SPEAKERS’ PROFILES

18–21 October 2016

Multi-Function Hall 3, ADB Headquarters

Manila, Philippines

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RESOURCE SPEAKERS

DEBORAH STOKES

Vice-President for Administration and Corporate Management Asian Development Bank

Ms. Deborah Stokes is the Vice-President for Administration and Corporate Management of ADB. She assumed the position in January 2016. She is responsible for the overall management of the operations of the Budget, Personnel, and Management Systems Department; Office of Administrative Services; Office of the General Counsel; Office of Information Systems and Technology; Office of the Secretary; and Operations Services and Financial Management Department.

Prior to this, Ms. Stokes was a senior official in Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Australian Agency for International Development. She was most recently High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, and has served as Australia’s Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, and Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. She also held positions at the Australian Embassy in Yangon and the United Nations Development Programme in New York. Ms. Stokes holds a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Adelaide in Australia.

EMMELINE VERZOSA

Executive Director Philippine Commission on Women

Ms. Emmeline Verzosa has over 35 years of experience in gender and development, women’s empowerment, health and nutrition, first as an NGO worker, a nutrition professor, an independent consultant, and currently as Executive Director of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) since 2002. As head of the Secretariat of this policy-making and oversight body for gender equality and women’s empowerment, Ms. Verzosa manages the

overall gender mainstreaming efforts in government, ensuring that policies, programs and services work for the promotion, protection, and fulfillment of women’s human rights at the socio-cultural, economic, and political spheres. She works in partnership with key stakeholders, especially women from civil society, the private sector and academe at the international, regional and local levels. Ms. Verzosa also has extensive experience in legislative advocacy leading to the passage of landmark laws such as the Magna Carta of Women, the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law, the Domestic Workers Act, the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, the Rooming-in and Breastfeeding Act, and the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers, among others. Early in Ms Verzosa’s career, she worked as a community organizer in rural areas in the Philippines mobilizing people’s participation in health, agriculture and other community programs. Ms. Verzosa earned her Master of Science in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries specializing in Gender, Social Planning and Development and Health Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and Political Science; and her Master of Science in Nutrition and BS in Community Nutrition degrees from the College of Home Economics, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City. In 2012, the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) conferred to her the Distinguished Alumni Award in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment.

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WENNY KUSUMA

Country Representative UN Women, Nepal

Ms. Wenny Kusuma assumed the position of Country Representative of UN Women in Nepal in September 2016. Prior to her current position, Ms. Kusuma served as the UN Women Country Representative in Cambodia (2010-2016), UNIFEM Country Director in Afghanistan (2008-2010) and UNIFEM Programme Manager for South East Europe based in Macedonia (2006-2008). She has more than thirty years of experience in the field of women's human

rights and gender equality with a focus on women, peace and security in conflict and post-conflict settings, including in the Western Balkans and the Horn of Africa, and on sexual assault and domestic violence as Executive Director of La Casa de las Madres in San Francisco, California. She holds an Masters in Social Work from San Francisco State University, USA.

MOHNA ANSARI

Member, Nepal Human Rights Commission Former Member, National Women’s Commission Nepal

Ms. Mohna Ansari serves as a member and spokesperson of the Nepal Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the constitutional body tasked with safeguarding human rights. Prior to her current position, between 2010-2014, she served as member on the National Women Commission contributing to national policy development for ensuring economic, social, cultural and human rights of Nepalese women. In 2012, she was honored by the President with the Suprabal Jana Sewa Shree award, a presidential medal for public

service. That same year, she received the Nava Devi Award which recognizes Nepal’s female role models and achievers. As a lawyer and women’s rights activist, Ms. Ansari has participated in several international conferences representing Nepali women in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and USA. In 2008, she was among the 10 Asian women selected for the “Portraits of Leadership” by The Asia Foundation. Ms. Ansari has been committed to advocating for the rights of women in underprivileged communities. Her work in Muslim communities in Nepal has been recognized, published and featured by “Nepal Weekly”, the Kathmandu Post, and the Nepalese TV. Ms. Mohna Ansari holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from Mahendra Multiple College, Nepalgunj. As the first woman law graduate from the underprivileged Muslim community which is under 5% of Nepal’s population, she has become a role model and a source of pride for many in her country.

