Andrée Simon
Acting CEO, Women for Women International
Andrée Simon is passionate about the economic empowerment of women, which she says allows them to invest in the health, education, and well-being of their families, leading to stronger families and communities around the globe. As the Acting CEO of Women for Women International (WfWI), Andree leads the organization's global efforts to provide women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency. Andrée leads WfWI's global management team, which spans 10 countries, in its pursuit of the greatest possible impact for the more than 300,000 women WfWI has helped around the globe.
Andrée Simon has more than 10 years of highly successful and innovative experience in the field of economic development and microfinance. Prior to WfWI, Andrée served as Deputy Director of FINCA, a network of 21 microfinance affiliates serving 700,000 clients across four continents. In addition to providing strategic guidance to FINCA's network affiliates and management team through many years of rapid growth, Andrée led the development and implementation of many transformative projects including organizational design, corporate governance, and risk management.
Andrée is a Board Member of several microfinance and microfinance-related institutions around the globe, including Women Advancing Microfinance International (WAM), an organization committed to advancing and supporting women working in microfinance and microenterprise development by promoting education, training and leadership opportunities. She is an Adjunct Professor of Microfinance at Georgetown University and a frequent public speaker on economic empowerment, microfinance and development. Andrée received her undergraduate degree in International Relations from the University of Virginia, her M.A. from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and an MBA in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. She speaks French, Spanish and Japanese.
