About the ILO's Social Finance Programme

The Social Finance Programme works with the financial sector to enable it to contribute to the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda. Social Finance engages with banks, microfinance institutions, credit unions, insurers, investors and others to test new financial products, approaches and processes. The work of the ILO’s Social Finance Programme is organized around three segments of the financial sector.

The ILO's Social Finance Programme team

The Social Finance Programme operates through a central team based in Geneva, Switzerland, with a few colleagues based in the country offices.

Photo of the ILO's Social Finance Programme team, taken in January 2024.
  • Craig Churchill - Chief
    • Craig is the Chief of the ILO’s Social Finance Programme.
  • Nalina Ganapathi - Senior Administrative Assistant
    • Nalina supports Social Finance’s administrative and operational activities.
  • Margarita Lalayan - Senior Programme Officer
    • Margarita oversees Social Finance capacity building at the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin, Italy, including the renowned Making Microfinance Work training programmes.
  • Victor Hugo Sanchez Valverde - Secretary and Administrative Clerk
    • Victor supports our administrative and operational activities.
  • Joost Tijdink - Communications Officer
    • Joost is responsible for the communications of the Social Finance Programme.

Financial inclusion

  • Ines Bentchikou - Junior Technical Officer
    • Ines works on the financial inclusion of refugees, migrants and vulnerable groups in crisis-affected settings. She also supports the development and promotion of the ILO Global Programme on Financial Education.
  • Valerie Breda - Senior Technical Officer
    • Valerie leads the ILO’s efforts to promote the transition to responsible digital wage payments and coordinates the Global Centre on Digital Wages for Decent Work.
  • Yousra Hamed - Senior Technical Officer
    • Yousra leads our Global Programme on Financial Education, financial inclusion for migrant workers, refugees and in fragile settings, as well as access to finance through employers' associations.
  • Fadia Jradi - Technical Officer
    • Fadia is the financial inclusion and entrepreneurship officer in the MENA region, as part of the ILO’s PROSPECT project.
  • Virak Nuon - Project Officer
    • Virak supports the work of the ILO’s Global Centre on Digital Wages for Decent Work in Cambodia.
  • Julio Perez - Project Officer
    • Julio advances the work of the Global Centre in Peru.
  • Djitaba Sachko-Patel – Technical Officer
    • Based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Djitaba provides technical support to the implementation of Social Finance components within the ACCEL Africa project. She also acts as the Social Finance focal point for West Africa.
  • Djauhari Sitorus - Project Manager
    • Djauhari leads the PROMISE II IMPACT project in Jakarta, which aims to create an enabling environment for an inclusive financial sector for SMEs in Indonesia.
  • Andrej Slivnik - Technical Officer
    • Andrej is responsible for knowledge management and the capacity-building activities of the ILO’s Global Centre on Digital Wages for Decent Work.
  • Richard Umali - Project Officer
    • Richard promotes the adaptation of digital wage payments in the Philippines.
  • Arief Umar - Project Officer
    • Umar drives our work on digital wage payments in Indonesia.

Impact insurance

  • Aparna Dalal - Senior Research Officer
    • Based in London (United Kingdom), Aparna leads the Impact Insurance Facility’s work on research and innovation. She works primarily on mobile insurance and bundling insurance with other financial services.
  • Camyla Fonseca - Knowledge and Capacity Building Officer
    • Camyla is responsible for the implementation of the Impact Insurance Facility’s capacity-building activities.
  • Lisa Morgan - Technical Specialist
    • Lisa is responsible for the Facility’s work on health insurance in the public and private sectors, and offering insight s into m-Health, actuarial analysis and strategy development. Along with others, Lisa also mentors Fellows.
  • Pranav Prashad - Senior Technical Officer
    • Pranav leads the Facility’s agriculture insurance work, alternative distribution channels and mobile ser vices. He is also the focal point for market development in Asia.

