Bios Booklet
MENA-OECD Women’s Economic Empowerment Forum (WEEF) 2025
18-19 November
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Amman, Jordan
Bios Booklet
Panellists & moderators
H.E. Maha Ali
Secretary General, Jordanian National Commission for Women
H.E. Maha Ali served as Jordan’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply twice in 2020/2021 and in 2015/2016. Before that, Ms. Ali served as the Secretary General for the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply for five years. She served at the Economic Section at Jordan’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva in 2002. Ms. Ali also lectured as a professor of practice at Al-Hussein Technical University (HTU) and the German Jordanian University. Ms. Ali ranked as the 8th most powerful Arab woman in government by Forbes Middle East/2015. She has an extensive experience in trade negotiations industrial and investment policies.
H.E. Dr. Adel Ahmad Al-Sharkas
Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan
H.E. Dr. Adel Al Sharkas has served as Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan since January 2022, after previously serving as Deputy Governor (2012–2021). He joined the CBJ in 1991 and held several senior leadership roles, including Director of the Research Department. Dr. Al Sharkas has taught at universities in Jordan and the United States.
He holds a BA and MA from Yarmouk University and a PhD in Financial Economics from the University of New Orleans and has published widely on monetary and fiscal policy.
H.E. Wafa Bani Mustafa
Minister of Social Development, Jordan
H.E. Wafa Bani Mustafa currently serves as the Jordan's Minister of Social Development since October 27, 2022, having previously served as Minister of State for Legal Affairs. A lawyer turned politician, she was the first woman to win three consecutive parliamentary terms starting in 2010. Mustafa co-founded the non-profit Jordanian Masarat for Development and Progress in 2021, focusing on women's political and economic empowerment. She has played a significant role in advancing women's rights in Jordan, including leading efforts to repeal Article 308 of the Penal Code and reform domestic violence and civil rights laws.
Ms. Fabrizia Lapecorella
OECD Deputy Secretary-General
Fabrizia Lapecorella is the Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD (since April 2023). Her portfolio covers tax policy and administration, statistics and data, and the OECD’s Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches. An Italian national, she previously served as Director-General of Finance at Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (2008–2022), leading domestic, EU and international tax policy and the governance of Italy’s tax administration. She chaired the OECD Committee on Fiscal Affairs in 2022 and has long been a central figure in OECD and G20 tax cooperation.
Ms Lapecorella holds a degree in Economics from the University of Bari and a PhD from the University of York and has taught public finance at the University of Bari since 2004.
H. E. Ms. Marianne Bolger
Ambassador of Ireland to Jordan and Iraq
H.E. Ms Marianne Bolger is the Ambassador of Ireland to Jordan and Iraq. A career diplomat with over 24 years’ experience in the Department of Foreign Affairs, she has served the Government of Ireland across the Middle East, Europe and the United States. Since assuming her post in Amman, she has taken a strategic and highly effective approach to building Ireland’s profile in a complex regional context, strengthening Ireland’s political, development, business, cultural and values engagement across both Jordan and Iraq. Previously, as Acting Director-General for Human Resources during the COVID-19 crisis, she led the introduction of the Department’s Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with a number of key HR reforms.
Ambassador – Head of Delegation of the European Union to Jordan
H.E. Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas has served as EU Ambassador to Jordan since September 2023. He previously worked as Political Assistant to the EEAS Deputy Secretary-General for Peace, Security and Defence (2020–2023).
Earlier roles include Senior Advisor on Peace and Security to the President of the UN General Assembly, Counsellor on MENA at the EU Delegation to the UN (2015–2019), and postings with EU Delegations in the African Union and Chad.
He holds an MA in Public Administration from Sciences Po Paris. He is a dual Cypriot-French national.
H.E. Jean-Christophe Augé
Minister-Counsellor, Embassy of France to Jordan
A career diplomat since 2005, H.E. Jean-Christophe Augé has served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the French Embassy in Amman since August 2025, where he oversees the coordination of Embassy operations and security. From 2022 to 2025, he served as French Consul General in Mosul, working to reestablish a permanent French presence in Nineveh province and support France’s political and development engagement in post-Daesh Iraq. He has spent most of his career in the Near and Middle East, with previous postings in Damascus, Beirut and Jerusalem, and assignments in Paris within the MENA Directorate and the Policy Planning Staff.
He is a graduate of ENS Paris-Saclay and Sciences Po, holds a master’s in Middle Eastern Studies, and is a Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite.
H.E. Ms. Zeina Toukan
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Jordan
H.E. Zeina Toukan has served as Jordan’s Minister of Planning and International Cooperation since October 2022. She previously served as Advisor for Economic Affairs at the Royal Hashemite Court, and Director of Economic Policies at His Majesty King Abdullah II Office (2022).
