Rosita Najmi

Program Officer @ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Rosita Najmi

Since 2001, Rosita has worked and lived in 30+ countries and managed programs, investments, and research at the World Bank, IFC, Omidyar Network, Mercy Corps, Accion, Tahirih Justice Center, and America’s Promise. Rosita joined BMGF in 2015 after 3 years as an impact investor, 4 years at the World Bank, 4 years at leading international development NGOs, and 3 years as a social entrepreneur. Policy and advocacy strategies she leads at BMGF include women’s financial inclusion, derisking, and US Government engagement. Through both primary research in Benin and data from SEWA Bank in India, Rosita has investigated the household-level social and economic impact of female participation in microfinance. She staffed then World Bank Managing Director Sri Mulyani Indrawati in her role on US Secretary Clinton’s International Council on Women Business Leadership Access to Capital Subcommittee, and the past year led the women’s financial inclusion working group for UN Secretary General Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance HM Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. She brings field research, publications, and operational experience from Benin, Egypt, France, Japan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Samoa, Slovakia, Tanzania, and Vietnam. Her contributions and collaborations span government, the private sector, civil society, and multilateral organizations and bodies, including the G7 and G20. Tri-lingual (English, Persian, French), Rosita received her MBA from Harvard and BA with honors in Economics, French, and Politics from Wake Forest University. She is a term-member of the Council on Foreign Relations and lives in Washington, DC.