Full Name
Leah Pedersen
Job Title
Senior Director, Blended Finance Accelerator
Company
Convergence
Speaker Bio
Leah currently leads Convergence's market acceleration practice, overseeing a portfolio of $35M+ AUA for early stage investment in the design and launch of blended finance solutions. Formerly, she served as the Chief Innovation Officer and Director of the Innovation, Technology, and Research (ITR) Hub at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to deliver NextGen solutions for humanitarian aid and international development. She also co-led the White House's W-GDP (Women's Global Development & Prosperity) "Invest in Women" portfolio applying blended finance to significantly mobilize private capital investment in women's economic empowerment in developing economies. With decades of private/public sector and international development experience, in August 2018, Leah was appointed by the White House as a Senior Advisor to advance the US Government's international development priorities.
From 2014-2018, Leah served as Vice President of Growth at VitalPet (consolidator of animal hospitals) overseeing the M&A, Operations, and Human Capital functions. Before then, she served as Turnaround CEO of mGood (a mobile platform for nonprofits) successfully reorganizing the company and exiting it to a strategic acquirer. In 2008, Leah joined Malaria No More (MNM) as the Co-Founder & Director of the MNM subsidiary, NetGuarantee - an innovative Blended Finance facility utilizing commercial guarantees to mitigate risks and speed trade flows of life-saving global health interventions to Africa. From 2003 to 2008, Leah held senior positions at AIG Product Development structuring risk management solutions for emerging markets and the company's micro-insurance portfolio (in Africa, Asia) via public-private sector partnerships with a focus on rural populations. Leah also dedicated parts of her career to Strategy Consulting, having held positions at Accenture and Dalberg Global Development Advisors.
Leah obtained a dual-MBA from Columbia University and London Business School, and a BA in International Economics from the University of St. Thomas. She is a founding Board Member of Healing Hands of Joy (an Ethiopian maternal health NGO) and on the Advisory Boards of Praava Health (a Bangladeshi healthcare start-up) and Peacock Advisors (a West African investment advisory firm). The Houston Business Journal named her a “40 Under 40” Award Recipient. The African Leadership Network (ALN) also recognized Leah as an African Business Fellowship (ABF) winner. She is a former Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
From 2014-2018, Leah served as Vice President of Growth at VitalPet (consolidator of animal hospitals) overseeing the M&A, Operations, and Human Capital functions. Before then, she served as Turnaround CEO of mGood (a mobile platform for nonprofits) successfully reorganizing the company and exiting it to a strategic acquirer. In 2008, Leah joined Malaria No More (MNM) as the Co-Founder & Director of the MNM subsidiary, NetGuarantee - an innovative Blended Finance facility utilizing commercial guarantees to mitigate risks and speed trade flows of life-saving global health interventions to Africa. From 2003 to 2008, Leah held senior positions at AIG Product Development structuring risk management solutions for emerging markets and the company's micro-insurance portfolio (in Africa, Asia) via public-private sector partnerships with a focus on rural populations. Leah also dedicated parts of her career to Strategy Consulting, having held positions at Accenture and Dalberg Global Development Advisors.
Leah obtained a dual-MBA from Columbia University and London Business School, and a BA in International Economics from the University of St. Thomas. She is a founding Board Member of Healing Hands of Joy (an Ethiopian maternal health NGO) and on the Advisory Boards of Praava Health (a Bangladeshi healthcare start-up) and Peacock Advisors (a West African investment advisory firm). The Houston Business Journal named her a “40 Under 40” Award Recipient. The African Leadership Network (ALN) also recognized Leah as an African Business Fellowship (ABF) winner. She is a former Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
Speaking At