Sustainable investing

  • Rakshita Agarwal - Project Junior Officer
    • Rakshita supports our work on sustainable investing and innovative finance.
  • Ekaterina Chubarova - Technical Officer
    • Ekaterina is involved in Social Finance’s work promoting just transition finance, sustainable investing, enterprise formalization and the social and solidarity economy.
  • Fernando Messineo Libano - Technical Officer
    • Fernando works on issues related to sustainable investing and social and environmental risk management, particularly with the Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund.
  • Tomoka Omoto - Junior Professional Officer
    • Tomoka supports Social Finance’s work on just transition finance and sustainable investing.
  • Patricia Richter - Senior Technical Officer
    • Patricia is leading our work on sustainable investing and innovative finance. As part thereof, she is managing the ILO's collaborations with the Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund and the Common Fund for Commodities.
  • Kirill Zarifulin - Project Junior Officer
    • Kirill works on sustainable investing and supports our collaboration with the AATIF to improve social and environmental management and to increase the impact of agricultural investments.

Social Finance Fellows

Fellows support the work of the Social Finance Programme through placements with host organizations to support our innovation projects for low-income markets.

  • Akinyemi Alebiosu is hosted by PharmAcces Foundation, providing technical assistance to the county of Kisumu in Kenya.
  • Jackline Chemutai is hosted by Radiant Insurance Company in Rwanda.
  • Zika Djodjo is hosted by the cooperative COMUBA in Benin.
  • Grégoire Minani is hosted by CNAAS, the national agriculture insurance company of Senegal.
  • Ritesh Pandey is hosted by the National Insurance Commission in Ghana.
  • Ali Tareque Parvez is hosted by the microfinance institution Chamroeun in Cambodia.

If you want to get in touch with one of our colleagues, please contact us at socialfinance@ilo.org.
 

The ILO's Social Finance Programme team

The Social Finance Programme operates through a central team based in Geneva, Switzerland, with a few colleagues based in the country offices.

Photo of the ILO's Social Finance Programme team, taken in January 2024.
  • Photo of Craig Churchill
    Craig Churchill
    Chief

    Craig is the Chief of the ILO’s Social Finance Programme.

  • Photo of Nalina Ganapathi
    Nalina Ganapathi
    Senior Administrative Assistant

    Nalina supports Social Finance’s administrative and operational activities.

  • Photo of Margarita Lalayan
    Margarita Lalayan
    Senior Programme Officer

    Margarita oversees Social Finance capacity building at the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin, Italy, including the renowned Making Microfinance Work training programmes.

  • Photo of Victor Hugo Sanchez Valverde
    Victor Hugo Sanchez Valverde
    Secretary and Administrative Clerk

    Victor supports our administrative and operational activities.

  • Photo of Joost Tijdink
    Joost Tijdink
    Communications Officer

    Joost is responsible for the communications of the Social Finance Programme.

Financial inclusion

  • Photo of Ines Bentchikou
    Ines Bentchikou
    Junior Technical Officer

    Ines works on the financial inclusion of refugees, migrants and vulnerable groups in crisis-affected settings. She also supports the development and promotion of the ILO Global Programme on Financial Education.

  • Photo of Valerie Breda
    Valerie Breda
    Senior Technical Officer

    Valerie leads the ILO’s efforts to promote the transition to responsible digital wage payments and coordinates the Global Centre on Digital Wages for Decent Work.

  • Photo of Yousra Hamed
    Yousra Hamed
    Senior Technical Officer

    Yousra leads our Global Programme on Financial Education, financial inclusion for migrant workers, refugees and in fragile settings, as well as access to finance through employers' associations.

  • Photo of Fadia Jradi
    Fadia Jradi
    Technical Officer

    Fadia is the financial inclusion and entrepreneurship officer in the MENA region, as part of the ILO’s PROSPECT project.

  • Photo of Virak Nuon
    Virak Nuon
    Project Officer

    Virak supports the work of the ILO’s Global Centre on Digital Wages for Decent Work in Cambodia.

  • Photo of Julio Perez
    Julio Perez
    Project Officer

    Julio advances the work of the Global Centre in Peru.

