Author Bio
Jimena Serrano
Jimena Serrano is a gender, diversity and inclusion officer in the IDB Invest Advisory Services team in Washington DC. Since 2015, she has advised IDB Invest clients in promoting practices to ensure equal access to opportunities for men and women in the business world, including leadership positions, value chains, and strategies to meet the needs of underrepresented groups as a market opportunity. She has designed gender programs tied to results in the context of blended finance and was one of the leaders in the design of a business tool based on the Women's Empowerment Principles (known as the WEP tool). Before her arrival at IDB Invest, Jimena worked in the public policy consulting area of The Economist Intelligence Unit; she was also part of the core team that prepared the Report on the Full Participation of Women and Girls for the Gates Foundation and the Clinton Foundation. She is a lawyer from the Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia and has a master's degree in international economics from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Posts by Jimena Serrano
Addressing gender-based violence from the private sector: the experience of Laboratorios Bagó
Francisco Méndez, CEO of the pharmaceutical company, shares his company's efforts and achievements in fostering an inclusive and safe work environment.
We Helped a Solar Plant Hire More Women. Will the Industry Follow Suit?
The Lucayas Solar Power Project in the Bahamas marked a milestone by pioneering the integration of women in the construction of solar photovoltaic plants. What we learned in the process can help other companies’ commitment to gender equity.
Women of Afro-Descendance: Untapped Talent and Market for the Private Sector
The IDB Group recently launched two toolkits to support the rise of afro-descendant women in the private sector in the region.
Double-Click for Women: Closing the Digital Divide from a Private-Sector Perspective
By closing the technology and gender digital divide, we could add about $2 trillion to global GDP, and prevent the creation of wider gender gaps as automation replaces the less-qualified workforce, frequently women, in larger numbers.
Uncovering the Hidden Cost of Gender Biases in Lending to Women
Unconscious or not, gender biases leave millions of women on the sidelines of financial inclusion, and millions of dollars in foregone profits for banks on the table. Reducing gender bias in lending is key as the pandemic recedes, so that women-led businesses help to propel the recovery.
Towards a Fair, Inclusive Transition: Employing Women in Infrastructure Projects
Investments in infrastructure are key to an inclusive and job-creating recovery, and promote access to more and better services for lower-income households. But women are still little involved in this kind of projects.