Gladys H. Morales - Global Head of Innovation, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) - Innovation Investing In Rural People For Global Food Security, Nutrition And Economic Development

Gladys H. Morales is Senior Officer, Global Head of Innovation in the International Fund for Agricultural Development ( IFAD - https://www.ifad.org/en/w/gladys-morales ), where she leads the design and implementation of innovation initiatives and partnerships aiming to support testing, learning and scaling up of innovative solutions that impact poor rural people directly. She is also currently the Regional Ambassador in Italy of the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC). Prior to joining IFAD, Ms. Morales led the digital transformation of a range of Multilateral Development Banks and United Nations agencies’ projects in Latin America, Asia, and Europe; and worked for the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China (IPRCC) where she led the design of digital platforms and established partnerships and knowledge networks for the Global Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth (GPIG) Portal. She is also familiar with the startup eco-system having been part of the management team for a digital advertising startup in Indonesia and founding her own startup in Italy. Ms. Morales is a graduate from the Executive Program on Digital Business Leadership at Columbia Business School, Columbia University in New York. She also has a Master’s in Development Economics and International Cooperation, Food Security and Rural Development from University of Rome, a certificate on Leadership and Innovation from MIT, and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service and International Economics from Georgetown University. She also has a series of certificates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, United States, in Artificial Intelligence and Leadership and Innovation. IFAD is an international financial institution and specialized United Nations agency based in Rome, the UN’s food and agriculture hub and since 1978, and has provided US$23.2 billion in grants and low-interest loans, investing in rural people, empowering them to increase their food security, improve the nutrition of their families and increase their incomes, ultimately helping them build resilience, expand their businesses and take charge of their own development. 

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