  • Photo of Djitaba Sachko-Patel
    Djitaba Sachko-Patel
    Technical Officer

    Based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Djitaba provides technical support to the implementation of Social Finance components within the ACCEL Africa project. She also acts as the Social Finance focal point for West Africa.

  • Photo of Djauhari Sitorus
    Djauhari Sitorus
    Project Manager

    Djauhari leads the PROMISE II IMPACT project in Jakarta, which aims to create an enabling environment for an inclusive financial sector for SMEs in Indonesia.

  • Photo of Andrej Slivnik
    Andrej Slivnik
    Technical Officer

    Andrej is responsible for knowledge management and the capacity-building activities of the ILO’s Global Centre on Digital Wages for Decent Work.

  • Photo of Richard Umali
    Richard Umali
    Project Officer

    Richard promotes the adaptation of digital wage payments in the Philippines.

  • Photo of Arief Umar
    Arief Umar
    Project Officer

    Umar drives our work on digital wage payments in Indonesia.

Impact insurance

  • Photo of Aparna Dalal
    Aparna Dalal
    Senior Research Officer

    Based in London (United Kingdom), Aparna leads the Impact Insurance Facility’s work on research and innovation. She works primarily on mobile insurance and bundling insurance with other financial services.

  • Photo of Camyla Fonseca
    Camyla Fonseca
    Knowledge and Capacity Building Officer

    Camyla is responsible for the implementation of the Impact Insurance Facility’s capacity-building activities.

  • Photo of Lisa Morgan
    Lisa Morgan
    Technical Specialist

    Lisa is responsible for the Facility’s work on health insurance in the public and private sectors, and offering insight s into m-Health, actuarial analysis and strategy development. Along with others, Lisa also mentors Fellows.

  • Photo of Pranav Prashad
    Pranav Prashad
    Senior Technical Officer

    Pranav leads the Facility’s agriculture insurance work, alternative distribution channels and mobile ser vices. He is also the focal point for market development in Asia.

Sustainable investing

  • Photo of Rakshita Agarwal
    Rakshita Agarwal
    Project Junior Officer

    Rakshita supports our work on sustainable investing and innovative finance.

  • Photo of Ekaterina Chubarova
    Ekaterina Chubarova
    Technical Officer

    Ekaterina is involved in Social Finance’s work promoting just transition finance, sustainable investing, enterprise formalization and the social and solidarity economy.

  • Photo of Fernando Messineo Libano
    Fernando Messineo Libano
    Technical Officer

    Fernando works on issues related to sustainable investing and social and environmental risk management, particularly with the Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund.

  • Photo of Tomoka Omoto
    Tomoka Omoto
    Junior Professional Officer

    Tomoka supports Social Finance’s work on just transition finance and sustainable investing.

  • Photo of Patricia Richter
    Patricia Richter
    Senior Technical Officer

    Patricia is leading our work on sustainable investing and innovative finance. As part thereof, she is managing the ILO's collaborations with the Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund and the Common Fund for Commodities.

  • Photo of Kirill Zarifulin
    Kirill Zarifulin
    Project Junior Officer

    Kirill works on sustainable investing and supports our collaboration with the AATIF to improve social and environmental management and to increase the impact of agricultural investments.

Social Finance Fellows

Fellows support the work of the Social Finance Programme through placements with host organizations to support our innovation projects for low-income markets.

  • Akinyemi Alebiosu is hosted by PharmAcces Foundation, providing technical assistance to the county of Kisumu in Kenya.
  • Jackline Chemutai is hosted by Radiant Insurance Company in Rwanda.
  • Zika Djodjo is hosted by the cooperative COMUBA in Benin.
  • Grégoire Minani is hosted by CNAAS, the national agriculture insurance company of Senegal.
  • Ritesh Pandey is hosted by the National Insurance Commission in Ghana.
  • Ali Tareque Parvez is hosted by the microfinance institution Chamroeun in Cambodia.

If you want to get in touch with one of our colleagues, please contact us at socialfinance@ilo.org .