ABOUT

Our Board

Dominique Ghazar

Dominique Ghazar is a Global Sustainability and Inclusion Senior Manager in HSBC Wealth and Personal Banking. She focuses on embedding sustainability and inclusion into employee culture & upskill teams as well as building a sustainability brand through partnership and engagement.

Dominique joined HSBC in 2009 and then moved to Sustainability function at HSBC Bank Middle East in 2013 overseeing design, development, planning, and implementation of major awards winning sustainability projects in collaboration with non-profits, government entities and academia. Dominique led the implementation of the global sustainability strategy in EMEA supporting the development of future skills and entrepreneurships across the region and has played an important role in the evolution of HSBC’s future skills portfolio.

Before joining HSBC, Dominique worked for the UN with the Italian contingent in Lebanon where she supported the community development team in their mandate. It was during this time she developed her passion for sustainability.

Dominique is a member of the Global Application Review Committee for Teach For All’s Let Girls Thrive Fund. This Fund of USD 15 million aims to develop at least 1,500 new teaching participants over the next five years to reach over 250,000 girls and other disadvantaged children in countries and communities where girls are most marginalized.

Dominique holds a postgraduate certificate in Sustainability in The Value Chains, a certificate in Sustainability Business Management from the University of Cambridge and two certificates in sustainable finance and impact investment from Oxford University and New York University.

Heather Ibrahim-Leathers

Ms. Ibrahim-Leathers, as the President and Founder of the Global Fund for Widows, has raised millions of dollars to address widowhood, a significant yet often overlooked root cause of global poverty. She pioneered a financial inclusion platform, a "microbank," which has economically empowered over 105,000 widows and their children across emerging markets by establishing 236 microbanks. Ms. Ibrahim-Leathers also advocates for widows at the highest international levels, including the UN, US Congress, and the House of Lords. Her strategic advocacy led to the unanimous adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution AR 76/252 in 2021, which recognized widowhood and called for global social protections. For her contributions to financial inclusion, women's rights, economic development, and peacebuilding, she has received numerous awards, including the 2023 Crain’s Notable Nonprofit Leaders and a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021.

Sandy Debbas

Sandy Debbas serves as Underwriting Counsel for TitleVest where she focusses primarily on New York Commercial transactions. She is also responsible for overseeing the 1031 Exchange division at TitleVest.

Pierre Debbas

Pierre E. Debbas is a partner and founding member of the Romer Debbas firm. Pierre has extensive experience in the areas of real estate and general business law.

Olalekan Akinyanmi

Olalekan ("Lekan") is an accomplished international businessman, engineer, and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of LEKOIL Nigeria, overseeing a significant portfolio in oil and gas, and also chairs Cambridge Growth Partners, investing in natural resources, mining, and agriculture. Passionate about supporting widows and women's issues, Lekan co-founded the Lekan and Tomi Akinyanmi Foundation and is active on several boards worldwide. With over 20 years in the oil and gas sector, Lekan has held influential roles at Alliance Bernstein and UBS, and holds degrees from Obafemi Awolowo University and MIT Sloan School of Management.

Christine E. Dawood

Christine Dawood is an Organizational Psychologist, Executive Coach, and Change Agent with over two decades of experience spanning diverse sectors such as retail, textiles, engineering, agriculture and mental health. She serves as the Senior Vice President for International Engagements of Engro Corporation, supporting impactful initiatives in different fields, including education and community development.

Laura Osman

Laura Osman is the President of Amunet Advisors, an advisory firm providing strategic consulting services globally. She previously served as Chief Investment Officer at Concord International Investments Group, LP from 1996 to 2021, where she managed top-performing equity funds and was a key member of the Investment Committees. Before Concord, she founded and led Prudential's Portfolio Analytics Group in New York. Laura is actively involved in several professional organizations, including the Economic Club of New York and 100 Women in Finance. She also holds leadership roles on various boards, including the Global Fund for Widows and ABANA. Laura earned her BBA in Marketing and MBA in International Finance from Baruch College, City University of New York.

Farhang Mehregani

Mr Mehregani is a Founding Partner of Silver Ridge Asset Management, responsible for Risk, Marketing, Silver Mine development, Recruiting and Business Development.

Jennifer Wu

Jennifer joined the Global Fund for Widows in 2012 as a board member and is responsible for the Fund’s social media strategy. With over 20 years of work experience in financial services and strategic consulting, she has held numerous positions at global institutions across the United States, Europe and Asia.

Dr Heba Elnazer

Dr. Heba Elnazer is a highly experienced Internal Medicine doctor with over 17 years in the field, known for her pioneering work in integrative and digital health solutions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. As the founder of Revive Medical Group, she has significantly enhanced patient care through innovative treatment protocols and technology. She co-founded Evoke Diagnostics, further showcasing her forward-thinking approach by integrating diagnostic interpretation in a digital format. Dr. Elnazer, educated at Ain Shams University and trained at Mount Sinai, is internationally recognized for her expertise in chronic healthcare. Her dedication to improving healthcare, particularly in underserved communities, aligns with her commitment to supporting widows in creating sustainable businesses.

Elena Yoon

Elena is the Head of Global Markets at Haitong International Securities’ in New York, overseeing the US institutional equities and equity capital market efforts for the firm.

Nancy Youssef

Ms. Nancy Youssef currently serves as Chief Business Development Officer for Soles 4 Souls, a not for profit social enterprise based in Nashville, TN focused on sustainably repurposing apparel and footwear.

June Munshi

Ms. Munshi has over 25 years of experience advising executive management teams, public and private corporate boards and institutional investors on strategy, M&A and corporate finance initiatives across a broad range of real estate sectors. She is the Co-Founder of The CenterCap Group, LLC, was Co-Head of M&A and a Senior Managing Director with CB Richard Ellis Investors (now CBRE Investment Management) as well as a senior coverage banker at Lehman Brothers and Wachovia Securities.

Angela Stulley

Angela was an original employee and Head of Sales at quant trading platform Archipelago/ Arca, which became the first US electronic stock exchange. Arca IPO’d, and then was acquired by the NYSE, where Angela was an SVP and Head of Global Sales, as well as CEO of Arca Europe.

CONTACT

Get in Touch

To find out more about what we do and how we are tackling issues around widowhood in our countries of programming and around the world, please contact us below.