How To Get the Most Out of the New FinDev Gateway

Valdete Berisha leads CGAP's FinDev Gateway and its four regional platforms. She is responsible for the implementation of FinDev's global knowledge-sharing strategy.

Valdete has over 15 years of international development experience focused on research and communications in global trade policy, agriculture, and financial inclusion. She joined CGAP in 2016, after four years of working in the World Bank's Global Engagements Unit for Agriculture. Before that, Valdete also worked for seven years at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) where she conducted research on the impact of global and regional trade policies on developing countries.

Abby Augusta manages the English FinDev Gateway Blog and FinDev Topic hubs, and supports content management on the English and Spanish platforms. She joined CGAP in 2007 and has worked on FinDev Gateway in different capacities for over 10 years.

Before re-joining FinDev Gateway in 2015, Abby was Head of Client Management for Pro Mujer Nicaragua, where she established their customer service area and recourse mechanisms, overseeing a team of 18 representatives around the country. She also worked as a financial literacy trainer for Latin American immigrant and other at-risk populations in New York City.

Gayane Manukyan sources, as well as manages English content submissions and ensures that published content meets FinDev editorial standards. She also works with a range of global institutions to build outreach partnerships. 

Gayane has 13 years of experience in international development, managing projects in microfinance, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and financial inclusion. Before joining FinDev, Gayane managed a USAID cancer research project in ECA, headed a global Educational Development project at the Osgood Center for International Studies, served as PR Team Lead for FINCA Armenia and as Project Manager for a multi-language SME development platform at International Finance Corporation.

Miranda Beshara joined CGAP in 2012 and has been the Arabic FinDev Gateway Editor since 2014. As part of FinDev’s regional strategy, Miranda is responsible for content development for the Arabic-speaking audience in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and works with a range of institutions to build partnerships and foster peer-to-peer learning among practitioners in the Arab World.

Miranda has over 15 years of experience in international development working worldwide with a range of institutions on microfinance and financial inclusion, community and institutional development, child protection, and women's empowerment.  She has worked extensively with international organizations, NGOs, MFIs, and governments in the Arab region to build institutional capacity and develop inclusive practices and policies.

Mariana Martínez manages the Spanish FinDev Gateway site. She is responsible for content development for the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region and works with a range of institutions to build partnerships and foster peer-to-peer learning among practitioners in LAC.

Mariana is an economist with over 15 years of experience in financial inclusion, microfinance and economic development. Prior to joining CGAP in 2013, she was an independent consultant specializing in microfinance and worked with international organizations, NGOs, microfinance institutions and governments in LAC, among other clients.

Anouch Bezelgues is the Editor of the French FinDev Gateway. She is responsible for content development that focuses on West Africa, as well as the French-speaking countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Anouch works with a range of institutions to build partnerships and foster peer-to-peer learning among practitioners.

Before joining CGAP in 2019, Anouch worked as a journalist in France as well as website content manager in the private sector in Berlin. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications and a Master's degree in Journalism from La Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris.