Sevi Simavi

Sevi Simavi, a Turkish national, is the Director for Strategy and Operations responsible for overseeing Outreach, Institutional Learning and the day-to-day management of Intake and Problem Solving.

Ms. Simavi brings over two decades of leadership experience spanning multilateral development banks, civil society, and the private sector. She has deep expertise in international development finance, strategic planning, governance, and stakeholder engagement. Prior to her current role, she served as the Advisor to the Vice President for Policy and Partnerships at the EBRD, which provides unique experience and skillset to strengthen the impact of learning and engagement.

Before joining the EBRD, she served as CEO of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, responsible for developing and implementing strategy, building partnerships, overseeing operations and expanding the organisation’s global footprint. Earlier in her career, Ms. Simavi spent more than a decade at the World Bank Group in Washington, DC, where she launched and led initiatives focused on knowledge exchange, gender equality, and legal reform.

She is a qualified lawyer with an LL.M. from Georgetown Law School and is fluent in Turkish and English.