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ROSHANEH ZAFAR

Founder and Managing Director, Kashf Foundation Founder, Kashf Microfinance Bank Limited Pakistan

Ms. Roshaneh Zafar founded Kashf Foundation, Pakistan’s first specialized microfinance institution, in 1996 inspired by Muhammad Yunus, leader of Grameen Bank/Bangladesh and she later founded the Kashf Microfinance Bank in 2008. Ms Zafar continues to represent Kashf and Pakistan on many international conferences including the World Economic Forum. She has been the recipient of many national and international awards, including Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, one of Pakistan’s highest civilian awards in 2005for her work in development and women’s empowerment and the Vital Voices Economic Empowerment Award in 2010.

Ms. Zafar is the founding member of the Pakistan Microfinance Network; Board Member of Women’s World Banking, and Kaarvan Crafts; and Member, UN Advisory Group on Inclusive Financial Services, Vital Voices La Pietra Council and World Economic Forum: Gender Gap Council and Financial Empowerment Council.

Ms. Zafar is a graduate of the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Finance and Economics and holds a Masters in International and Development Economics from Yale University.

OYUN SANJAASUREN

Founder, Zorig Foundation Former Minister of Environment and Green Development Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Mongolia

Dr. Oyun Sanjaasuren has a wealth of international and domestic experience in green development and political consensus-building. She currently serves as Chair of the Global Water Partnership (GWP). Prior to GWP, Dr. Sanjaasuren was elected as the first president of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) of UNEP for a two-year term (2014-2016). She is a founder and Head of Zorig Foundation created in 1998 to advance

democracy and the rule of law, and to promote good governance in Mongolia. Dr. Oyun served as a Member of Parliament of Mongolia from 1998 to 2016, representing Mongolia as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Environment and Green Development. Under her leadership, Mongolia's Parliament approved the country's National Green Development Policy (2014). She also led good governance initiatives in the Parliament including the anti-corruption, freedom of information and conflict of interests legislations as well as advanced issues for children with disabilities. Being one of the leading female politicians, Oyun actively worked to address critical issues facing Mongolia including health, education, environmental policies and women’s political participation. Dr. Oyun Sanjaasuren holds a degree in geochemistry from the Charles University in Prague and a PhD in Earth Sciences from Cambridge University, UK.

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ERNA WITOELAR

Founder, KEHATI (Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation) Former Minister of Human Settlements and Regional Development Former UN Special Ambassador for MDGs in Asia Pacific Indonesia Ms. Erna Witoelar is the former UN Special Ambassador for MDGs in Asia Pacific (2003–2007) and former Indonesian Minister of Human Settlements and Regional Development. She was commissioner of the Global Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, the Earth Charter Commission, and the Commission on Global Security, Justice and Governance.

Besides serving on national and global platforms for sustainable development, Ms. Witoelar has been a leader of many civil society organizations (CSOs) including the Indonesian Environmental Forum; the Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia; the Asia Pacific Water Forum; Consumers International; the Indonesian Consumer Foundation. She was also the board member of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Canada. Ms. Erna Witoelar is currently on the Governing Boards of Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation; Foundation for Sustainable Development; Foundation for Local Governance Innovation; and serves as a member of China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) and co-chair of advisory board of the Indonesian Philanthropy Association (PFI). Ms. Witoelar is a chemical engineer from Bandung Institute of Technology and holds a Master of Science in Human Ecology from the University of Indonesia, Jakarta.

THET THET KHINE

Member of Parliament, Myanmar House of Representatives Vice President, Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs Association Managing Director, Jewel Collection Manufacturing Co. Ltd Myanmar Dr. Thet Thet Khine is a Member of Parliament for the House of Representatives, Myanmar, elected in February 2016. Before entering national politics, she was named as one of the most successful businesswomen in Myanmar as the Managing Director of Forever Gems and owner of a number of gold, jewelry and gem production companies with her husband. She also served as Joint Secretary General of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and

Vice President of the Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs Association focusing on business development and women’s economic empowerment. Dr. Thet Thet Khine was trained as a medical doctor at the Institute of Medicine in Yangon, has received two MBAs from Yangon University and Nanyang Business School, Singapore and is currently a PhD candidate for Public Management and Leadership at Walden University, USA.

