OUR TEAM

Mahenau Agha

Mahenau Agha has over 35 years of international experience in sustainable development, including communications, public relations, media, and outreach. Her extensive track record includes resource mobilisation and partnerships, project monitoring and evaluation, public/private partnerships, advocacy and external relations, information systems, knowledge management, and infrastructure development. Among her other responsibilities, Mahenau leads communications for the Sustainable Finance Hub. She has also been involved with the creation of many of the global multilateral agreements reflecting her commitment to sustainable development. She holds a Master’s in communications and economic development.

Luciana Aguiar

Luciana Aguiar is a specialist in the private sector in development and innovation, inclusive and impact-driven business, finance for development, and social investment. A social entrepreneur and founding partner of a benefit company, for more than 15 years she has supported the development of private-sector strategies that serve people in developing countries for institutions such as IDB, CGAP (World Bank), and foundations. Her areas of expertise include business intelligence, impact management, innovation in financial inclusion, education, health, technology, mass consumer goods, retail, and communication with corporations, startups, and impact investors. She has held non-executive board positions with impact investors and foundations. Ms Aguiar holds a PhD from Cornell University.

Mohammad Allahou

Mohammad Allahou is a Sustainable Finance and Private Sector specialist at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States in New York. He oversees the engagement, co-design, and implementation of sustainable finance initiatives and collaborations with the private sector at both the regional and country levels. In addition, Mr Allahou spearheads partnership and engagement efforts for several major regional initiatives, including the Arab States Climate Finance Facility and the Digital for Sustainable Development initiatives (D4SD). He holds a Master of Business Administration with a focus on Finance and Strategy from the University of Pittsburgh.

Lauren Bradford

Lauren Bradford leads the SDG Finance Academy team, which develops and deploys tailored training and knowledge exchange on sustainable finance to practitioners worldwide. In addition, she serves on several boards, including the Arab Foundations Forum. Lauren holds a Master’s degree in International Development and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), as well as a certificate from the Overseas Development Institute and London School of Economics in Conflict and Humanitarian response.

Jeanne Finestone

For 15 years, Jeanne Finestone has led communications and partnership efforts for UN and international institutions and spent an additional 15 years working with public, private and non-profit organizations in the US and abroad in communications, marketing, public relations and resource mobilization. Her UN career has included posts with UNDP in South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Timor-Leste. Previous posts include World Agroforestry (ICRAF) as Global Head of Communications and Partnerships, Moby Group as Programme Director for Afghanistan, McGraw-Hill Children's Publishing as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications, and America’s Public Broadcasting System, where she held various positions. As a consultant, Jeanne has supported numerous international education, arts, media organizations and political candidates, as well as the UN agencies FAO, UNICEF, UNITAR and Peacekeeping.

Maxwell Gomera

Prior to being appointed as Resident Representative for UNDP South Africa and Director for the UNDP Africa Sustainable Finance Hub, Maxwell Gomera served as Resident Representative at UNDP Rwanda. He is a resource economist with over 20 years of experience in nature conservation and agricultural development. With experience in a range of economic development issues, Maxwell was part of the team that developed the ‘Global Green New Deal’ for reviving the global economy and boosting employment in response to the financial and economic crisis of 2008. A Senior Fellow at Aspen New Voices, he is an accomplished writer and has written for national and global media outlets. 

Mariana González

Mariana González leads the team responsible for strengthening UNDP’s partnerships with international financial institutions and development finance institutions. Her 15 years’ experience in sustainable development ranges from partnerships and resource mobilisation to strategic communications and advocacy, including at UNDP Mexico and Sri Lanka Country Offices, Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy, Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery and Bureau for Development Policy. Before joining UNDP, she worked for organisations focused on human rights and indigenous women in her native Mexico. She holds degrees in International Relations and History, Political Science, and Development and International Cooperation from Universidad de las Américas, Science Po-Grenoble and Université de Paris I-Panthèon-Sorbonne, respectively.

Nergis Gulasan

Nergis Gülasan is an economist working for the UN system since 2007, advising on financing for development, financial and economic crisis response and UN collaboration with the G20, IMF and World Bank. Previously, she worked for UNDP’s Executive Office, Office of Development Studies, Bureau for Development Policy, Strategic Policy Unit, and Development Coordination Office SDG Financing team. During this time, she co-authored flagship reports including the 2019 Human Development Report, the UN-World Bank “Pathways for Peace” report and the UNDP-United Nations Research Institute for Social Development report on Global Trends. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Boğaziçi University in Turkey, a Master's degree in Economics from Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain, and a Master’s degree from New York University.

