the role of micro-businesses run by female entrepreneurs in conflict and post-conflict contexts. She is currently based on the edge of the Peak District National Park in Northern England.

  • Ashish is an accomplished professional adept in finance and technology management across diverse emerging markets. With expertise in Finance, Treasury, Business Transformation, and Trading desk operations, he drives organizational excellence. Passionate about leveraging technology for growth, he advocates for automation, analytics, and data science. As a former Asia Pacific CFO, he excels in multicultural environments. Ashish holds Chartered Accountant and Certified Public Accountant qualifications, complemented by executive education in FinTech, Data Science and AI.

  • Jo is an impact investment professional with extensive experience advising funds and asset owners to embed impact into their strategy and operations. She has worked across the investment lifecycle and spans both gender and social impact, and climate and environmental. Jo has lived and worked across Africa, South America and Europe and has a background in international development and sustainability consulting with PwC and others. At 2X Global she leads the 2X Challenge and the Investment Practitioners Community of Practice.

  • Demetrio has extensively worked on climate projects and programmes, collaborating with a diverse range of public and private institutions, from private funds to multilateral organizations. He possesses a good level of professional exposure to ESG standards, nature-based solutions, and carbon markets.

    Throughout his journey, Demetrio navigated every facet of the climate investment and project activities cycle, from project origination to appraisal and evaluation. He is adept at using a variety of financial instruments, with a geographical expertise spanning Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

    He reads every book he can find in his father's never-ending library and can sometimes be spotted tasting cheese and wine in some remote towns in Tuscany.

  • Amanda is a communications strategist with 20 years of experience in media, finance and international development.

    Amanda believes in the power of a well-told story and has spent much of her life reading, writing and chasing stories, first as a journalist and presently as a communications professional.

    She is passionate about volunteerism and outside of the office, works for women and girls’ empowerment as a member of the Soroptimist movement and is a past President of Soroptimist International of Barbados.

    Amanda is a politics and media nerd, a long-suffering cricket fan and loves carnivals and soca music. She currently lives in Barbados.

  • Elena has extensive experience in impact investing, and designing and deploying innovative finance solutions for development. She is passionate about enabling the private sector to become an effective vehicle for impact. Elena is specialized in the cycle of early stage finance and has worn different hats along this cycle: from coaching entrepreneurs to become investment ready, investing directly in SMEs and startups, all the way to designing and deploying fund of funds and coaching programs focused on emerging fund managers. She is a reformed lawyer and an avid cheese and dance enthusiast.

  • Alyanna is a dynamic professional with expertise in industrial design, entrepreneurship, and social innovation. She utilizes creative technologies and design thinking to tackle societal challenges, focusing on sustainability and gender equality.

    Since joining 2X Global in 2021, Alyanna has significantly contributed to designing membership programs and enhancing member experiences.

    In the Philippines, she has impacted the agricultural sector by collaborating with the Design Center to create circular systems and products that enhance productivity and sustainability. Additionally, her work with the United Nations Development Programme involved developing inclusive policies and programs that promote circularity in partnership with local and national government agencies.

  • Deepika is a Chartered Accountant with 10+ years of experience leading finance functions for non-profits, impact funds and for-profit entities. She believes in profit with purpose, which has informed all her professional decisions. She is passionate about angel investing and is an investor in a few start-ups across the education, health & fin tech sectors. She is also a small business owner. Her role at 2X Global marks her first attempt at a non-finance role and she works with the broader team on organization priority projects including membership growth.

    Deepika lives in Chennai, India and is an avid art collector and hopes to be an art investor someday.

  • Nafisa brings extensive management consulting and implementation experience in international development to her responsibilities. Previously a Senior Associate at Dalberg, her project work included sustainable finance, gender, and climate resilience. Nafisa also worked at UNOPS, where her role included assessing private sector investments into sustainable and resilient infrastructure aligning with the SDGs. Nafisa holds a BSc in Civil Engineering and an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge. Outside work, Nafisa is an avid traveller and sportswoman.

