Senior Officer, Global Head of Innovation

Gladys H. Morales

Gladys H. Morales is Global Head of Innovation at IFAD. She leads the design and implementation of innovation initiatives and partnerships that positively impact poor rural people. She is also the Regional Ambassador in Italy of the Global Blockchain Business Council.

Prior to joining IFAD, Morales led digital transformation in Multilateral Development Banks and United Nations agencies’ projects in Latin America, Asia and Europe. She worked for the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China where she led the design of digital platforms and established the Global Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth Portal. She was also part of the management team for a digital advertising startup in Indonesia and founded her own startup in Italy.

Morales is a graduate from the Executive Program on Digital Business Leadership at Columbia Business School. She has a Master of Science in Development Economics and International Cooperation from University of Rome, Tor Vergata, and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service and International Economics from Georgetown University.