Our team

Jan Kellett leads UNDP’s work across insurance and risk finance, which includes the creation and leadership of the IRFF. He co-chairs the Insurance Development Forum’s operational committee, is UNDP’s Senior Representative to the InsuResilience Global Partnership and co-created the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance. Previously, he was Programme Leader for Global Humanitarian Assistance at Development Initiatives, a Senior Research Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute and led UNDP’s climate, disaster and energy external engagement. He has lived and worked in more than 10 developing countries and has a background and experience in both media and finance.

Lauren Carter is IRFF Deputy Team Lead and heads the Engagement Cluster. Based in Geneva, she is a specialist in climate finance. Previously, Lauren was Director of Climate Finance Initiatives for a boutique advisory in Morocco and guided the government’s engagement with the Green Climate Fund. Before this, Lauren worked as an Agriculture and Environmental Advisor with the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and in the private sector as a hedge fund analyst. Lauren has an MBA and a BA and is fluent in French.

Miguel Solana is Senior Advisor on Insurance and Risk Finance at UNDP, leading technical implementation across IRFF’s 39-country footprint. Over the past 15 years, he has designed and implemented more than 50 insurance innovation initiatives, delivering insurance protection to 20 million people. Previously, Miguel led the ILO’s insurance innovation work in Africa and Latin America, and inclusive insurance market development initiatives globally. He has also worked at Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Kleinwort and Symbiotics Group. Miguel holds an MBA, a BSc in Actuarial Science and a CAS on international development. He speaks Spanish, English, French, German and Portuguese.

Shanthi Karuppiah is IRFF’s Project Management & Coordination Specialist. Shanthi has worked for UNDP for more than 25 years in 12 countries. For over 12 years, she worked with UNDP’s Bureau of Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), providing advisory and operational oversight services to a large portfolio of global projects. Prior to joining UNDP, Shanthi worked for a decade in the advertising industry as a client service manager. Shanthi holds an MBA.

Edgar Aguilar is IRFF’s Value Chain Resilience Specialist. Previously, Edgar worked for the International Labour Organization (ILO) at its Regional Office for Africa in Côte d’Ivoire, where he facilitated public and private partnerships to increase access to finance to agricultural value chains. Supporting the ILO Impact Insurance Facility, Edgar has worked closely with the insurance industry, developing risk management solutions for smallholder farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Edgar holds a master’s degree in Rural Development for Southern Countries and an engineer diploma in Agriculture. He speaks Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.

Tuga Alaskary is IRFF’s Technical Specialist for Risk Financing, responsible for leading UNDP’s work on sovereign and sub-sovereign risk financing. She provides representation to Country Offices and through them programme countries to develop and deliver technical risk finance solutions. Tuga has over 12 years of experience in climate and disaster risk financing, previously working for the InsuResilience Global Partnership, Asian Development Bank, World Food Programme and African Risk Capacity. A British-Iraqi dual national, Tuga holds an MSc in Development Studies and a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. She speaks Arabic and English.

Diana Almoro is a development and management specialist based in Bangkok and leads IRFF’s work across Asia Pacific. Diana has been working in the insurance-for-development space for 15 years through different roles and responsibilities with GIZ, UNEP Finance Initiative’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance, Women’s World Banking and Asian Development Bank. She has managed projects on promoting climate risk insurance and financial inclusion in countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Viet Nam. She has an MA in International Development and Environmental Analysis.

Linet Odera is Regional Lead for Africa at IRFF. With long-standing experience in the African insurance market, she was previously Secretary General at the Organization of Eastern and Southern Africa Insurers, responsible for designing and implementing the organization’s strategy on a sustainable Sub-Saharan Insurance Market. Before that, she was Director, Business Development – East & Central Africa, at Afro-Asian Insurance Services, a Lloyd’s of London Reinsurance Broker, where she was Head of the Nairobi Liaison office. Linet has a B.Sc. in Actuarial Sciences and an MBA and attended her Senior Executive Program at Harvard Business School.

Saurabh Sharma is IRFF’s Insurance for Development Specialist. He is passionate about leveraging insurance to address global development challenges. With over 12 years’ experience in inclusive insurance across East Africa and South Asia, Saurabh has led the design and implementation of insurance programmes that have extended protection to over 5 million lives.