She was Secretary General of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (2019–2020), and earlier Director of International Cooperation, overseeing Jordan’s foreign aid portfolio. She has also worked for UN-ESCWA as an Economic Analyst.
She holds a Master’s in Development Economics from SOAS, a BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo, and has 24 years of experience in economic policy, development and international cooperation, including senior roles representing Jordan across key international development banks.
H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat
Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation of Egypt
H.E. Dr Rania A. Al-Mashat is Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation. She joined the Cabinet in 2018 as Minister of Tourism, later serving as Minister of International Cooperation before assuming her current, expanded portfolio. An economist with over 20 years’ experience, she previously worked at the International Monetary Fund in Washington and held senior leadership roles at the Central Bank of Egypt, where she contributed to modernising Egypt’s monetary policy framework. She has led Egypt’s partnerships with international development institutions and is a prominent voice on sustainable development and climate finance.
Dr Al-Mashat holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Maryland.
Dr. Mary Kawar
Director, Regional Hub in Amman, Regional Bureau for Arab States, UNDP
Mary Kawar is the former Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation. Previously, she served as the ILO Director for five East African countries, based in Dar es Salaam, and held senior roles at ILO offices in Geneva and Beirut.
With 30 years of experience in strategy, policy and international cooperation across the Arab region, Africa and Asia, she has worked extensively on employment, social protection, skills, gender and migration.
She has served on several national and regional boards and holds an MSc and PhD from the London School of Economics.
Ms. Anna Rosendahl
Head of Section for Regional Development Cooperation, SIDA
Anna Rosendahl, Head of Regional development cooperation for the MENA region, Embassy of Sweden in Amman
Anna has more than twenty years of experience from the development cooperation sector. At the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, she has been heading the units for private sector collaboration, global health, education and wash and Thematic support unit for the MENA region. Anna has also been posted to the Embassy of Sweden in Hanoi, working on the portfolio for anti-corruption and transparency.
Anna has a bachelor in social anthropology and macroeconomics.
Executive Director, Women Business Forum, Palestinian Authority
Nora Regina Alawneh is Executive Director of the Business Women Forum in Palestine. She has over 22 years of experience in national and international banking, specialising in organisational excellence, HR development, quality management and diversity and inclusion. She has led major transformation efforts at Arab Bank – Palestine, Al Hilal Bank – Abu Dhabi and the National Bank – Palestine, and has trained more than 2,500 employees in customer experience and soft skills. She holds a BA in Business Administration and two Master’s degrees, and multiple professional certifications in quality, excellence and coaching.
H.E. Wafa Al Kilani
Minister of Social Affairs, Libya
Vice-Chair of the Executive Bureau of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs
H.E. Wafaa Abubakr Al-Kilani has served as Libya’s Minister of Social Affairs since March 2021. A pharmacist by training, she has long worked in medical services, training and human development, and previously led the Arab World Medical Services Company and chaired the Tanweer Organization for Local Development. As Minister, she has overseen major reforms in social protection, disability rights, pensions and family benefits, and launched national strategies for social protection and childhood. Regionally, she holds several leadership roles, including Vice-Chair of the Executive Bureau of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs.
Nasser Kamel
Secretary General, Union for the Mediterranean
A career diplomat for the Egyptian government, Nasser Kamel held the position of Ambassador of Egypt to the United Kingdom from 2014 to 2018. He was also Ambassador to France in the period 2006-2012, during which he took part in the drafting of the Joint Declaration of the 2008 Paris Summit that marked the launch of the Union for the Mediterranean. Furthermore, between 2012 and 2014, he was Assistant Minister for Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs. From 2004 to 2006, he was the Director of Egypt’s Public Information Service. Prior to this position he served in various embassies, including Washington (1984-1988), Lisbon (1990-1994), Tunis (1994-1998), Brussels (19992001) and Paris (2001-2004).
Plan Catalyst
Ms. Charlotte Goemans
Programme coordinator and policy analyst, Middle East and Africa Division, Global Relations and Cooperation Directorate, OECD
Charlotte Goemans is a programme coordinator at the OECD, where she oversees the Egypt Country Programme and the women’s economic empowerment portfolio in the Middle East and North Africa. She brings over 17 years of experience as a development cooperation professional and advisor, with focus on gender equality and the decent work agenda. Previously, Charlotte served at the ILO Office for five East African countries, based in Dar es Salaam. She also worked at FAO and IFAD, providing strategic advice to governments in Africa and the Middle East. Charlotte is recognized as a respected policy analyst and author of influential publications for the UN and OECD. She holds a Masters of Law from the Leuven University.