Piper Hart

Piper Hart has 15 years of experience in providing strategic policy advice in public financial management, private-sector development and sustainable development financing, working across varied development contexts. Her expertise spans all regions, with a focus on Africa and Arab States. Piper now leads UNDP's integrated efforts to ensure that public and private finance for the SDGs reaches fragile and crisis contexts. Prior to this role, she worked for the Government of Canada at the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Department of Finance, and then took on roles with the African Development Bank, the World Bank, OECD and UNDP in Cote d'Ivoire, Nepal, Tunisia and Zimbabwe. Piper holds a Master’s degree in International Relations, with a focus on Economics, from the University of Glasgow.

Vito Intini

Vito Intini is the Regional Chief Economist and Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Finance Team Leader at UNDP in the Arab States region. Prior to this position, he was the Principal Macroeconomic Adviser at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in New York, where he worked on a global macroeconomic forecasting model, socioeconomic assessments of large infrastructure projects, quantitative methods to measure SDG interactions and prioritisation, SDG costing and budgeting, and led the preparation of the UN guidance on Economic Transformation, among other activities. Previously, Vito worked at the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) where he led the global programme on Municipal Finance. Earlier, he was the Chief of the Economic Governance Section at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in Beirut where he led a number of publications and capacity building programs, including on measurement of inequality, national sustainable development strategies, fiscal policy, development in conflict, market competition, among others. Vito was also a Private and Financial Sector Specialist at the World Bank in the Balkan region. He also worked for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), European Union and the academia. He has also been a Fulbright visiting fellow. Vito specialised in Regional Economics and Economic Geography during his Ph.D. studies in Econometrics at postgraduate level.

Nohman Istiaq

Nohman Istiaq has over 15 years of experience supporting Ministries of Finance, Planning Organisations, Sector Ministries, Parliaments and Audit Offices in reforming Public Finance systems and institutions. Nohman has helped to design and implement several reforms related to strategic budgeting, including results-budgeting, strengthening Parliamentary oversight, improving budget transparency, IFMIS systems, legal and regulatory reforms, fiscal decentralization, financial reporting with sectoral knowledge in social sectors and climate change. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. 

Moortaza Jiwanji

Moortaza Jiwanji is the Regional Sustainable Finance Advisor in the Africa Sustainable Finance Hub (ASFH) based in Pretoria. In his 22 years’ experience working with the United Nations, government and the private sector, he has provided expert advice on policy making and designing and implementing innovative programmes on financing for the SDGs. He has a strong track record in systemic reform for financing climate- and disaster-resilient development, Moortaza has managed multi-disciplinary teams in Asia and the Pacific, Latin American and Caribbean and Africa. He holds a Master’s in Environmental Economics from University College London.

Diyora Kabulova

Diyora Kabulova works as a Regional SDG Finance Policy Specialist at the UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, providing policy advice on issues such as Integrated National Financing Frameworks, thematic bonds and portfolio design. In her previous role as an Inclusive Growth Cluster Lead at the UNDP Uzbekistan, she supported the Government in issuing sovereign SDG bonds, introducing SDG and green budgeting, and developing the Integrated National Financing Strategy. She has more than 10 years’ experience working for the United Nations, covering a range of issues including poverty reduction, employment and job creation, investments and trade, and sustainable finance.

Jan Kellett

Jan Kellett leads UNDP’s work on insurance and risk finance. A founder of the Insurance and Risk Finance Facility, he co-chairs the Insurance Development Forum Operating Committee, is UNDP’s senior representative to the InsuResilience Global Partnership, and co-created the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance. Prior to this, Jan led UNDP’s climate, disaster and energy external engagement, was Programme Leader at Development Initiatives, was a Senior Research Fellow at Overseas Development Institute and worked for HSBC in business lending, insurance and development. He holds a Master’s degree in political science.

