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Fireside chat speakers

Shameran Abed, Executive Director, BRAC International

Shameran joined BRAC Bangladesh in 2009 and BRAC International in 2012, and has been instrumental in bringing BRAC’s flagship microfinance and ultra-poor graduation programs to a global scale. Under his leadership, BRAC International’s microfinance portfolio has seen impressive growth and a renewed focus on client impact. Since 2016, he has led BRAC’s ultra-poor graduation work and played an instrumental role in setting up the UPGI to spearhead global advocacy and provide technical assistance to governments largest mobile money providers.

Rachel Glennerster, President, Center for Global Development

Rachel Glennerster is President of the Center for Global Development and a trustee of CGD Europe. She previously served as Chief Economist at the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and, from 2004 to 2017, as Executive Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT, where she helped pioneer the use of randomized trials in development economics.

Dr. Glennerster has used randomized trials to tackle issues across democracy, health, education, and women's economic advancement, and has worked to shape markets to spur innovation on challenges like pandemics and climate change. She helped establish Deworm the World, which has delivered 1 billion deworming treatments to children worldwide, and played a key role in launching the $1.2 billion Advance Market Commitment for a pneumococcal vaccine. In 2021, she was appointed CMG for services to international development, and she currently chairs Teaching at the Right Level Africa (TaRL Africa).

Panelists

Anne Mutta, Regional Director, Africa, BRAC International (Moderator)

Anne Mutta is Regional Director for Africa at BRAC International, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Anne is also a member of BRAC International’s microfinance boards in Liberia and Sierra Leone, as well as its social enterprise boards in Tanzania and Uganda.

In her role as Regional Director, Anne oversees strategy and operations across seven countries in Africa. Her leadership is grounded in data-driven decision-making, collaborative learning, and a shared commitment to BRAC’s mission of eradicating poverty and inequality. Anne has over two decades of experience in the development sector and has led multi-country programmes in Africa and Asia. Her portfolio covers programming across social empowerment, economic inclusion, education, WASH, and humanitarian response. She has also designed and implemented inclusive development solutions to elevate women in diverse sectors.

Anne holds a Master’s degree in international development and is a certified project management professional.

Abe Grindle, Program Director, Co-Impact

Abe Grindle is a Director on Co-Impact’s Programs team, where he helps oversee the sourcing, vetting, structuring, and support of philanthropic systems change grants. Before joining Co-Impact in 2017, he spent nearly a decade at the Bridgespan Group, where he advised leading philanthropists and NGOs across Africa, the Caribbean, India, and North America on strategies to scale impact, improve effectiveness, and deploy significant philanthropic capital. He also co-founded and managed Bridgespan’s multi-year research initiative on systems change and authored or co-authored several publications, including Audacious Philanthropy: Lessons from 15 World-Changing Initiatives in the Harvard Business Review.

Earlier in his career, Abe worked in technology innovation and policy at the White House Office of Management and Budget, NASA, and MIT, and spent a year working with Native American youth in rural Montana. He holds M.S. degrees in Technology and Policy and in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT, and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Saint Louis University. Since 2016, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

Dean Karlan, Innovations for Poverty Action

Dean Karlan is the Frederic Esser Nemmers Distinguished Professor of Economics and Finance at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. In low and medium income countries, his research focuses on microeconomic issues of poverty, including household finance (risk, credit, and savings), social protection (e.g., cash transfers and the Graduation approach), entrepreneurship, agriculture, health, education, mental health, and religion. Much of his research incorporates insights from behavioral economics, and also places a heavy emphasis on multi-site studies.

Rosemary Nduhiu, Executive Director, Country Programs, Mastercard Foundation

Rosemary Nduhiu is the Executive Director, Country Programs at the Mastercard Foundation, where she leads the foundation's country implementation portfolio, advancing opportunities for young people to access dignified and fulfilling work while contributing to inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

With more than 20 years of leadership experience across philanthropy, telecommunications, media, and consumer goods, Rosemary has led transformational initiatives, strategic investments, and institution-strengthening eƯorts that have expanded opportunity and driven impact at scale. Her work is rooted in country-led development and co-creation, bringing together diverse stakeholders to foster resilient systems that enable young people, particularly young women, to realize their aspirations.

In her current role, Rosemary oversees the implementation of country strategies that support economic inclusion, strengthen local institutions, and create pathways for young people to participate meaningfully in their communities and economies. She is a passionate advocate for African-led solutions that unlock potential, accelerate systems transformation, and contribute to lasting social and economic progress.