Ms. Irene Salvoni
Programme Manager, European Commission, Directorate-General for Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf
Irene Salvoni is a Programme Manager at the European Commission's Directorate General for Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf. She focuses on regional cooperation initiatives on inclusive economy.
With a strong economic background gained in the private sector, she now oversees programmes focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and access to finance across the region. At the heart of her work lies a firm commitment to women’s economic empowerment and inclusive growth
Senior Officer Impact & Sustainability, Finance in Motion
Marina Korostina works as a Senior Officer at Finance in Motion, a global impact asset manager with over EUR 4 billion in assets under management, focused exclusively on emerging markets and managing funds in climate finance and financial inclusion. She is a sustainability and impact investing professional with over seven years of experience managing impact strategies across private debt and equity funds, including the SANAD Fund for MSME. At Finance in Motion, Marina leads key sustainability initiatives such as the development and implementation of gender strategies, impact management and reporting, and impact due diligence. Previously, she worked with GIZ in Ethiopia, where she engaged with the African Union and international stakeholders on land governance and development cooperation.
Mr. Nicolas Burniat
Director Country Office for Jordan, UN Women
Mr Nicolas Burniat has served as UN Women Representative in Jordan since August 2022, following his role as UN Women Representative to Myanmar. He brings over 25 years of experience in international affairs in complex humanitarian and development contexts. He previously served in UN Women headquarters and field offices in New York and Fiji, and earlier worked at the International Court of Justice and with Belgium’s Mission to the UN. A Belgian national, he holds a Law Degree and advanced Master’s degrees from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, and an LLM from New York University.
Vice President and Jordan Country Manager, Middle East Investment Initiative (MEII)
Richard Finke is Vice President and Country Manager for the Middle East Investment Initiative (MEII) in Jordan and Tunisia, overseeing the Tamweeli program and loan guarantee facilities. He has over 20 years of experience in private sector development, working with banks, SMEs, and major firms across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the US, and Europe. Previously, he managed MEII’s technical assistance program in Palestine and worked in consulting and SME development. He holds a Master’s in Development Economics and Business from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Founder & CEO, Redstart / DMAYA Business Angels
Douja Ben Mahmoud Gharbi, with over 25 years of experience, is a seasoned entrepreneur and manager, having founded and managed businesses across various sectors, including industry, services, and commerce. Certified by UNIDO and ITPO Bahrain, she is a mentor and advisor in entrepreneurship, working with organizations like UNIDO, the EU, and AFDB. In 2019, she founded REDSTART Tunisia, an accelerator supporting MSMEs, which joined the UN’s Business Call to Actions initiative. A strong advocate for women’s economic empowerment, she chairs DAMYA (Tunisian Women Business Angels Network) and co-founded CEDE. She is also Vice President of FPAM and a founding member of Tunisia’s CONECTConfédération des Entreprises Citoyennes de Tunisie.
CEO, Fund Lead, PathFunder Warehouse Facility
Samia Tnani Seidensticker is an investment and governance expert with over 25 years of experience in private credit, impact investing, and sustainable finance across Africa. As Fund Lead of the PathFunder Warehousing Facility (PWF), she focuses on bridging the gender gap in investment by supporting female-led and genderdiverse fund managers. Passionate about creating opportunities for underrepresented groups, Samia has built and scaled innovative blended-finance solutions to empower women entrepreneurs. Before founding her advisory practice, she held senior roles at Citibank Tunisia and AfricInvest Private Credit. She holds a PhD in Finance.
Mr. David Halabisky
Project Coordinator, OECD
David Halabisky is a project co-Ordinator in the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and cities, and works on several projects related to entrepreneurship policy, including a multi-year project on inclusive entrepreneurship and the main author of the Missing Entrepreneurs reports. He leads the new OECD-EU Youth Entrepreneurship Policy Academy. Prior to joining the OECD in 2011, Mr. Halabisky worked for more than a decade in the Canadian Public Service on SME policy at the Federal Ministries of Industry, Finance and Labour. Mr. Halabisky has won several awards during his career, including a Best Paper Prize from the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada. He has degrees in economics from the University of British Columbia and McMaster University.
Helen Larrecq is a policy analyst in the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities. She is currently working on several projects related to entrepreneurship policy with a primary focus on inclusive entrepreneurship, particularly women and youth entrepreneurship. She has degrees from Indiana University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the Université de Lorraine.
Regional Chief Economist
Vito Intine is the Regional Chief Economist at UNDP in the Arab States region. Prior to this position, he served as Regional Chief Economist and Inclusive Growth and Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Finance Team Leader at UNDP in the Arab States region. Before, Vito was the Principal Macroeconomic Adviser at UN
DESA in New York, where he worked on the global macroeconomic forecasting model, socioeconomic assessments of large infrastructure projects, quantitative methods to measure SDG interactions and prioritization, SDG costing and budgeting, and led the preparation of the UN guidance on Economic Transformation, among other activities. Before DESA, Vito worked at UNCDF where he led the global program on Municipal Finance.