Prior to joining UNDP, Saurabh was Director, Emerging Customers, at Britam Group, where he grew Britam’s microinsurance portfolio in Eastern and Southern Africa. Under his leadership, Britam became Kenya’s largest microinsurance provider. Before Britam, Saurabh was an Impact Insurance Fellow with the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Enock Sing’oei is IRFF’s agriculture and climate insurance expert. He has been global and regional lead on agriculture and climate innovation projects, market systems development initiatives, resource mobilization and programme design and implementation across Africa and Asia. Enock is a Microinsurance Master 2020 alumnus and a fellow of ILO Impact Insurance Facility. He holds an MBA, a diploma in Human Resources and certifications in insurance, social innovation and climate finance. Enock grew up on a farm and is passionate about supporting projects that decrease risk and improve well-being for low-income people.

Miguel Solana is Senior Advisor on Insurance and Risk Finance at UNDP, leading technical implementation across IRFF’s 39-country footprint. Over the past 15 years, he has designed and implemented more than 50 insurance innovation initiatives, delivering insurance protection to 20 million people. Previously, Miguel led the ILO’s insurance innovation work in Africa and Latin America, and inclusive insurance market development initiatives globally. He has also worked at Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Kleinwort and Symbiotics Group. Miguel holds an MBA, a BSc in Actuarial Science and a CAS on international development. He speaks Spanish, English, French, German and Portuguese.

Pap Talla is IRFF’s Africa Regional Programme Support Analyst. Previously, Pap was a consultant and Associate Economic Affairs Officer for UN-DESA, where he helped draft the Secretary-General’s report on the Status of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). He also worked on establishing and managing the Technical Assistance Hub for Citywide Inclusive Sanitation in Africa, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He has been Director of Development and Innovation at Cite Scolaire Internationale in Dakar and a Policy Advisor at AFD. He holds a master’s degree in International Public Management.

Nur-Mukhamadjon Akmalov coordinates IRFF’s work in Uzbekistan. He has worked with the UNDP Country Office in Uzbekistan since 2021 as a Trade Promotion Coordinator for the Aid for Trade in Central Asia project. He has also worked on areas including risk management, treasury and liquidity management at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Field Representative Office in Uzbekistan and in other financial institutions across the banking sector in Uzbekistan. Nur holds a bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance.

Henry Akwitti coordinates IRFF’s work in Nigeria. He is a project management, evaluation, data management and finance specialist with over 15 years of experience working in sub-Saharan Africa on agriculture and food security, economic growth and recovery, the environment, migration, WASH, and peace and security. Henry has worked with organizations including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Save the Children and Chemonics International. Before joining UNDP, he was a credit and risk management expert for the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL). He has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a master’s degree in Economics.

Atiku Bran coordinates IRFF’s work in Uganda. Before joining UNDP, he was an Agroecology Specialist and Environment and Energy Assistant at DanChurchAid, responsible for project planning, community mobilization and fostering public and private sector partnerships. He has also been Project Officer Livelihoods at Community Empowerment for Rural Development (CEFORD), Team Leader at Partners in Community Transformation (PICOT), Teaching and Research Assistant at University of Arid Agriculture Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and Agriculture Loans Officer at Centenary Bank. He holds an MSc in Agriculture and a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Rural Innovation.

Marcelo Borré coordinates IRFF’s work in Argentina. Before joining UNDP, Marcelo worked with Argentina’s Superintendencia de Seguros de la Nación (National Insurance Regulatory Agency) for almost a decade as a lawyer and regulatory advisor. Previously, he was a lawyer in the legal department for Argentine insurer TPC. He has a law degree as well as two postgraduate qualifications in insurance law.

Bitseat Debrework coordinates IRFF’s work on Climate Resilience & Agricultural Insurance in Ethiopia. She is an experienced programme management professional with years of experience in the agricultural sector. Before joining UNDP, she worked with national and international organizations focused on agriculture and rural development, including One Acre Fund, GIZ, the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) and the Texas Department of Agriculture in Austin, Texas. She is a Mandela Washington Fellow. Bitseat holds an MSc in Innovation Management and a BSc in Electrical Engineering.

Ismaïla Diatta coordinates IRFF’s work in Senegal. Before joining IRFF, he was Project Manager for UNDP’s COVID-19 Joint Platform Project for Support to the Productive Sector of Vulnerable Groups in Senegal. Prior to that, he was a Youth Specialist for UNDP in the Central African Republic. He worked for 15 years as a senior civil servant in Senegal’s Ministry of Youth and in the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic as Head of the Technical Cooperation Division. Ismaïla holds an International Diploma in Public Administration.

