People

Zeliha Sayar is research assistant at the Yildiz Technical University. Her research fields are History of economics, history of finance, history of banks. She graduated with a thesis on "The role of State Banks in the process of Economic Development in Turkey.

Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey is the Chief Executive Officer of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and has been steering the Aadhaar project in India since its beginning in 2010. Over the last seven years, he has closely worked with central and state governments, banks, oil companies and other stake holders to enable use of Aadhaar platform in programs such as Direct Benefit Transfers, financial inclusion, and E-governance. Dr. Pandey has played a key role in drafting of the Aadhaar Act in 2016 as well as its regulations for implementation.
He is an officer of the Indian Administrative Service, having over 33 years of experience in various positions within the Government of India.
Dr. Pandey is a graduate of Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur. In 1998, he joined the University of Minnesota, where he obtained his MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science. In 2009, he was awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals by the University of Minnesota for his outstanding leadership accomplishments in his professional career.

Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey es el Director General de la Autoridad de Identificación Única de la India (UIDAI) y dirige el proyecto de identificación biométrica Aadhaar de la India desde que arrancó en 2010. En los últimos siete años, ha trabajado en estrecha colaboración con las administraciones central y estatales de la India, bancos, compañías petroleras y otras partes implicadas para facilitar el uso de la plataforma Aadhaar en programas como Direct Benefit Transfers [transferencias directas de subvenciones], inclusión financiera y administración electrónica. Ha participado de manera destacada en la redacción de la Ley Aadhaar en 2016 así como sus reglamentos de adopción.
Es funcionario de la administración pública india con más de 33 años de experiencia en distintos cargos en el gobierno del país.
Dr. Pandey se graduó en Ingeniería Eléctrica por el Instituto Tecnológico de Kanpur. En 1998 se incorporó a la Universidad de Minnesota, donde obtuvo su licenciatura y doctorado en Ciencias de la Información. En 2009 recibió el premio de liderazgo Distinguished Leadership Award para antiguos alumnos internacionales de la Universidad de Minnesota por sus destacados logros en materia de liderazgo en su carrera profesional.

Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey ist Chief Executive Officer der Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) und leitet das Aadhaar-Projekt in Indien seit seiner Einführung 2010. Während der letzten sieben Jahre bemühte er sich in enger Zusammenarbeit mit der Zentralregierung und den Regierungen der Bundesstaaten sowie Banken, Ölgesellschaften und anderen Beteiligten darum, die Nutzung der Aadhaar-Plattform in Programmen wie Direct Benefit Transfer, zur finanziellen Inklusion und E-Governance zu ermöglichen. Dr. Pandey spielte 2016 eine Schlüsselrolle bei der Erstellung des Aadhaar-Gesetzes sowie dessen Vorschriften und Umsetzung.

Er ist ein leitender Angestellter des Indian Administrative Service mit über 33 Jahren Erfahrung in verschiedenen Positionen innerhalb der indischen Regierung.

Dr. Pandey verfügt über einen Abschluss in Elektrotechnik des IIT Kanpur. 1998 ging er an die Universität Minnesota, wo er einen MS und PhD-Abschluss in Informatik erhielt. 2009 wurde er von der Universität Minnesota für seine herausragenden Leadership-Leistungen während seiner Karriere mit dem Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals ausgezeichnet.

Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey est directeur général de l’Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Il pilote le projet Aadhaar en Inde depuis ses débuts en 2010. Ces sept dernières années, il a étroitement collaboré avec le gouvernement fédéral, des gouvernements d’État, des banques, des sociétés pétrolières et d’autres acteurs pour permettre l’utilisation de la plateforme Aadhaar dans des programmes portant, entre autres, sur les transferts monétaires directs, l’inclusion financière et la e-gouvernance. Dr. Pandey a joué un rôle clé dans l’élaboration de la loi Aadhaar en 2016 et de ses règles de mise en œuvre.
Membre de l’Indian Administrative Service, il possède plus de 33 ans d’expérience à divers postes au sein du gouvernement indien.
Dr. Pandey est diplômé de l’IIT Kanpur en ingénierie électrique. En 1998, il est entré à l’université du Minnesota où il a obtenu un master et un doctorat de sciences informatiques. En 2009, il a été récompensé du Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals par l’université du Minnesota pour son leadership exemplaire durant sa carrière professionnelle.