Mr. David Halabisky Project Coordinator, OECD
David Halabisky is a project co-ordinator in the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities. He is currently working on several projects related to entrepreneurship policy, including a multi-year project on inclusive entrepreneurship and is the main author of the Missing Entrepreneurs reports. He is also leading the new OECD-EU Youth Entrepreneurship Policy Academy. Prior to joining the OECD in 2011, David worked for more than a decade in the Canadian Public Service where he worked on SME policy at the Federal Ministries of Industry, Finance and Labour.
Mr. Halabisky has won several awards during his career, including a Best Paper Prize from the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada. He has degrees in economics from the University of British Columbia and McMaster University.
Ms. Thanaa Khasawneh CEO, Business and Professional Women Association, Jordan
Thana’a Al Khasawneh is an entrepreneurial leader and key advisor in the private and non-profit sectors in Jordan. She who is known for her expertise in building and restructuring companies, has successfully grown organizations and helped them achieve outstanding financial and/or social returns. Al Khasawneh worked at the Mowgli Mentoring MENA as a fundraiser and development director for seven years, during which she helped the foundation to grow significantly throughout the region. She is currently the executive director of the Business & Professional Women Association, which advocates for gender equality and enhance women inclusion in the workforce.
Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Jordan
Patrick Lambrechts is the Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
He has served the European Commission since 1990. He was previously Head of Unit/Deputy Head of Unit for Eastern, Central and Southern Africa as well as Deputy Head of Unit for the Middle East at DG ECHO/European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. He also worked as Head of Sector in the EU Delegations in Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Ivory Coast in the domain of human rights, governance, health and education. He graduated in Economics in Belgium and holds the Belgian and Swiss citizenships.
Head of the Middle East and Africa Division, Global Relations and Cooperation Directorate, OECD
Dr. Conde leads the implementation of MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme which promotes policy dialogue on investment and private sector development between MENA and OECD countries. During this period, in line with the OECD Global Relations Strategy, Mr Conde has brought women’s economic empowerment to the forefront of the MENAOECD Initiative, ensuring all work streams have a specific gender angle as well as initiating specific gender programmes. Before joining the OECD in 2007, Dr. Conde was associate professor of political science and public policy at the University of Granada in Spain. Dr. Conde had visiting positions at Harvard University (1995-96) and Al Akhawayn University of Morocco, where he lectured between 2001 and 2003.
Focal point, Inter-ministerial Committee for Women Support, Jordan
Samia Al-Samadi, a gender and social development specialist at the Ministerial Committee for Women's Empowerment, has extensive experience in integrating women's issues over the past 12 years. She has expertise in incorporating women's issues into strategic planning and political and economic modernization visions. She is also the coordinator of the Coalition of Arab Women Parliamentarians to Combat Violence Against Women, which includes 13 Arab countries. Samia has prepared numerous research papers on women's political and economic empowerment. Additionally, she conducted a gender audit in the Jordanian Parliament, the first of its kind in the Arab world.
Head of MENA partnerships, Seedstars
Sabrina Salama is Head of MENA Partnerships at Seedstars, leading regional entrepreneurship and innovation programs that help startups scale and access funding. She has designed multistakeholder initiatives with partners including EBRD, UNICEF and GIZ, supporting thousands of entrepreneurs across the Middle East and North Africa. She also serves as Egypt National Consultant for the OECD–EU project on enhancing women entrepreneurs’ financial inclusion in the Southern Mediterranean. She works at the intersection of development and entrepreneurship to expand opportunities for women and youth.
Policy Analyst, Middle East and Africa Division, Global Relations and Cooperation Directorate, OECD
Sara Mouhoud is a Policy Analyst at the OECD in the Middle East and Africa Division of the Global Relations and Cooperations Directorate, mainly working on women’s economic empowerment. She has been working at the OECD for five years and previously worked as a Migration Policy Analyst in the International Migration Division of the Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Directorate of the OECD. Sara graduated from Paris Dauphine PSL University and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where she specialised in development economics and development studies.
Founder and CEO, ALHurra Company for Management and Business Development
Ms Badran is First Deputy to the Secretary General of Jordan’s largest political party, Al Mithaq, and Chair of the Private Sector Group at the Economic and Social Council. She is a former Member of Parliament, where she won the highest number of votes and was the only woman elected outside the quota. She has served as Vice Chair of Amman and Jordan Chambers of Commerce since 2009, and previously was CEO of the Jordan Investment Board. An advocate for economic reform and women’s empowerment, she has led initiatives to expand business opportunities for women in Jordan and the region.