Sana Ehsan coordinates IRFF’s work in Pakistan. She is a public policy and economics expert with over 16 years of experience working with UNDP, the World Food Programme and the Government of Pakistan. Currently, besides IRFF, she is also supporting UNDP and the Government of Pakistan in the implementation of the Global Shield’s In-Country Process in Pakistan. She has a master’s degree in Public Policy and Economic Development, an MSc in Economics and a master’s degree in Project Management.

Omar El Fakharany coordinates IRFF’s work in Egypt. Omar is also responsible for Impact Management and Impact Investing. Before joining UNDP, Omar worked as a management consultant at CID Consulting and as a project coordinator at MSMEDA. He has a background in stakeholder relationship management, economic research and market studies and private sector development. Omar holds a BSc in Business Administration with a major in Accounting. He also holds a master’s degree in Economics and International Development.

Diana Gonzalez coordinates IRFF’s work in Colombia. Working for international and national organizations such as the Export-Import Bank of Korea, the Inter-American Development Bank and Colombia’s National Planning Department, Diana has over 11 years’ experience in monitoring and evaluation of public policies, developing tools and methodologies for efficient use of public resources, private sector contributions to SDGs and multilateral banks programming in the LAC region. Personally, Diana loves scuba diving and volunteering in green NGOs. Diana has a master’s degree in Public and Social Policies and a BA in Political Science.

Redeit Girma Hailu coordinates IRFF’s work in Ethiopia. Specializing in the empowerment of smallholder farmers and MSMEs, Redeit has worked on programmes delivering rural financial services such as microinsurance, agri-insurance and micro-credit to Ethiopian smallholder farmers, in collaboration with organizations such as Mastercard Foundation, IFC, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and InsuResilience. Redeit has managed projects from grassroots startups to multimillion dollar development programmes. She holds an MSc in Sustainability Management and a BA in Biology.

Masnat Al Hiary coordinates IRFF’s work in Jordan. Before joining UNDP, she worked since 1998 in various functions with Jordan’s National Agricultural Research Center (NARC). In her most recent position, she was Director of the Socio-Economic Research Directorate, where she coordinated more than 20 national, regional and international projects, such as the sub-project Jordan Valley Water Sustainability and Agribusiness Competitiveness, executed by NARC and sponsored by UNFCCC’s Adaptation Fund. Masnat is a macroeconomics expert and holds a PhD in Business Economics and an MSc in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness.

Monirul Hoque coordinates IRFF’s work in Bangladesh. Before joining UNDP, he worked for 10 years at BRAC, Bangladesh’s largest NGO, where he led BRAC’s largest microinsurance portfolio, advocated for women’s financial resilience leading to insurance pilot initiatives, and developed businesses, particularly in remote branches. He was also responsible for designing and implementing several financial resilience building initiatives. Previously, he worked for Aga Khan and Grameenphone. Monir holds a graduate degree in Business Administration.

Josephine Douglas Laswai coordinates IRFF’s work in Tanzania. Previously, she worked for four years with UN Tanzania, supporting joint UN coordination, SDG monitoring and results reporting of the UN Development Assistance Plan. She contributed to the Country Common Analysis, Voluntary National Reviews and development of the UN Sustainable Cooperation Framework. Josephine has been a Programme Officer for Good Neighbours International, a Monitoring and Evaluation Associate in a consulting firm and a Business Development Officer for ICEALION Insurance. She holds a master’s degree in Public Policy Analysis and a BSc in Social Protection.

Mohamed Djouneid Madihali coordinates IRFF’s work in Comoros. An expert in disaster risk management and civil security, he has worked for UNDP in Comoros for over 10 years as a National Project Coordinator as well as a national expert in support of Comoros’s General Directorate of Civil Security. As part of this work, he helped drive the preparation and implementation of Comoros’s National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy. He holds a master’s degree in international Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid as well as a DEA Diploma with a specialization in Applied Geophysics.

Vidal Juvenal Mahundla coordinates IRFF’s work in Mozambique. Previously, he was Programme Coordinator at UNFPA Mozambique, focusing on the Universal Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health project. He has also been Assistant Resident Programme Officer at UNICEF Angola, the UN Volunteer Programme Coordinator for Somalia, and the lead environmental supervisor for the first successful on-shore seismic acquisition programme for oil and gas exploration in Palma and Mocimboa da Praia. Vidal holds a BSc in Social Sciences with Economics and a master’s degree in Environmental Management.