Mr Abdullah Saqib is currently spearheading Viamo’s efforts in Pakistan and Bangladesh as Country Manager focused on helping international nonprofits strengthen their interventions by leveraging mobile technology.
In his previous role at Acumen, he focused on developing global investment strategies across Latin America, Africa and South Asia to enhance poverty alleviation outcomes by addressing issues concerning productivity, income volatility and climate change.
During his tenure at Telenor Pakistan, Abdullah designed and launched innovative value-driven information and financial services for rural masses across health, education and agriculture sectors. His work in mobile agriculture received global recognition and convinced the organization to set up a dedicated department focused on initiatives for Pakistan’s agricultural ecosystem.
He is a firm believer of knowledge sharing and has served as a mentor at the MIT D-Lab for enhancement of investment readiness of startups ranging from diverse backgrounds (Latin America and Africa) and focus areas (FinTech, Education, Health, Energy, etc.). Moreover, he has also supported Duke University in curriculum design for social enterprises around the world.

Afke Schaart is the Vice President Europe for GSMA. Before joining GSMA in February 2015 Afke led the EU Institutional Relations Team of Microsoft in Brussels responsible for Microsoft’s engagement with the EU Institutions, Council of Europe and the OECD. Before joining Microsoft Afke served as a Member of Parliament in the Netherlands and was the spokesperson for Economic Affairs and Innovation, Technology and ICT for the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Prior to that she was responsible for KPN's policy interests and governmental affairs in Europe. She started her professional life at Shell and has studied Political Sciences with a specialization in International Relations in Amsterdam. Afke Schaart was also a Council Member of the Municipality of Wassenaar (the Netherlands) for the VVD. She has been a board member of ECP-EPN, platform for public-private cooperation in the information society and a board member of the European Internet Foundation (EIF). She is a current board member of the E-Society Platform and a member of the Women in Leadership (WiL) organisation.

Agustín Márquez Dorsch is a Senior Telecommunications Engineer, with a Masters in Economics and Business Management from IESE. He began his professional career at Banco de Bilbao. In 1990 he directed the creation of the Securities Clearing and Settlement Service, of which he was General Manager. He is currently Deputy General Manager of Cecabank, managing payment services, electronic banking, outsourcing, business intelligence and systems. He was President of the European Banking Standardization Committee (ECBS) for 5 years. He is Managing Director of EURO 6000 and MasterCajas, adviser to MasterCard Europe, Trionis, Eufiserv Payments and LICO Corporation.

Aimée Suárez es Senior Advisor para la región de América Latina y el Caribe en el Departamento de Relaciones Internacionales e Institucionales de WSBI. Anteriormente, fue Asesora del Director General de WSBI-ESBG de 2012-2013. Antes de unirse a WSBI, Aimée fue Coordinadora en el Foro Parlamentario Europeo de Servicios Financieros (EPFSF). También fue Legal Adviser Trainee de la Federación Bancaria Europea (FBE). Aimée tiene un Master en Banca Responsable del Instituto de Estudios Bursátiles (España) en colaboración con la London School of Economics (LSE) y WSBI, un LLM en Derecho Internacional con Relaciones Internacionales de la Universidad de Kent, la Escuela de Bruselas de Estudios Internacionales, y una licenciatura en Derecho de la Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) en República Dominicana.

Economic and Political advisor - AMConseil.