  • Edna is a project management professional with extensive experience, success and familiarity with emerging markets across the African region. She has engaged with both local and international private and social sector clients, national governments, and other stakeholders to spearhead business and market development processes. Over the years, she has combined her expertise and passion to advocate for impact investing and social innovation and is keen on advancing the field of gender finance. At 2X Global, she drives project management and provides content support for a number of central global programmes and communities of practices. Outside of work, she loves being outdoors and is adventurous in trying out new foods! She is currently based in Nairobi, Kenya.

  • Ayodele Ogunnoiki brings extensive experience in private debt and equity, specialising in impact investment strategies. Prior to 2X Global, Ayodele was a Senior Investment Associate at Goodwell Investments. She holds a BCom. Economics and a Postgraduate Honours Degree in Economics from the University of Cape Town.

  • Mark is an impact measurement professional based in Nairobi, Kenya with experience leading projects across Africa, collaborating with public and private institutions across various sectors. He has also worked as a project lead in the tech space, managing AI and ML projects for startups in the USA & Europe. Outside of work, Mark spends his time working on creative projects with his group of artists and performers.

  • Rutendo is a development professional who comes with a background deeply rooted in advancing social justice. She has eight years experience shaping and contributing to change through roles at the Ford Foundation, Constitutionalism Fund and the UK Foreign Commonwealth Development Office in South Africa. Her expertise is in grant making, institutional strengthening particularly driving sustainability initiatives. Her work has been focused on supporting civil society organizations with a mission of reducing and reversing inequalities by addressing structural barriers that exclude groups from the mainstream especially those that persist along gender lines. She has a certificate in Human Rights from Witwatersrand University, South Africa and a Master's in Development Studies from Boston College, USA. She lives between Abu Dhabi and South Africa.

  • Eleanor is a convener, researcher, and content curator based in Bogotá, Colombia. She has a background in event curation, thought leadership, and communications in sustainability and social issues. She has most notably led the successful curation of multi-day events at COP26 and COP27 for The New York Times, and managed the convening of over 120 investment leaders and influencers to help unlock gender-smart capital at scale.

    Having grown up in a multilingual household and around the world, Eleanor’s main passion lies at the intersection of climate and gender, with a special focus on development and culture.

    Eleanor is also the co-founder of La Scarpetta, a London-based Supper Club reimagining conviviality through community-based food systems.

  • Lina is a strategic communications professional and psychologist with a master’s in international development cooperation. She brings over 9 years of experience working with grantmaking foundations, corporates across Latin America, and global sectoral networks. Skilled in communication strategy, project management, and stakeholder engagement, Lina knows how to craft narratives that mobilise capital and connect diverse actors around a common goal. She thrives in complex, multicultural environments and is passionate about using communications as a lever for systemic change.

    Lina is happiest living on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

  • Noor specialises in social impact programme management and has experience working with global tech companies, civic organisations, UN bodies and government partners to deliver effective projects with a specific focus on women's empowerment and financial inclusion. Her standout project, the #SheMeansBusiness programme, helped over 31,000 women enter the digital economy through skills training and financial education.

    Noor is a recipient of the British Chevening Scholarship and holds a Master's in Innovation Management from the University of Manchester. Outside work, she enjoys baking and food blogging. She is currently based in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Our board

  • Sukhvir Basran is an ESG partner in King & Spalding's Finance and Restructuring practice in the London office.

    Combining her substantial experience as a banking and finance lawyer, Sukhvir advises and works with financial institutions, funds, trade associations and standard setters on sustainability matters. She advises clients on a wide range of ESG matters including sustainability-related law and regulation, ESG strategies and policies, disclosure and reporting, industry standards and guidance and sustainable finance and investments.

    Sukhvir plays an active role in developing the sustainable finance sector through the creation of strong partnerships and collaborations. Her work extends beyond purely legal including enabling her clients to engage with their customers and clients to create sustainable investment business models. The Sustainability Linked Loans (SLL) Lender Toolkit and Corporates and Sponsors’ Sustainable Roadmap have been shortlisted for The Lawyer Awards (2022) and Financial Times Innovative Lawyer Awards (2021).