Ahtesham Khan

Ahtesham R. Khan serves as Head of Tax for Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations Development Programme. In this role, he leads efforts to strengthen developing countries' fiscal and tax capacity for domestic resource mobilisation, sustainable growth, and equitable societies. He also oversees the joint OECD-UNDP Tax Inspectors Without Borders initiative, drawing on extensive experience in tax policy and administration through long-term advisory roles with governmental institutions. His background includes senior positions within the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. As Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India he worked on BEPS negotiations and tax arbitration cases. Ahtesham was Deputy Director of the Indian Tax Administration whereby he investigated illicit financial flows and cross border tax evasion. Ahtesham has done Electrical Engineering in under-graduation and has dual Master’s – Master’s in Taxation and Business Laws from NALSAR University, India and Masters in Public Administration with specialisation in Advanced Policy and Economic Analysis from SIPA, Columbia University. He is recipient of the prestigious JJ/World Bank Scholarship.

Radhika Lal

Radhika Lal has more than 20 years’ development policy experience spanning Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Her work is focused on engaging a range of stakeholders to strengthen macroeconomic, social and environmental resilience. Her experience ranges from macroeconomic policy, to promoting SDG-aligned planning budgeting, and financing, and creating enabling environments for sustainable finance. In addition, Radhika has experience in economic policy, social protection, development innovation, and ICT for development. A political economist by training, she is passionate about pursuing collaborative approaches to sustainable development.

Christopher Marc Lilyblad

Positioned at the intersection of the Sustainable Finance and Climate Hubs, Christopher Lilyblad coordinates the Joint Agenda for Financing the Paris Agreement and SDGs. Prior to taking up this role, he was responsible for providing strategy and policy advice as a development economist in Guinea Bissau and Cabo Verde. This work included government and private sector engagement on Integrated National Financing Frameworks. In his 13 years of international experience, Christopher played various roles with the European Union, the Clinton Foundation, and public and private entities in Luxembourg. He holds a Doctorate in International Development from the University of Oxford, where he attended as a Clarendon Scholar.

Marcos Mancini

Marcos Mancini is a Senior Sustainable Finance Advisor, leading policy on the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group Secretariat. Prior to this, he was the Head of Policy at the UNEP Inquiry’s Design of a Sustainable Financial System project which identified best practices and explored financial market policy and regulatory innovations supporting the development of a green financial system focused on policy. He is a sustainability business professional and the former Executive Director of Sustainability at Grupo Financiero Banorte, the third largest financial institution in Mexico. He has chaired the Sustainability Committee at the Mexican Banking Association (ABM), the steering committee for the Central America and Mexico chapter at ANDE (Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs) and taught the Sustainable Finance module at the Banorte-Ixe /UNAM course. Marcos holds a dual MBA/MS degree from the University of Michigan (The Erb Institute for Global sustainable Enterprise) and an executive Master’s in environmental management from Escuela de Organización Industrial. 

Joanne Manda

Joanne Manda is the Senior SDG Investment Advisor in UNDP Africa Finance Sector Hub (AFSH) supporting countries in accelerating investments aligned with the SDG. Passionate about fighting climate change and generating development results through innovative financing mechanisms, Joanne pioneered UNDP’s work on innovative financing solutions including green bonds, Islamic finance and blended finance mechanisms for energy and other infrastructure projects. In addition, her experience extends to working with private-sector partners in the impact investment space.

Artak Melkonyan

With a 30-year track record of sustainable business development projects more than 40 countries for UNDP, Artak Melkonyan specializes in finance for the SDGs through engagement with the private sector using innovative impact-focused financial frameworks. He leads UNDP’s global Impact Venture Accelerator initiative and oversees engagement with several funds and blended finance initiatives. Artak’s previous experience includes management roles in a venture philanthropy, multinational financial and credit institutions, private equity, banking and government. He has also taught at universities in Armenia, France and Thailand. Artak holds Masters degrees from the American University of Armenia and State Engineering University of Armenia, and complemented atop-tier executive education programs from INSEAD and Georgetown University.

Fabienne Michaux

With over 30 years of experience in financial markets, including 22 years with S&P Global in the Global Ratings division, Fabienne Michaux is a Senior Advisor for the Private Finance for the SDGs in the Sustainable Finance Hub. She is the lead developer of UNDP’s SDG Impact Standards. Fab has contributed to numerous sustainable finance and impact investing initiatives including the Global Steering Group on Impact Investing, the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative, and the G7 Impact Task Force. She is also an experienced non-executive director who has held numerous board positions in the housing, education, financial and arts sectors. Fab has a bachelor’s degree with distinction in Economics and Finance from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Aiaze Mitha

