FINCA International Announces Andrée Simon as new President and CEO

The financial inclusion expert has led FINCA’s microfinance operations since 2016

The FINCA International Board of Directors has appointed Andrée Simon as President and CEO of FINCA International, effective January 1, 2023. Andrée has served since 2016 as President and CEO of FINCA Impact Finance, the company that runs FINCA International’s microfinance operations.

“Andrée possesses a deep understanding of how to successfully manage a high-risk, complex international business like FINCA’s without ever taking her eye off the goal of sustainable social impact,” said FINCA International Acting Board Chair David Weisman. “She puts our clients and their needs at the center of everything she does. Andrée has the vision and leadership skills necessary to bring all our stakeholders together in the fight to end poverty.”

Andree first joined FINCA in 2001 as Deputy to the President and CEO, where she was pivotal in redesigning FINCA’s microfinance business into a sustainable, operating structure with a double bottom line of financial and social performance. She left in 2009 to serve as President and COO of Women for Women International, returning to FINCA in 2013 to lead FINCA Impact Finance, first as COO and then as CEO beginning in 2016.

Andrée has spoken all over the world about financial inclusion and written extensively on providing responsible financial services for women and other financially excluded groups. “FINCA transformed how the financial industry both sees and serves the world’s poorest entrepreneurs,” she said. “But it hasn’t been enough. We know that more investment in innovation is needed to enable the entrepreneurial spirit and talent of the world’s poorest in sustainable, scalable and impactful ways.” 

Former FINCA President and CEO Rupert Scofield passed away in late November just after penning a letter announcing his retirement. In the letter, he reflected on his four decades co-creating a financial inclusion movement that gives people the power to determine their own destiny. He called for “revolutionary” thinking from current and future FINCA staff and leaders.  

“Andrée has a deep knowledge of FINCA’s operations and significant expertise in both financial inclusion and social enterprise,” said FINCA co-founder and economic development expert John Hatch. “She holds a clear-eyed understanding of the unique advantages FINCA brings to the table. She is well-positioned to write FINCA’s next chapter.”

About FINCA International

FINCA International was founded in 1984 on the radical idea that giving small loans to people in poverty has the power to transform entire communities in a sustainable way. FINCA has long understood that poverty is multidimensional, and we are now expanding beyond our global success in financial inclusion, working with partners in agriculture, health care, and other sectors to build a global network of sustainable and scalable social enterprises that alleviate poverty worldwide.

About FINCA Impact Finance

FINCA Impact Finance’s network of 16 community-based banks offers responsible and affordable loan and saving products to more than two million people across the world, empowering low-income women and men to take control of their financial futures.

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