    Sukhvir believes that legal advice needs to be provided in the context of the wider ESG landscape, mainstream and impact investing, and she works closely with trade associations and industry bodies, standard setters, and data providers to deliver an end-to-end service for clients. She is involved with several organizations and financial institutions in the Gender Lens and diversity investing space to develop products and deepen engagement to promote gender equality outcomes. She is a member of the LMA’s ESG committee, is Independent Chair of the 2X Global’s inaugural board, is on the Steering Committee of GenderSmart JEDI, is a member of the Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers’ Board and is working on a UN-led Taskforce on the creation of an ESG Board Certification. Sukhvir also launched “Aurora: The Gender Lens Project” with the 2X Collaborative and GenderSmart.

  • As Managing Director and Head of Impact at EQT Group, Jen is focusing on defining and rolling out best practice approaches to impact management, impact selection and impact measurement across Private Capital, EQT Future and EQT more broadly.

    Jen was previously a founding leader of the Impact Group at British International Investment (formally CDC Group) where she was Head of Value Creation Strategies - overseeing advisory teams in driving value creation through an Impact lens across the portfolio (including thematic expert teams on climate change, gender & diversity finance, job quality and skills). Jen has also been an active supporter to the broader field of gender & diversity finance - as a founding non-executive Director of the 2X Collaborative, and a core advisor to GenderSmart Investing and TheBoardroom Africa. Before BII in the UK, Jen was based in Jakarta, Indonesia, serving as Head of Corporate Strategy at Kiron Global, a small business delivering workforce development solutions and skills training in emerging markets. In her early career, Jen was a student of (and witness to) the rapid post-Soviet economic transition across Eurasia, having spent many years living and working in Russia and Eastern Europe, including 10+ years in Tbilisi, Georgia, building and leading Booz Allen Hamilton's practice and presence in the FSU, eastern Europe, SE Asia and Africa.

    Jen is a licensed attorney in the US, and is part of EQT's London office, based in beautiful Cornwall, UK with her family.

  • Heather Kipnis is the Acting Principal for Thought Leadership and Innovation in the Gender and Economic Inclusion Department at IFC, where she leads a global team dedicated to developing innovative solutions that advance gender equality and inclusion in emerging markets. With over 20 years of experience in financial services, including expertise in gender-lens investing, Heather provides valuable guidance to clients on integrating gender and inclusion into their strategies, operations, and products. She oversees global product development, partnerships, and research, and has authored and peer-reviewed more than 60 research publications, gaining recognition in outlets such as the Financial Times. She has contributed to driving billions in gender-related investments and fostering innovation across various sectors, including banking, insurance, private equity, venture capital, and responsible procurement. Additionally, she is a passionate advocate for mental health, serving a Certified Family facilitator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

  • Jennifer de Nijs has dedicated significant years to sustainable finance, most notably through her 9-year tenure as the lead for Sustainable Finance at the Ministry of Finance Luxembourg. Her efforts have significantly contributed to the growth of sustainable finance in Luxembourg and beyond, with an initial emphasis on climate, and now also integrating social aspects like gender finance.

    Jennifer has played a key role in the establishment of a number of Luxembourg based initiatives, notably: the Luxembourg Sustainable Finance Initiative (LSFI), which she helped set up and is now Board President; the International Climate Finance Accelerator (ICFA) whose Board she chaired in its foundational phase, the Luxembourg Earth Impact Fund where she is currently President, and the Luxembourg Gender Finance Task Force, which she set up and chairs. Furthermore she holds key strategic positions as a board member of LuxDevelopment and the SDG Impact Finance Initiative.

  • Jessica has a track record in originating, structuring and executing debt, mezzanine and equity deals in emerging and frontier markets with a strong focus on inclusive innovation.

    Prior to her current role, Jessica was Vice President for Private Equity & Venture Capital Investments at DEG/KfW. She was also a Member of the Management Board at ProCredit Bank Nicaragua responsible for the Business Clients Division and managed the Africa Regional Office of MicroFinance Transparency.

    Jessica holds a double degree in International Business Management from ESB Business School and Dublin City University. She is a PhD candidate at University of Siegen, researching the transformative potential of gender lens investing under the supervision of Prof. Friederike Dr. Welter.