Aiaze Mitha leads UNDP/UNCDF’s joint program on digital finance for the SDGs in UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub. His work focuses on developing national-level strategies and designing, implementing, and scaling innovative digital finance/fintech approaches to accelerate national development priorities around social, economic and environmental outcomes. Aiaze has worked in Fintech/Digital in 40+ countries and advised many financial regulators and international organisations on inclusive digital finance. Previously, Aiaze led a coalition of digital platforms (wealth management, e-commerce, banks, payments) harnessing AI/tech to enable greener choices for their users. Aiaze was also a Senior Advisor to the UN Secretary General’s Task Force on Digital Financing of the SDGs and was leading a global Dialogue platform seeking to align the governance of BigFintechs with the SDGs. Prior to that, Aiaze was Chief Officer at Tiaxa, a digital lending Fintech primarily in Africa but also Latin America and Asia. Aiaze also founded and managed a globally recognized boutique consulting firm in the digital finance space. Aiaze holds a Master’s degree from University of Quebec and is a graduate of Telecom Paris.

Letsholo Mojanaga

With over 20 years of experience in international development across Africa, the Middle East, China, and the European Union, Letsholo Mojanaga brings extensive expertise to the Africa Sustainable Finance Hub. Letsholo has a strong track record in project finance, project management, monitoring and evaluation, circular economy, economic policy development and public finance. Before joining the Africa Sustainable Finance Hub, he worked for UNDP South Africa as an Economic Specialist and Head of Inclusive Growth. He also held positions in research institutions, the ILO, the private sector, and international NGOs. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Stellenbosch and an MSc in Health Informatics from City University of London.

Stephen Nolan

Stephen is the Managing Director of the Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S) which is a global network of 44 financial centres, working together to achieve the objectives set by the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement and hosted by UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub. Stephen is also the Head of Secretariat for UNDP’s Sustainable Insurance Forum (SIF) which is a global network of 37 insurance supervisors and regulators working together to strengthen responses to sustainability and climate change challenges facing the insurance sector. Stephen is a member of several international sustainable finance Committees.  He is also Chair of Ireland’s Climate Finance Week series and a member of the High-Level Advisory Group of Switzerland’s Building Bridges series.

Suren Poghosyan

Dr Suren Poghosyan is an economist with more than 27 years’ experience in public financial management reforms and bridging policies with budgets in transition and developing countries. His current role as the SDG Finance Advisor for Europe and Central Asia region involves supporting countries in aligning, leveraging and mobilising public, private and international finance with 2030 Agenda. Since 2014, he has been a member of the UNDP team supporting countries in Asia and Europe in improving national budgeting systems to achieve the SDGs. He is also the principal author of UNDP Guidebook on Budgeting for SDGs. Prior to UNDP, Dr Poghosyan worked with DFID, ADB, the World Bank, OECD, GIZ and other UN organisations. He received a PhD from the State Engineering University of Armenia, MA in Management, as well as Economist degree from the Armenian State University of Economics.

Natalya Pyagay

Throughout her 17-year career with international development and business organisations, Natalya Pyagay has built a solid track record in analytical, quality assurance and advisory services to ensure efficient use of financial resources, compliance with United Nations Standards, effective coordination of corporate planning and reporting exercises, and partnership development with national and international stakeholders. Prior to this assignment, Natalya served as a Programme Officer for the UNDP SDG Philanthropy Platform and Head of the Resource Management Unit for UNDP Uzbekistan. She holds an MBA from the University of Utah, USA, and has additional certifications in public procurement and project, programme and people management.

Manita Ray

With more than 20 years' experience in the private, public and international development sectors, Manita Ray has worked across all global regions to advance women’s access to finance. In addition to leading the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Frontier Incubators Programme, she was lead designer of the ‘Gender Lens Incubation and Acceleration Toolkit’ while she was CEO at ygap.  Manita also served as the Gender Lens Investment Advisor to SHE Investments in Cambodia, the Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Advisor for DFAT in the Solomon Islands, and was lead designer of the breakthrough research initiative, A Roadmap for Australian Investors: How to invest to achieve gender equity, racial equity, diversity and inclusion. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Melbourne (Australia) Business School.

Tomas Sales

Tomas Sales leads the Africa Sustainable Finance Hub Private Sector and Sustainable Investments workstream. In the previous four years, he was the UNDP Manager for the African Facility for Inclusive Markets (AFIM) Unit of the RSCA. Tomas is an expert on Emerging Markets Capital Markets and Business Finance, Private Sector Development and Engagement, Business Ecosystems Development, Value Chain Development, Impact Investment and Sustainable Finance. He has a solid track record in designing, developing, and delivering successful corporate flagships products and development solutions. 

