Deputy director, Financial Services for the Poor
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Janine Firpo, deputy director, Financial Services for the Poor, leads a team responsible for accelerating and deepening the penetration of digital financial services beyond basic payments in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Prior to joining the foundation in 2012, Janine held the role of founder and president of Sevak Solutions, a nonprofit that was spun out of the Hewlett-Packard Company in 2005. Sevak Solutions’ mission was to advance the role of technology in the delivery of financial services to the poor. Janine also served as the International Finance Corporation’s first mobile money expert and helped the organization establish its operations in East Asia, the Pacific, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa regions. Having spent almost 20 years working at the intersection of technology, business, and international development, Janine started her career in the high tech industry in the Silicon Valley.
Janine holds a master’s degree in Zoology and Computer Science from the University of Florida, and a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of California at Los Angeles.