Responsible DPI for Improving Outcomes Beyond Inclusion

During her time at CFI from 2012-2024, Alex was an advocate for consumer protection and evidence-based inclusive finance practices.

She managed the responsible data practices research portfolio at CFI which focuses on opportunities and risks for low-income consumers from data-driven financial services. Previously, she was a senior director for CFI’s Smart Campaign initiative, where she managed consumer-protection learning agendas and helped launch the Client Protection Certification Program. She has participated in multiple industry working groups on responsible finance, including an advisory group to GSMA’s mobile money certification program and the Microfinance Center’s social performance fund steering committee.

Alex is a graduate of Princeton University and holds a master’s degree from Georgetown’s foreign service school, as well as a certificate in digital money from the Digital Frontiers Institute and The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Edoardo oversees CFI’s thought leadership in the thematic areas of financial consumer protection, responsible data practices, and green inclusive finance.

Prior to joining CFI, Edoardo worked for IFC’s venture capital team in Washington, D.C., where he promoted enabling environments and investment opportunities in embedded finance, startup ecosystems, and the digital economy. He also worked for the World Bank’s global financial inclusion unit, assisting regulators in leveraging data and developing strategies for financial inclusion and consumer protection. Between 2012 and 2018, Edoardo worked in Kenya as Research Economist for Financial Sector Deepening Kenya, a multi-donor program supporting the development of inclusive financial markets. He led flagship nationally representative surveys and provided fintech companies with advanced analytical tools for consumer insights and segmentation.

Edoardo holds a PhD in development economics from the University of Trento and an MSc in international development studies from the University of Amsterdam.

Jayshree Venkatesan is Senior Vice President and Head of Partnership Development at Accion, where she serves on the organization’s leadership team and leads its global partnership and resource mobilization strategy.

Previously, as Vice President of Consumer Protection and Strategic Industry Engagement at Accion’s Center for Financial Inclusion, Jayshree led the development and execution of CFI’s consumer protection research and broader partnership strategy, contributing significantly to their global portfolio. She led two of the industry’s premier global convenings: Financial Inclusion Week, one of the largest virtual events dedicated to financial inclusion, bringing together more than 3,000 participants from over 140 countries in 2024, and the Responsible Finance Forum, which convenes leaders from financial institutions, technology companies, governments, investors, and development organizations alongside the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion to advance responsible finance and consumer protection.

With more than 20 years of experience, Jayshree has built a career spanning investments, strategy, partnerships and public policy. Before joining Accion, she spent nearly a decade advising leading international organizations, including CGAP, the World Bank, JICA, and ITAD, on customer-centered financial services, digital innovation, and inclusive business models across emerging markets. Earlier in her career, Jayshree was a member of the founding leadership team at IFMR (now Dvara Trust), where she led the development of India’s first mezzanine investment fund for microfinance, pioneering an innovative financing structure that evolved into an alternative investment fund. She began her career at ICICI Bank.

Beyond Accion, Jayshree contributes to the advancement of responsible finance and digital inclusion through several global advisory roles. She serves on the Consumers International Digital Finance Advisory Council, the Advisory Board for the GSMA Mobile Money Certification program, and the Advisory Council of the Pranava Institute’s Youth Digital Cultures Lab (YDCL), helping shape industry standards and emerging leadership in digital financial services. From 2021 to 2026, she served as Senior Policy Fellow at the Leir Institute at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she focused on expanding financial inclusion for migrants, refugees, and other vulnerable populations. She also served as an adjunct faculty member at the Fletcher School, teaching decision analysis for business.

Jayshree is a recipient of the Chevening Fellowship for Leadership from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, completed at King’s College, London. She earned an MA in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, an MBA from the Management Development Institute in Gurgaon, and an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Mumbai University

Loretta Michaels is an independent consultant with a focus on policy strategy around digital financial inclusion. She works closely with the World Bank/IFC, the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) and the Better Than Cash Alliance (BTCA), amongst others, and has supported the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) since 2014. Previously, she was the Senior Policy Advisor for Financial Inclusion for the US Treasury, where she was the subject matter expert on technology-enabled financial inclusion, working with officials across the US government to promote enabling policy environments and capacity building programs in low-income countries. Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Loretta served in a number of management positions in the telecommunications industry, leading the development of new venture initiatives worldwide. She also managed the Telecoms & IT consulting unit at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young.