Rita Sciarra

Rita Sciarra leads the Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Finance Team at the SFH Panama Hub, focusing on inclusive markets, social protection, employment creation and support to SMEs. An international development expert with more than 20 years of experience, she has served UNDP in Mexico, Haiti and Dominican Republic, working on socio-economic inclusion, inclusive growth and private-sector partnerships. She began her career with Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NGOs, working in India, Bolivia and Tanzania. Rita holds a Master’s degree in Public Law from the University of Zaragoza in Spain, a Master’s in European Economic Studies from the College of Europe in Belgium, and a Master’s degree in Economics and International Relations from Bocconi University in Italy. Rita is also a Yale World Fellow 2017.

Sebnem Sener

With 20 years of experience in international organisations and NGOs, Dr Sebnem Sener leads UNDP’s work to leverage, scale, and align private sector investments to help achieve the SDGs by 2030. Prior to taking on this role, she worked for Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, with a focus on digital financial inclusion for the SDGs. Previously, she also worked for the World Bank Group’s Finance and Markets Group, where she provided support in financial sector development, financial inclusion and emerging markets. She holds a PhD in Engineering Management from the George Washington University in Washington DC, a Master’s degree in Finance from Middle East Technical University in Turkey, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Economy from Middle East Technical University.

Sahba Sobhani

Sahba Sobhani brings over 20 years’ experience in the private sector to UNDP, from Silicon Valley to Singapore. At UNDP, he has served as Programme Advisor, Team Leader, Programme Manager and technical lead for the recently endorsed UNDP Private Sector Strategy. His significant partnership development and advocacy experience with the private sector includes work more than 100 companies and business organisations, and management of six global UNDP-led strategic multi-stakeholder partnerships, including the G20 Global Platform on Inclusive Business. Previously, he managed two UNDP private-sector initiatives in the Executive Office of former UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown, and co-authored ‘Unleashing Entrepreneurship: Making Business Work for the Poor’, a report produced at the request of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He is a graduate of Yale University and the Fletcher School of Diplomacy (USA).

Tim Strawson

Tim Strawson leads UNDP’s work on Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) as a Team Leader in UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub. He also leads UNDP’s participation in the INFF Facility alongside UN DESA, UNICEF and the OECD. In the context of this work, he engages in international policy processes through the G20 and related forums, and works with UNDP’s regional and country offices to support governments in more than 85 countries with designing and implementing INFFs. Previously, Tim contributed to the establishment of the Development Finance Assessment, a tool used by more than 60 countries in the design of INFFs. Prior to joining UNDP, he worked for Development Initiatives, a UK-based think tank, and the South African National Treasury. Tim holds a Master’s degree in Economics for Development from the University of Oxford, and a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Sussex.

Tiina Turunen

With over 15 years’ experience in development and humanitarian fields, Tiina Turunen leads strategy and planning for the Sustainable Finance Hub. Her leadership in knowledge management, risk management and compliance stems from her extensive work with UNDP’s corporate private sector strategies, policies and partnerships, support to national development planning, coordination of multi-UN agency initiatives, engagement in national and regional policy development and establishment of communities of practice. She has served UNDP in Lesotho Country Office, South Africa Regional Hub, Headquarters in New York, Global Policy Centre in Istanbul and Geneva. Before joining the UN, Tiina worked in academia and the private sector, in international trade facilitation, insurance and retail. She holds a CEMS Master’s in International Management degree from ESADE Barcelona and Helsinki School of Economics, and a Master’s degree in Economics and Business Administration from Helsinki School of Economics.

Tenke Zoltani

Tenke Zoltani is the Senior Thematic Debt Advisor to UNDP, leading the debt service offering which as delivered nearly $30bn in thematic debt issuances as of midyear 2024. Her job is coordinating UNDP’s portfolio in support of governments in using a variety of debt instruments to further progress delivery of their SDG and Paris Agreement targets. She is also the founder of Better Finance, a boutique advisory business working at the nexus of impact and ESG, and focused on helping clients integrate the SDGs across impact investing and ESG strategy. She holds several board positions and is an internationally recognized speaker on the topic of impact investing. Based in Switzerland, she has 15 years' experience in sustainable finance across sectors.