Our Team
The BCtA Secretariat is a made up of a team of professionals and support staff who manage the day-to-day operations of the program. BCtA is headquartered at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Headquarters in New York and has representatives in partner offices around the world.
Secretariat Staff
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Susan heads up the BCtA Secretariat and has overall responsibility for coordinating activities with member companies and partners. Susan has extensive experience in creating innovative business solutions at the base of the pyramid, leveraging more than 20 years in financial and private sector development. She has consulted for IFC, USAID, CGAP and the European Investment Fund among other international financial institutions and organizations. She has deep knowledge of value chain analysis and international business strategy. Her sectoral specialties include access to finance, agriculture and healthcare. Susan worked as an emerging markets analyst for financial institutions such as Deutsche Bank, Baring Securities in Mexico and Citibank in the Middle East Africa Division. For seven years she produced a report for Visa on card markets in 50 countries. Susan has a BA in Government from Harvard College, as well as a Masters in International Affairs and an MBA from Columbia University in New York. She also has an MA in Political Economy from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). |
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Amanda manages business outreach efforts for the BCtA Secretariat. Before joining the BCtA, Amanda was a Programme Director at the International Business Leaders Forum, where she led IBLF’s Economic Prosperity Programme and managed the Secretariat for the Voluntary Principles on Security & Human Rights. Amanda was previously a consultant for UNESCO, the European Cultural Foundation and the City Literary Institute, focusing on the role of culture and the arts in development. She has also worked in the Europe & Middle East policy division of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. She holds an MA from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College . |
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Christine Ribeiro |
Christine supports the business outreach efforts of BCtA. Before joining the BCtA team, she was an associate at MassChallenge, a global startup competition, where she coordinated international outreach and designed the training structure. Christine was previously a Fulbright Scholar in Burkina Faso and a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin. She holds an MA from Brandeis University in Sustainable International Development and a dual BA in Economics and Environmental Studies from the University of Virginia. |
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Lorin manages communications and marketing for the BCtA Secretariat. Prior to joining BCtA, Lorin worked for DAI as the Communications Director for the public-private partnership office at the US Agency for International Development. Previously, Lorin worked as a reporter and copy editor with various media organizations including The Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Journal Online, CBS, and the BBC. She holds a MS from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and was Editor-in-Chief of The Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. |
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Carina supports the development of the main knowledge management products and activities of the BCtA. Before joining the BCtA team, she was a Programme Analyst with the Growing Inclusive Markets Initiative (GIM) where she coordinated the work in the Sub-Saharan African region. Carina was previously a Programme Officer with the UNDP Energy and Environment Unit in Zambia where she managed a portfolio of projects to address environmental challenges including climate change. She holds an MA from Seton Hall University in Diplomacy and International Relations and a BA in Journalism and International Relations from Bond University in Australia. |
BCtA Africa |
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Adrian Ristow |
Adrian manages business outreach for the Business Call to Action(BCtA) in Africa from Johannesburg, South Africa. |
Amanda Gardiner
Carina Kjelstad Knowledge Management Specialist 
Locations
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