Waterloo, ON – We are pleased to share that Jessica Villanueva, MEDA’s Senior Director of Technical Areas of Practice, has been selected as a member of the prestigious 2X Global Forum. This esteemed recognition highlights Villanueva’s expertise and her commitment to fostering inclusive business practices, and accelerating gender lens investments to create a positive impact on women entrepreneurs and their communities worldwide.
The 2X Global Forum is designed for discussion, network and engagement that brings together stakeholders such as gender specialists, local actors, representatives of women’s groups and feminist civil society organisations, and collaborating partners dedicated to advancing gender equality and driving women’s economic empowerment. It creates opportunities for transparent and mutual learning, network building, peer exchange and to cement field building activities.
Villanueva’s selection amplifies MEDA’s commitment to driving systemic change and to using gender, diversity, equity and inclusion to tackle barriers in financial markets to create a more equitable and inclusive world for women entrepreneurs. She has more than 20 years of management experience, focusing on agri-food market systems, financial inclusion, impact investment, and gender and climate lens investment projects in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Her extensive work experience includes designing and structuring innovative finance transactions using different asset classes and technical assistance approaches to achieve inclusive development outcomes.
MEDA and 2X recognize the vital role that women entrepreneurs play in driving sustainable economic growth and poverty alleviation. Together, MEDA and 2X Global will continue to work towards amplifying the impact of our programs, using market systems approach to ensure financial instruments are designed for the needs of the market (especially for women and youth entrepreneurs), rather than the market adapting to the financial instruments available, and breaking down barriers. We are proud to be part of this remarkable partnership and look forward to the positive outcomes it will bring.
2X Global is a global membership and field-building organization for investors, capital providers, and intermediaries working in public and private markets across both developed and emerging economies.