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PACITA JUAN

Chair, ASEAN Women's Entrepreneur Network Chair, Women's Business Council of the Philippines Founder, ECHOstore Sustainable Lifestyle Chair, ECHOsi Foundation Co-Chair and President, Philippine Coffee Board, Inc. Green Advocate and Social Entrepreneur Philippines Ms. Pacita Juan has been an entrepreneur most of her life, founding start-ups like the Figaro Coffee shop chain, a Filipino casual food chain, and more recently a sustainable lifestyle store/market and café called ECHOstore. She co-founded ECHOstore in 2008 and has since won many awards including the

Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011 (for social enterprise) by Ernst and Young, and Social Entrepreneur of the Year by GO Negosyo and Bossing award by PLDT/Smart. Ms. Juan chairs the Women’s Business Council of the Philippines, an advocacy group for policy reforms to empower women in business composed of women CEOs and COOs. As founder, she heads the Philippine Coffee Board, Inc., the Philippine chapters of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) and the Women Corporate Directors International. (www.womencorporatedirectors.com). She is currently the Chair of ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN) for 2016-2017. She also sits in several non-profit boards including the Haribon Foundation, Philippine Coffee Board Inc., Management Association of the Philippines, and Peace and Equity Holdings Inc. As a prolific writer, Ms. Juan has authored many books including her latest CACAO: Bean to Bar (2013). Ms. Juan is a sought out speaker in international fora like the Global Summit of Women, APEC meetings on topics like Sustainability, Women’s Empowerment and Coffee. She also writes a regular column for The Manila Times and a regular blog in www.manilaspeak.com. besides contributing to many other newspapers and magazines.

DAYALINI MENDIS Deputy Director General Budget, Personnel and Management Systems Department Asian Development Bank Dayalini Mendis is Deputy Director General for Budget, Personnel and Management Systems at ADB. She has 24 years of professional experience in human resource policy, operations and people management and previously in the U.K. public sector. Since 1992, at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) she has held a range of progressively responsible HR positions. She was

Division Chief responsible for IMF's overall recruitment strategy, policies, and operations management. Prior to this, as Deputy Division Chief HR Services, HR Recruitment, and Client Service, she held oversight for the management of HR services, benefits policies, recruitment and separation, and contributed to the design and roll out of HR policies, system improvements, and modernization of e-recruitment. She has provided leadership to various HR divisions across multiple functions (Talent Acquisition, HR Services, Client Relations and Executive Services), and has supported the execution of the IMF's strategic HR priorities such as, restructuring and expansion of staffing, benefits review, the redesign of the IMF’s employment framework, information systems improvements, initiatives to improve diversity at senior levels, and introduced donor-financed capacity building programs within human resources. She has provided policy advice to IMF management, client departments, and managed relationships with the Executive Board. Dayalini Mendis is a native of Sri Lanka and national of the United Kingdom. She holds a Master's degree in Human Resources Management from George Washington University, USA; a postgraduate degree in Education from the University of Cambridge, UK; and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of London, UK.

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NASREEN JAHAN

Deputy Secretary Ministry of Public Administration Bangladesh

Ms. Nasreen Jahan assumed the position of Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration in October 2013. She is responsible for administrative jobs in the Ministry, procurement and staff management issues. Prior to this position, she was the First Secretary of Labour (July, 2007- 2013) at the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Dubai, UAE and was responsible for dealing with recruitment of Bangladeshi workers including female workers in UAE, overseeing the welfare of Bangladeshi expatriates and protection of their rights, dealing with complaints and their redress,

facilitating participation of expatriates in the social development activities of host country, promotion of culture and maintaining cooperation between the countries. As Senior Assistant Secretary from 2004 to 2007 at the Ministry of Education, Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka, she was in charge of dealing with policy formulation for education system of Bangladesh, as well as leave, lien and pension related issues of government education cadre. During this period, she also conducted a study on rural women and children’s socio-economic condition to improve the education system with special focus on women empowerment. She received a degree in Bachelor of Science (Hons) and Master of Science (Medical) in Pharmacology and received her Master of Public Policy and Management from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. FACILITATORS / MODERATORS

SONOMI TANAKA

Technical Advisor (Gender Equity) Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department Asian Development Bank

Ms. Sonomi Tanaka is responsible for overseeing and providing advice on ADB-wide operations in support of gender equality and women’s empowerment. As Chair of the Gender Equity Thematic Group, she facilitates knowledge management on gender and development in ADB and coordinates gender mainstreaming initiatives across different departments and through different sector and thematic groups.

