WASHINGTON, D.C., February 26, 2024 — Global nonprofit Accion today announced the appointment of Gina Harman to its Board of Directors. Harman is a former CEO of the Accion U.S. Network and a former President of Harman International’s $600 million consumer division. She served as Chief Administrative Officer of Accion Opportunity Fund, a financial support system that provides U.S.-based small business owners with access to capital, networks, and coaching.
“We are thrilled to welcome Gina Harman to the Accion Board of Directors,” said Diana Taylor, Accion Board Chair. “Gina brings extensive experience in the technology and nonprofit sectors and has dedicated her career to helping small businesses with her strategic vision and deep understanding of entrepreneurs. This experience, together with her knowledge of technology-driven approaches to enhancing the quality and impact of lending and advising services for U.S. entrepreneurs, will help power Accion’s work to create a fair and inclusive economy where underserved people have quality financial choices and opportunities to improve their economic well-being.”
Harman’s association with Accion began in 2001 when she joined the Board of Directors of Accion New York and served until 2008, when she left Harman International to take on the CEO role. She was instrumental in the creation of the Accion U.S. Network; a first of its kind merger in the microfinance space in the United States, creating the country’s largest microfinance network, and served as CEO until the merger with Opportunity Fund in 2020. She worked closely with Accion Opportunity Fund’s CEO Luz Urrutia to shape its vision as Chief Administrative Officer, until recently stepping away, and is currently the Board Chair of the Financial Health Network. In 2012, she was included in Fast Company’s League of Extraordinary Women.
“Many of the everyday entrepreneurs that run small businesses around the world remain excluded from the financial system,” said Gina Harman. “With new technologies and data, we can change this, and so I am delighted to join the Accion Board of Directors and support the organization’s work to develop and scale responsible digital financial solutions for low-income people globally.”
About Accion
Accion is a global nonprofit on a mission to create a fair and inclusive economy for the nearly two billion people who are failed by the global financial system. We develop and scale responsible digital financial solutions for small business owners, smallholder farmers, and women, so they can make informed decisions and improve their lives. Through targeted investment strategies, advisory solutions, and expert thought leadership, we work with local partners to develop and scale cheaper, more accessible, and customer-friendly financial solutions. Since 1961, Accion has helped build more than 230 financial service providers serving low-income clients in 75 countries, reaching more than 350 million people. More at https://www.accion.org.
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