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Date and time Thursday October 9, 2014 6:30-8:30pm
Location Credit Suisse 11 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10007
Price Members and Credit Suisse Employees: Free Non-members: $15
Youth Financial Inclusion
Financial inclusion refers to the delivery of financial services at affordable costs to disadvantaged and low-income segments of society. Around the world people need access to financial services such as credit, savings, insurance, and payments to help them manage their lives and build futures. Of the 2.5 billion people without access to financial services, a particularly vulnerable segment is youth under the age of 25. Today, youth represent nearly half of the world’s population. In some regions the number is even higher; in Sub-Saharan Africa, 78% of 200 million young people live on less than $2 a day and only 5% have access to financial services.
On October 9th, a panel of experts will discuss various aspects of Youth Financial Inclusion. They will address what constitutes a youth market, challenges and opportunities for financial institutions in addressing the youth segment, current products and services available to youth to meet their various needs in different markets, and regulatory factors.
Eric Zuehlke (Moderator) - CFI Communications Director
Eric Zuehlke is the Web and Communications Director at the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion. Eric is responsible for the overall strategic development and dissemination of web and print communications for the Center, an action-oriented think tank working toward full global financial inclusion. A communications specialist with over 13 years of experience working in microfinance, international development, and public health, Eric has developed communications and advocacy campaigns targeting global audiences including policymakers, media, researchers, NGOs, and more. Previously, he worked in various communications roles at the Population Reference Bureau and UNICEF in Washington DC, New York, and Geneva. Eric is a 'third culture kid,' raised in Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Philippines. He received an MA in International Affairs from The New School and a BA in History from Michigan State University.
Barbara Magnoni - President – EA Consultants, co-author of CGAP’s 'Analyzing the business Case for Youth Savings'
Barbara Magnoni is President of EA Consultants and has over 18 years international development experience. Much of her recent work has had a strong focus on understanding clients, their needs and their preferences and linking these into the development of products and programs to improve access to finance, markets and social protection for low-income segments.Her work includes numerous efforts to strengthen the attention to client needs by financial institutions, particularly in developing countries and recently co-authored a CGAP publication 'The Business Case for Youth Savings: A Framework'. She holds a Masters degree from Columbia University in International Affairs. She is a member of Woman Advancing Microfinance-New York Chapter,and she recently co-founded Andares, a network of professional women working in microfinance in Latin America.
Nathan Byrd - Head of Education Finance, Opportunity International
Nathan Byrd is new head of education finance. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, and reporting to Colin McCormack, managing director, Africa, Nathan will provide strategic direction and leadership for our education finance program, developing specialized financial tools for schools and families and forming strategic partnerships in the education sector. Nathan is currently in the process of reviewing Opportunity‘s entire education finance program to redefine and tailor our future strategies. Prior to joining Opportunity, Nathan was deputy director of operations for the International Rescue Committee in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he was responsible for a budget of $21.5 million and oversaw all functions including human resources, financial planning, procurement, logistics, safety and security, field management and new product development strategy.
Maria Perdomo - YouthStart, Programme Manager, UNCDF
At UNCDF Maria manages YouthStart, a UNCDF Initiative that has brought financial services to more than 400,000 youth in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining UNCDF, she worked for Reach Global, Freedom from Hunger and Microfinance Opportunities, where she developed Financial Education modules, trainings, capacity building tools and business models to enable different types of Financial Service Providers to offer integrated financial and non-financial services to their clients. She has a masters degree in International Affairs and Economic Development from Columbia University, and a Bachelors Degree from Externado de Colombia University and l’Institut de Sciences Politiques de Paris (Sciences-Po).
Scott McMillan - Communications Manager, BRAC USA
Scott MacMillan has worked at BRAC USA since 2011, handling communications and public fundraising for North America. A former journalist, he has spent most of his working life in developing countries, covering covered the transition from communism in central and Eastern Europe in the 1990s as a business journalist, then moving to the Middle East in 2005, living in Cairo and Dubai, where he worked as an editor and freelancer writer. From 2009 to 2011 he worked as a travel writer, travelling full-time through Southeast Asia, China, India, and Africa, where he was exposed to international development and learned about BRAC. His travel writing project (covered on WanderingSavage.com) took him from Tangier to Cape Town and then northward to Nairobi, traveling entirely overland on public transport. He holds a BA in English from Amherst College. His work has been published in Slate, The Boston Globe, and The Chicago Tribune.
Simon Bailey - Head of Learning, Research and Network at Aflatoun
Simon Bailey is Head of Learning, Research and Network at Aflatoun. Aflatoun provides educational programmes to 2.3 million children and youth in 105 countries to develop their social and financial skills. He manages the development of learning materials, assesses programme and organizational effectiveness, and provides technical support to Aflatoun partners. Prior to Aflatoun, Simon worked in the areas of micro insurance in Bangladesh and on asset based social policy in Canada.
The event is free for members of the Microfinance Club of New York and employees of Credit Suisee
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