Mr Minc joined Compagnie de Saint-Gobain in 1979, as chief Financial officer. In 1986, he became Vice-Chairman of CIR International (Compagnie Industriali Riunite International) and General Manager of Cerus, which were the non-Italian affiliates of Benedetti Group. In 1991, he founded its own consultancy firm AM Conseil. He has been Board member of numerous companies and the chairman of the supervisory board of Le Monde, the leading French newspaper (19/12/94 to 11/02/2008). He is Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur (France); Commander of the British Empire; Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit (Spain). Alain Minc wrote more than 30 books since 1978.

Albert Morales es responsable de producto en digital money management solutions de Strands. Tras su paso previo por Kantox, desde su fundación hasta su incorporación en Strands, Albert ha sido testigo directo de la evolución tecnológica en la industria financiera donde ha participado de manera directa y actualmente sigue contribuyendo en acercar, desarrollar y promover estas nuevas tecnologías para facilitar el uso de herramientas financieras para que sean accesibles a todos los usuarios.

Alejandro Cosentino is the Founder & CEO of Afluenta. He’s a well-known Latin American Fintech entrepreneur who combines an extensive experience running successful financial services operations across Latin America and creating Fintech innovative products and services. He played a significant role revamping American Express Latin America and Caribbean division during the 1990’s and the successfully transformation of Banco Río (before begin acquired of Banco Santander). His ability to create better customer experiences led him to win several awards from Fintech associations in several Argentina, Peru and Mexico.
Alejandro has become one of the most active Fintech evangelist. His active participation as a speaker took him to keynote in conferences across USA, Europe and Asia. He is also a blogger, Latin newspaper columnist and business mentor of Fintech startups. He is founder member of the Argentine Entrepreneur Association (ASEA), the Argentine Fintech Association and member of the Iberoamericas Fintech Alliance. Alejandro has a Business Administration and CPA degree from Universidad Católica Argentina.

Alejandro Cosentino es el fundador y director ejecutivo de Afluenta. Alejandro es un reconocido empresario latinoamericano en el ámbito de las fintech, que combina una amplia experiencia en el desarrollo y gestión exitosa de las operaciones de servicios financieros en Latinoamérica, y en la creación de productos y servicios innovadores de fintech. Desempeñó un importante papel en la modernización de la división American Express para América Latina y el Caribe, durante la década de 1990 y en la transformación del Banco Río (antes de la adquisición por el Banco Santander). Su habilidad para crear experiencias únicas con el cliente, lo llevó a ganar varios premios de asociaciones de fintech en varios países de Argentina, Perú y México. Alejandro se ha convertido en uno de los evangelizadores más activos de las fintech. Su participación como orador, lo llevó a estar presente educando sobre temas financiero tecnológicos en conferencias del rubro, en los Estados Unidos, Europa y Asia. También es bloguero, ha sido columnista de diversos periódicos en Latinoamérica y mentor de start-ups fintech. Es miembro fundador de la Asociación de Empresarios Argentinos (ASEA), la Asociación Argentina de fintech y la Alianza Fintech Iberoamericana. Alejandro es licenciado en Administración de Empresas y en Contaduría Pública por la Universidad Católica Argentina”.

Aleksandra Maczynska joined the Better Finance Brussels Team as Executive Director in 2017. Aleksandra is from Warsaw, Poland, where she was the Deputy Director of the International Relations and Communication Department of the Polish consumer and competition watchdog. Her responsibilities included external representation and managing professional networks such as the Consumer Policy Network (CPN), the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) and the European Competition Network (ECN).
She also has a vast experience in the management of international projects such as the EU funded capacity building projects. As a Fellow of the Robert Bosch Foundation Programme for the Young Executives from the Public Sector, Aleksandra worked at the Division for World Bank International Monetary Fund, Debt Issues and International Finance Structure at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Aleksandra has provided expert input to various EU Council’s Working Parties such as the Working Party on Financial Services and the Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth; as well as the European Commission’s Advisory Committees. Currently she is a member of Financial Services User Group (FSUG) advising DG Fisma and the JUST in the preparation of legislation and policy initiatives which affect the users of financial services.