Creating solutions to global problems

Susan Davis is a thought-leader on new, ground-breaking approaches to international development. She brings a wide range of experiences to her role at Ashoka, as Director of the Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship and as a Vice President of the organization. As a member of the Ashoka board committee, she is integral to the process of selecting Ashoka’s social entrepreneurs around the world. She also oversees the global expansion of Ashoka, as it spreads its roots in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.

Susan has been a vital force in some of the world’s leading organizations. She is senior advisor to the Director General of the International Labor Organization. She is a founding board member and now chairs the Grameen Foundation USA, a microfinance and technology organization to support the poor. Susan was the Executive Director of a global organization that pioneered new mechanisms for the global women’s movement to influence negotiations at global United Nations meetings from 1993-1998. Prior to that, she led innovative initiatives aimed at scaling up microfinance institutions at Women’s World Banking and the Ford Foundation in Bangladesh. Susan was educated at Georgetown, Harvard and Oxford universities.

With a remarkable breadth of experience, Susan is approaching critical issues with strategy and insight.

Speech Topics

• Social Entrepreneurship
• Microfinance
• Sustainable Development