Jorge Morillo coordinates IRFF’s work in Ecuador. Jorge is an agronomist with more than 12 years’ experience working for organizations such as the International Trade Centre, the World Bank and FAO. He has worked on the design and implementation of initiatives related to climate finance, value chain assessment, climate change adaptation and mitigation, market access and economic development focusing on sustainability and adopting new technologies. Jorge has a master’s degree in International Agribusiness Management and an MBA with specialization in Sustainable Development and Industrial and Technological Management.

Achmad “Fandi” Nasution coordinates IRFF’s work in Indonesia. Before joining IRFF, he was the Coordinator for the Thematic Bond and Public Finance Management initiative of UNDP Indonesia’s Innovative Finance Lab. Prior to joining UNDP, he held several positions with the World Bank Jakarta Office. In his spare time, he enjoys running, mountain trail hiking and cross-country motorcycling. He has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and a master’s degree in Public Policy.

Chandra Kanta Sharma Paudel coordinates IRFF’s work in Nepal. Before joining IRFF, he was Coordination and M&E Specialist for Nepal’s Provincial and Local Governance Support Programme (PLGSP) – Federalism Support Programme. Previously, he worked at UNDP Nepal for 17 years, as District Development Advisor, M&E Specialist for a Decentralization Programme, on livelihood recovery for peace projects, and as Impact Assessment Consultant for Village Development Committee Governance. He has also worked on Access to Finance for UNCDF and the Government of Denmark and natural resource management for SNV/Nepal. He holds a master’s degree in Agricultural Systems.

Daniela Perozo coordinates IRFF’s work in the Dominican Republic. Before joining UNDP, she was a Project Management Specialist in the Governmental Office for Information Technology and Communications (OGTIC). She has experience in establishing and managing partnerships with multilateral organizations to foster capacity-building and governance design in public policy, smart cities, interoperability, financial and social inclusion, and digital identity with programmes such as Cyber4Dev, Identity for Development (ID4D) and TAIEX-INTPA. She has an MSc in International Development and a master’s degree in Diplomacy and Consular Services.

Mai Pham Phuong coordinates IRFF’s work in Viet Nam. Before joining IRFF, she was Programme Officer for GIZ Regulatory Framework Promotion for Inclusive Insurance in Asia focused on inclusive insurance and climate risk insurance in Viet Nam. She has worked for NGOs in Viet Nam, Lao PDR and Cambodia on agriculture, value chains and community development and in the private sector promoting inclusive business, sustainability and circular economy in materials science for industries. Mai has a bachelor’s degree in Food and Agriculture Technology, a master’s degree in Development Evaluation and Management and an MA in Development Studies.

Sumanta Kumar Sahoo coordinates IRFF’s work in India. He has worked on financial management and monitoring for India’s Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. He has also been Associate Director for KPMG, Programme Management Officer for the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Municipal Financial Specialist for UNDP, Finance Officer for the BBC, Finance and Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for FAO and Project Associate for the Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN).

Amina Sammo coordinates IRFF’s work in Ghana. Amina is a chartered accountant and project management specialist with over 20 years of experience in accounting, finance and risk management. Before joining UNDP, she was Director of Projects, Programmes and Social Services at Ghana’s Ministry of Inner-City and Zongo Development. She has also been Head of Project, Finance and Administration of a USAID-funded Education Quality for All/School for Life project and worked at CAL Bank, Amarjaro UK (Ghana) and BRM Wood Processing. She holds a PhD in Project Financial Engineering, an MBA in Financial Management and a Bachelor of Commerce.

Karim Tair oversees IRFF’s work in Algeria as a Project Manager and Sustainable Development Financing Analyst at UNDP Algeria Country Office. In this role, he provides strategic direction and policy support on integrated sustainable development, inclusive growth and economic diversification while managing programme implementation. With extensive public sector experience, Karim has held various positions in the Ministry of Finance and the National Economic, Social and Environmental Council. He also served on the board of one of the country's largest public microcredit institutions, enhancing his expertise in sustainable development and financial inclusion.

Rosamaría Vélez coordinates IRFF’s work in Mexico. Before joining UNDP, she was Senior Legislative Advisor to Member of Congress Sylvana Beltrones, whom she assisted in driving a social protection agenda. She has also been Director of Federal Resources at the Ministry of Finance of Aguascalientes State, where she led initiatives on inclusive insurance, risk management, education, health and metropolitan development. Rosa is a lawyer and holds an LLM and a Master of Public Policy. In 2020, Rosa was the first naturalized Mexican to run for office, as a reserve candidate for the Local Congress.