  • Ibukun Awosika is an African Entrepreneur, Author, International Leader, and Global Culture Shaper. She is the Founder of The Chair Centre Group, a leading furniture and security systems provider in Nigeria; Founder of Ibukun Awosika Leadership Academy, Convener of The International Woman Leadership Conference in Dubai, also Founder of the Christian Missionary Fund, a faith-based organization spread across Nigeria to change lives.

    She is a woman of many firsts; first Chairperson of the Nigerian National Advisory Board for Impact Investing, first Female Chairperson of Nigeria’s Premier Bank, First Bank; first Nigerian recipient of the prestigious International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) Award, and first African recipient of the International Friendship Award 2019 by the Queen of Spain.

  • Dr. Kshama Fernandes is Chairperson of Northern Arc Investment Managers and the Vice Chairperson of the Northern Arc Group.

    Northern Arc is a leading finance platform in India that connects underbanked institutions and businesses to capital markets investors. Kshama served as the Managing Director and CEO of Northern Arc Capital from 2012 to 2022.

    Deeply respected for her knowledge and commitment towards the cause of unleashing the power of finance for the greater good, Kshama has been a member of various High Powered Committees setup by the Government of India and has worked on consulting assignments for the World Bank, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, and NSEIT.

    Kshama has been featured by FMO as a role model in banking. She is also a recipient of Accion’s Edward W. Claugus award for leadership in financial inclusion.

    She holds a bachelor’s degree in science, a master’s degree as a well as a PhD in management studies. She has over 25 years of experience spanning across management, risk advisory and academia. Dr. Fernandes is a financial risk manager certified by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). Prior to joining Northern Arc, she was a professor at the Goa Institute of Management. She has also served as Chief Risk Officer of Northern Arc from 2009 to 2012.

  • Hoda Abou-Jamra is a Founding Partner and Managing Director Asia of healthcare dedicated private equity firm TVM Capital Healthcare in Singapore. Hoda currently holds board positions at Manzil Healthcare Services, a female-founded, dedicated provider of professional home care and home nursing services headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE and Amecath Medical Technologies, a medical devices company. Hoda is also the chairperson of Alina Vision, an ophthalmology hospital group based in Vietnam. Hoda is a member of the International Advisory Council (IAC) of Mass General, the largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA. She graduated from the Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University in Boston, with a degree in Pharmacy.

  • Carmen Correa is the CEO of Pro Mujer, a social enterprise pioneer in gender lens investing in Latin America that has been working to advance gender equality in the region for more than three decades.

    She has over thirty years of experience in operational management, strategic planning, and program execution focusing on sustainable development in Latin America.

    Before joining Pro Mujer, she led efforts at the National Research and Innovation Agency (ANII) in Uruguay, worked as Director of Programs at Fundación Avina, and was Director of Operations and Executive Director of Endeavor Uruguay. She also held different positions at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington DC and the Organization of American States (OAS) in Uruguay.

  • Sonia Jordan-Kirwan is the Head of Gender & Diversity at British International Investment (BII). In this position she leads the organisation’s work to positively impact women and girls across the value chain; and drive forward efforts to increase investments into Black-owned and -led businesses and GPs within sub-Saharan Africa.

    Beyond her role at BII, she has also led several cross-DFI and MDB efforts on gender, including developing and aligning the impact investing industry around a suite of harmonised 2X and GIIN-aligned gender metrics; and more recently leading DFI efforts – in collaboration with 2X Global – to further strengthen the 2X Framework.

    Sonia started her career at the European Commission where she specialised in integrating gender and social chapters into Economic Partnership Agreements with emerging economy partner countries. She subsequently spent 8 years working in international development consultancy, both within PwC’s International Development Practice and Adam Smith International where she established and led the organisation’s Women’s Economic Empowerment work, spanning countries as diverse as Timor Leste, Malawi and Nepal.

Our advisors and ambassadors

  • Chintal has a 20-year consulting career, the past ten spent working with investors, global companies, multilateral institutions and policy-makers on sustainable economic growth. Her focus over the past decade has been on climate and gender finance in emerging markets. She has worked in the financial, agriculture, retail, clean energy, natural resources and ship recycling sectors. She leads diverse teams to design and deliver complex, global partnerships and programmes in Asia and Africa.

