Heather Henyon
General Manager
Grameen-Jameel Initiative for the Arab World

Heather manages the Middle East & North Africa microfinance program of the Grameen-Jameel Initiative, a joint venture between Grameen Foundation and Abdul Latif Jameel Group. The Initiative supports access to financial services for the poor through financing, technical assistance, training, and translation. The Initiative has partnerships with seven microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia with expansion plans underway. Currently, the Initiative is developing financial products in conjunction with local commercial banks to increase the access and supply of loan capital to MFIs in the region. Heather opened the Initiative’s regional office in Beirut in November 2005.

Heather left Wall Street to venture into the nonprofit sector. Previously, Heather worked for Standard & Poor’s as a corporate bond ratings analyst in the capital goods and auto supplier sector. She has seven years of business experience in banking, project finance, and telecom consulting. Heather has lived and worked in Egypt and Palestine, and she speaks Arabic and French. She is a member of Arab Bankers Association of North America, Women Advancing Microfinance, Net Impact, 85 Broads and Angels Abroad. Heather holds an MBA from the Johnson School at Cornell University, where she was a Park Leadership Fellow, and a BA from Oberlin College.