Investment and Finance in Emerging Markets

Desire Musharitse currently serves as a secondee to the World Bank Group while maintaining his role as Director of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at Burundi's Ministry of Finance. His work has been instrumental in strengthening Burundi's public financial management systems and donor relationships during a critical period of reform. As coordinator of the Ministry's reforms and partnership framework, he has played a key role in implementing structural reforms and managing donor budget support programs, particularly during Burundi's recent $42 million World Bank financing for public financial management improvements

Sander Glas serves as a consultant in the Financing for Development unit under the World Bank Group's Office of the Managing Director and CFO, specializing in investment facilitation and innovative finance solutions. His expertise spans private capital mobilization, blended finance, and development finance, with particular focus on fragile states and frontier markets including Afghanistan, Haiti, and Venezuela. His academic background combines a graduate degree in financial law from the University of Ghent and a graduate degree in political economy from King's College London. As a Belgian-American professional based in Washington, DC since 2016, he contributes to the World Bank Group's efforts in unlocking investment and finance in emerging markets, particularly through his work on the Maximizing Finance for Development approach. He currently serves as an instructor for the World Bank's MOOC on "Unlocking Investment and Finance in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies," which helps participants understand how to mobilize resources from various sources for sustainable development goals.

Ian MacDonald currently serves as Head of Financial Policy and Planning at the Inter-American Development Bank, bringing over 20 years of experience in analytical, managerial and executive roles across prestigious financial institutions. His career trajectory includes positions as Treasury & Risk Principal Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank, Senior Economist at the World Bank Group, and Alternate Executive Director at the Inter-American Development Bank. Before his international development work, he served as Director at Finance Canada focusing on international and multilateral finance. His academic credentials include a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance & Management from Saint Mary's University, a Master of Finance from the University of New South Wales, and professional designations as both a Chartered Financial Analyst and Financial Risk Manager. His expertise spans private sector development, economic policy, corporate finance, and international finance, complemented by early career experience in financial sales at institutions like CIBC, London Life, and RBC. Based in Washington, DC, he combines strong technical financial knowledge with creative problem-solving skills and an institution-wide perspective on development challenges.

Demet Cabbar serves as a Financial Officer in the Development Finance Vice Presidency (DFi) at the World Bank Group, where she supports the organization's engagement in the 2030 development agenda and its financing. Her career at the World Bank spans multiple roles, including work as an investment analyst in the Treasury's Pension and Endowments Department. She previously played a key role in expanding the World Bank's Financial Sector Learning Program from a small initiative to a global network of over 3,000 government officials and private sector executives. In 2006-2007, she co-managed the Youth Innovation Fund as an elected officer of the World Bank's Youth-to-Youth Community, fostering innovative ideas from young people in the development agenda. Cabbar's academic background includes a bachelor's degree in management engineering from Istanbul Technical University, an MBA/MA in international business, and an MS in finance from George Washington University. She has contributed to various World Bank publications on financing for development and has been involved in organizing the Development Finance Forum, a flagship policy event bringing together investors, policymakers, and thought leaders to increase private sector investment in low-income countries.

Julius Gwyer currently serves as Program Officer in the Development Finance Vice Presidential Unit at the World Bank Group, where he leads a successful Massive Open Online Course on Unlocking Investment and Finance in Emerging Markets that has attracted over 16,000 participants from 193 countries. His career at the World Bank Group spans multiple leadership roles, including work in the Finance for Development team under the Managing Director and World Bank Group CFO, where he focuses on developing innovative financial products to mobilize private and public resources. His significant contributions include coordinating with the UN's Interagency Task Force on Financing for Development, supporting the President's Special Envoy on SDGs, and serving as secretary to high-level panels on Doing Business and financing for development. Before joining the World Bank, he served as an executive officer for the British government. His earlier work at the World Bank included establishing the organization's web governance model and leading a 30,000-member online community focused on development effectiveness. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and public administration from the University of London and an MBA in international business from the University of Glasgow, complemented by executive education at MIT. In 2023, he received a World Bank award for leading an innovative AI project. Beyond his professional work, he is an accomplished photographer and world traveler, having visited 76 countries.