Lauren Carter is IRFF Deputy Team Lead and heads the Engagement Cluster. Based in Geneva, she is a specialist in climate finance. Previously, Lauren was Director of Climate Finance Initiatives for a boutique advisory in Morocco and guided the government’s engagement with the Green Climate Fund. Before this, Lauren worked as an Agriculture and Environmental Advisor with the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and in the private sector as a hedge fund analyst. Lauren has an MBA and a BA and is fluent in French.

Ceandra Faria is IRFF’s Strategic Communications and Engagement Specialist. Before joining UNDP, she was Head of Communications at NatureFinance. She has 15 years of engagement experience across sustainable development, human rights and the cultural sector. Ceandra has provided strategic communications consultancy and led advocacy campaigns for the OECD Development Cooperation Directorate’s Financing Sustainable Development Unit, the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network, Save the Children Australia and Creative Australia. She holds an MBA specializing in Digital Transformation and a Bachelor of Journalism with a minor in French Literature.

Loïc Martel is a Research Analyst at IRFF. He began his UNDP career as an intern on the IRFF team, and he has also interned as a researcher in waste management for an economics consulting firm and as a technology equity analyst at McGill’s socially responsible investment fund. He has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master of Management in Finance. Loïc speaks English and French.

Shamiso Ruzvidzo is IRFF’s Partnership & Resource Mobilization Specialist. Previously, she was Head of Exploration for UNDP’s Global Accelerator Labs in Zimbabwe, where she developed UNDP Zimbabwe’s framework for partnerships and resource mobilization, focusing on systems thinking across its resilience and governance workstreams. Before that, Shamiso led the establishment of Viamo.inc in Zimbabwe: a social enterprise built around tech4dev aimed at decentralizing access to information for decision-making and social development. Her successful partnership engagement model was replicated and scaled across 33 countries in Africa and Asia. Shamiso holds a BSc in Information Technology.

Alin Valenzuela is the Training and Networking Coordinator for IRFF. Before joining UNDP, Alin led the training programme on migration at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, D.C. Previously, she worked with the Educational Portal of the Americas at the Organization of American States (OAS), where she coordinated educational projects for international partners, including the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) and the Inter-American Commission of Women (IACW). Alin has a master’s degree in Educational Technology and a BSc in Communication Sciences.

Emanuele is a Research Intern at the IRFF. He has a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of York and a Master's degree in International Development from the London School of Economics. He previously worked as a trainee at Insurance Europe, where he was part of the secretariat of the European Insurance CFO Forum, providing policy analysis on the European Union’s sustainable finance policies and other international frameworks. Before completing his studies, Emanuele interned at Carnegie Europe and Generation Italy (McKinsey & Company), conducting research on different policy areas, trade resilience and labour markets, respectively. He speaks Italian and English.

Kamilla Adgamova is a Junior Research Officer with IRFF. Previously, she worked with UNDP Zimbabwe, where she was Programme Officer for the Urban Resilience portfolio, working on green solutions, livelihoods, rural-urban linkages and institutional support to urban local authorities. Before joining UNDP, Kamilla was a national consultant at UNIDO’s Moscow Office. She has also interned with UN-DESA and worked for GR & Public Affairs consulting company. Kamilla holds a master’s degree in Social Sciences and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She speaks English and Russian, and some French and Finnish.

Jonathan Bonnemann is IRFF’s Project Coordination Focal Point. He is based in Geneva and previously served as a Junior Programme Coordinator at UNDP’s Geneva Office.

Shanthi Karuppiah is IRFF’s Project Management & Coordination Specialist. Shanthi has worked for UNDP for more than 25 years in 12 countries. For over 12 years, she worked with UNDP’s Bureau of Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), providing advisory and operational oversight services to a large portfolio of global projects. Prior to joining UNDP, Shanthi worked for a decade in the advertising industry as a client service manager. Shanthi holds an MBA.

Maya Kihiu is a Junior Research Officer at IRFF. She is passionate about using public policy and public-private partnerships to advance SDGs 11, 13 and 16 in low- and middle-income countries, and integrating new technologies into business processes and project management. She was previously a consultant for UNDP and an intern at Justice Rapid Response. Maya holds a master’s degree in Development Studies and an undergraduate degree in Peace and Conflict Studies.