    Chintal has been part of the advisory team to help set-up and establish 2X Global. Over the past five years, Chintal has worked with hundreds of investment practitioners across the globe to drive capital with a climate and gender lens, delivering strategies and action plans, training and peer to peer learning sessions, and tools and resources.

  • Natalie has worked with financial institutions, family offices and foundations, PE/VC funds, and policymakers across Asia to build towards a more equitable and sustainable system of finance.

    Prior to her current role, Natalie was Senior Associate at Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), Asia’s largest network for social investors with 600+ member organizations. Natalie led AVPN’s gender lens investing work, collaborating with partners to develop gender lens training for asset owners and fund managers as well as to establish industry practices and policy commitments that will improve women’s access to capital. She also supported management of the Asia Gender Network, the pan-Asia community of philanthropists and thought leaders moving capital to causes for women and girls in the region.

    Natalie is an Obama Foundation Leader: Asia-Pacific and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper. Natalie holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was first introduced to the transformative field of gender lens investing as a student fellow at the Wharton Social Impact Initiative. Natalie is based in Hong Kong and Singapore.

  • Tatjana is a sustainable investment practitioner with FMO - the Dutch Development Bank and serves on the Advisory Board of the Ukrainian professional ESG association ASDE.

    With 20 years of professional experience, she is passionate about making a business case for gender equality in the corporate environment and ensuring access to finance for female entrepreneurs. She has a strong interest in impact investing in Japan and a background in researching Japanese environmental and social policy in Saitama University and setting up sustainable procurement initiatives with Japanese companies.

    Previously, she led sustainable business programs in WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature, one of the world’s largest NGOs, specialising in reducing human impact on the environment.

  • Nicole has 20+ years of expertise, focused in the areas of women’s economic empowerment, inclusive finance for women’s entrepreneurship, SME growth and social enterprise development.

    As a Senior Consultant on women’s economic empowerment, she has implemented programs across the Caribbean, MENA countries and across West Africa. Her portfolio on sustainable and inclusive finance includes serving as Team Lead on the Caribbean Renewal Energy Pipeline Project under the UK Green Cities Infrastructure Program, as a speaker with the IFC on Gender + Climate and with the Caribbean Development Bank on trade and gender, and as Senior Technical Adviser on SMEs in Ghana for a specialized program for women businesses. Given her focus on innovative inclusive finance, she introduced the 2X Global, the global industry leader on gender lens financing to the Caribbean, resulting in the successful launch of the Portland Private Equity, Portland Caribbean Fund III, which is the first 2X qualified gender-lens investment fund in the Caribbean. To date key partners which have joined 2X Global in the Caribbean include, UN Women, the Development Bank of Jamaica, the Caribbean Development Bank and the Bahamas Development Bank.

  • Chris is a strategy & transformation advisor to companies, innovation clusters and governments around the world.

    Over the past four years, a large part of his work has gone into exploring, researching and building Innovation Superclusters. This work has taken him to Asian Governments, European ecosystems and Norwegian growth industries post-oil & gas. He is currently involved with Innovation Supercluster projects in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.

    Chris has been closely involved in the design and structuring of 2X Ignite and played a key role in shaping its offers including the GP Sprint and Digital Academy.

2X Forum

The 2X Global Forum shall serve as a long-term engagement pillar to bring in the voices, inspiration, concerns, and perspectives of 2X Global’s broader and more diverse stakeholders to 2X leadership, constructively, strategically and in a timely fashion.

The Forum is designed for discussion, network and engagement, bringing together stakeholders such as gender specialists, local actors, representatives of women’s groups and feminist civil society organisations, target audiences of GLI (those who GLI seeks to positively impact), and collaborating partners. It creates opportunities for transparent and mutual learning, network building, peer exchange and to cement field building activities.

Our supporters

Our ability to mobilise key stakeholders, expand the field’s capacity, and ultimately facilitate the deployment of more gender-smart capital to greater effect is only possible thanks to the generous support of a wide, growing range of funding partners.

If you have an enquiry about joining our network of supporters and funders, please contact us.