Hela Cheikhrouhou is IFC’s regional Vice President for the Middle East, Central Asia, Türkiye, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. She is in charge of expanding IFC’s business in the region, focusing on building a pipeline of private sector investment opportunities, rooted in country strategies. Ms. Cheikhrouhou fosters strong relationships with government officials, clients, other development finance institutions, co-financiers, donors, and counterparts across the World Bank Group to identify opportunities for collaboration and broader impact as well as to enhance business delivery.

Previously, Ms. Cheikhrouhou was the CEO of Nithio, an artificial-intelligence-driven platform for clean energy investment.

In her home country of the Republic of Tunisia, she served as the Minister of Energy, Mining, and Renewables. She was the first Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund, governed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Earlier on, Ms. Cheikhrouhou was the Director of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change for the African Development Bank, where she had also previously led the Private Infrastructure Finance and Public-Private Partnerships Division. She worked for the World Bank on financial sector development in Latin America and the Caribbean, joining through the Young Professionals Program. She started her career at Citibank, last serving as Vice President for Market Risk in Maghreb countries.

Ms. Cheikhrouhou has more than 28 years of experience, including leadership roles in the financial sector, infrastructure finance, and climate finance in emerging and developing economies, having worked across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. She has experience in the areas of low-emission and climate-resilient investments, structured and blended finance, public-private partnerships, capital markets development, and financial inclusion.

Ms. Cheikhrouhou holds a Master of Science degree in Finance from HEC Montreal, Canada.

Hela Cheikhrouhou is IFC’s regional Vice President for the Middle East, Central Asia, Türkiye, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. She is in charge of expanding IFC’s business in the region, focusing on building a pipeline of private sector investment opportunities, rooted in country strategies. Ms. Cheikhrouhou fosters strong relationships with government officials, clients, other development finance institutions, co-financiers, donors, and counterparts across the World Bank Group to identify opportunities for collaboration and broader impact as well as to enhance business delivery.

Previously, Ms. Cheikhrouhou was the CEO of Nithio, an artificial-intelligence-driven platform for clean energy investment.

In her home country of the Republic of Tunisia, she served as the Minister of Energy, Mining, and Renewables. She was the first Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund, governed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Earlier on, Ms. Cheikhrouhou was the Director of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change for the African Development Bank, where she had also previously led the Private Infrastructure Finance and Public-Private Partnerships Division. She worked for the World Bank on financial sector development in Latin America and the Caribbean, joining through the Young Professionals Program. She started her career at Citibank, last serving as Vice President for Market Risk in Maghreb countries.

Ms. Cheikhrouhou has more than 28 years of experience, including leadership roles in the financial sector, infrastructure finance, and climate finance in emerging and developing economies, having worked across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. She has experience in the areas of low-emission and climate-resilient investments, structured and blended finance, public-private partnerships, capital markets development, and financial inclusion.

Ms. Cheikhrouhou holds a Master of Science degree in Finance from HEC Montreal, Canada.