Leadership

Volker Renner has over 20 years of senior executive experience in responsible finance in the Eurasia, Africa, Latin America and Asia regions. From 2004 to 2016 he served FINCA International as Vice President for Credit and Savings, Global COO, and Regional Director for FINCA Eurasia. Prior to joining FINCA, Volker held positions as CEO of ProCredit Bank (Ukraine) and advisor to banks in Russia and Ukraine. Since 2016, Volker has focused his work on governance and consulting roles, serving as board director and member of Audit, Risk, ALCO, Digital Financial Services, and Credit committees in financial institutions on three continents.

Safiye is a senior international banker with vast experience across many banking functions, geographies and client segments. Over the last 20 years at Citi she worked as a Senior Investment Banker both in Turkey and in London covering several FTSE 100 multinational corporates and underwriting complex financing transactions. She helped corporate clients to manage their investments and financing needs globally. She has been selected as “Best Banker’ by British American Tobacco.

As Regional Head for Citi’s Internal Audit and Risk Management Group, she was responsible from Europe Middle East and Africa consisting 52 countries. She managed a multi-cultural team which audited and rated Citi corporate credit portfolios across the region. Her expertise in credit risk management has been acknowledged with Senior Credit Officer (SCO) title.

In order to pursue her life-long ambition and commitment for women’s economic empowerment, Safiye joined Citi Microfinance (now known as Citi Inclusive Business) in 2009 as a Global Business Director which is a ‘for profit’ business segment of Citigroup. She has since worked to address issues of access to finance for micro entrepreneurs focusing on building scalable solutions and bringing the capabilities of Citi’s businesses to microfinance institutions, banks and corporate clients that work with unbanked and underserved low income communities. Last two years at Citi Microfinance, she has been working to develop value chain solutions to multinational firms while bridging the gap between large corporates, financial service providers, micro insurance companies and microfinance institutions.

Safiye was part of a team in Citi Microfinance that has developed a Citi-Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) microfinance partnership providing funding to 40 microfinance institutions with outreach to almost 1 million micro-entrepreneurs in 22 countries, approximately 91% of whom are women.

In 2014, she has been awarded ‘Champion for Women Award’ by Women in Banking and Finance UK Network (WIBF) in recognition for her contribution to women in the workplace and women economic empowerment globally. She acted as the Co-chair of Citi Women for two terms during her tenure at Citigroup.

She left Citigroup in October 2014 and now works independently as a Consultant in Banking, Financial inclusion and in microfinance industry and serves as an independent director on multiple boards.

She is a non-executive director at FINCA Microfinance Bank Pakistan since June 2017, FINCA Microfinance Bank Jordan since December 2018 and Board Member at British Chamber of Commerce Turkey since May 2016.

She also sits on the board of non-profit Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work (Kadin Emeğini Degerlendirme Vakfi-KEDV) and Maya Microfinance Institution which is the first microfinance institution in Turkey. She has recently joined Oxfam International Supervisory Board.

She has MSc degree in Banking and Finance from Nottingham University and BA in Economics from Boğazici University in Istanbul. She has dual nationality; British and Turkish and lives in Turkey.

Ziad AL Refai has over 25 years’ experience in the area of MSME, Microfinance and Human development. He is experienced Executive Director in Financial Services, Financial Inclusion, and Economic Development, in private sector and non-governmental organizations in poverty alleviation, unemployment, women empowerment, youth employment, and vocational education. Ziad has experience in government policy development and initiating private and public sector partnerships in addition to institutional assessment, capacity building and technical assistance advisory services. He is recognized consistently for performance excellence and contributions to success with a proven record of accomplishment in the Industry of Microfinance and MSME during the last 20 years career, both conventional and sharia’ compliance institutions. Further he has working experience for more than 10 years with multinational development funds; Usaid, Eu, WB, IFC, and others, supporting the economic growth of Jordan.

Ziad holds a BA in Accounting and MBA in Microfinance, Harvard Business School Executive Education graduate; “Strategic Leadership for Microfinance and SME”, “Strategic Perspectives in non-profit Management and Microfinance” as well “Performance Measurement for effective management of non-profit organizations”. He is also an accredited Microfinance trainer by the Microfinance Network of Arab Countries (SANABEL), Board member of Social Performance Task Force “SPTF” representative of MENA region, Advisory board member of Youth financial Services “YFS”, in addition to that, he is a member at “Partners for a New Beginning “PNB”, “ILO” certified trainer, EFQM certified evaluator for Excellency of management, and social entrepreneur in the World Economic Forum. Ziad was also a Vice Chairman of “Sanabel’s” Board.