James Soukamneuth, Impact Investing Director, DFAT Investing in Women

James Soukamneuth is the impact investing director of Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian government. Working with impact investors in Southeast Asia, he develops blended finance instruments to move capital to the region in support of small to medium-sized enterprises owned and led by women.

Before joining Investing in Women, he held economic roles with USAID, where he received a number of awards and distinctions through tours in the Philippines and West Africa. He has more than 18 years of international experience, spanning the public and private sectors, in economics, trade and investments. He honed his analytical skills as a quantitative analyst on Wall Street, but his passion for humanitarian causes has taken him to Benin with the Peace Corps and the field of microfinance in Southeast Asia, with many stops in between.

A Lao-American, Mr Soukamneuth holds a PhD in political economy from Cornell University.