Sonomi has worked on gender and development, poverty reduction, social analysis, social protection, and community participation issues in Asia and the Pacific for nearly 20 years. She has covered a number of sectors including education, finance, health, infrastructure, natural resources management, public sector management, and urban development. Prior to working with ADB, Sonomi worked in the World Bank’s South Asia Department and in development institutions in Japan. She holds a Master of Arts on Gender and Development from the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University and a post-graduate diploma on development studies from the Institute of Developing Economies Advanced School in Japan. She has a bachelor’s degree on International Relations from the University of Tokyo.

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TÜLİN AKIN PULLEY

Senior Gender and Development Capacity Building Specialist Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department Asian Development Bank Ms. Tülin Akin Pulley is an independent consultant working in international development as Gender and Development Specialist on research, technical assistance and capacity development projects with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), US Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, international NGOs and consulting firms for over 25 years. She developed the “Results-Based Lateral Learning” program in 2003 as a strategic framework for gender capacity building for ADB and its project

executing and implementing agencies to facilitate the design and implementation of gender-inclusive projects and to promote the empowerment of women. She has conceptualized, organized and managed 7 Regional and 3 South Asia focused Seminars under this flagship program focusing on rural development; infrastructure; urban poverty; water supply and sanitation; environment and natural resources management; secondary education and TVET; and, women’s employment, entrepreneurship and empowerment. In 2014, she assisted ADB in launching its first Asia Women Leaders Program and continues to manage the organization of this program annually to strengthen and expand the cadre of women leaders in the Asia Pacific region. During 1997–2001, Tülin worked at the International Center for Research on Women as Lead Consultant/Project Director for USAID’s global women in development technical assistance and training project (WIDTECH). From 1988 to 1993, she served as the Asia Near East Liaison and Private Sector Officer for USAID’s Women in Development Office. Earlier, she worked at the NGO Secretariat as Program Organizer for the NGO FORUM ’85 held at the 1985 World Conference to mark the end of the UN Decade for Women in Nairobi. Tülin grew up in Turkey; earned her B.A. in Economics at Bryn Mawr College; and received her Masters in Public and International Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University.

TERESA ERICKSON

Media Training Specialist Intermedia Communications Training, Inc.

Ms. Teresa Erickson is co-owner of Intermedia Communications Training, Inc. Teresa has designed and led communications workshops around the world, working with organizations such as WWF, The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the Asian and African Development Banks, USAID and the United Nations.

She has also worked with government ministries and Parliamentarians around the world. Born in Portugal, Teresa worked with the Voice of America for 17 years, from 1980 to 1997 as a producer, editor, and host, including a seven year assignment as Executive Producer and host of VOA’s flagship public affairs program, VOA Saturday/Sunday, a show broadcast worldwide to 90 million listeners a week. Teresa also worked as a producer in the Portuguese-to-Africa service, and later served as news editor for Worldwide English programming. Her reporting has won numerous awards and she has voiced award-winning documentaries for broadcast in Brazil and Portugal. Teresa Erickson has also led media training workshops for hundreds of journalists from Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, and has traveled around the world as a spokesperson for the Voice of America. She is the co-author of the Master Communicator’s Handbook (2015).

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TIMOTHY WARD

Media Training Specialist

Intermedia Communications Training, Inc.

Tim Ward is co-owner of Intermedia Communications Training, Inc. He has designed and led communications workshops around the world, working with organizations such as WWF, The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the Asian and African Development Banks, USAID and the United Nations. Tim Ward has worked in Asia and North America as a freelance magazine,

newspaper and radio journalist since 1986. He was news announcer for NHK Radio Japan, and served as a commentator for CBC Radio. From 1984–1990 he lived in India, China, Thailand, and Japan. Based on his travels, he wrote a trilogy of books about Asian life and culture, and as an author has given hundreds of media interviews and public talks. Tim Ward also worked as a communications consultant at the 1992 Earth Summit's Global Forum and 1997 Rio+5, and has written for World Bank and Global Environment Facility publications. He continues to write articles on foreign cultures and the environment. Tim is also a well-known author in his native Canada, and has written five books, including a popular trilogy about life, culture and spirituality in India, Thailand, Tibet and China. He is also the co-author of the Master Communicator’s Handbook (2015).