Karén Vardanyan is the Chief Financial Officer at the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), based in New York. Karén has 27 years of experience in finance and development, including 22 years with the United Nations and 5 years at the intersection of development and investments in private markets.

Karén provides strategic leadership for UNCDF’s financial management covering both investment, across the spectrum of concessional loans, guarantees, blended financial instruments and corporate finance. As a member of the Executive Team, he supports UNCDF’s strategic vision and institutional growth.

Karén holds a PhD and a master’s degree from the State Engineering University of Armenia. He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds a Diploma in Financial Management from the UK’s Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, as well as a Certification in Business and Financial Modelling from the Wharton School.