Claudia McKay leads CGAP’s global work on advancing inclusive finance solutions that help vulnerable populations—especially women—adapt to climate change and manage economic shocks. She guides CGAP’s strategic agenda at the intersection of climate, gender, and financial inclusion, with work spanning inclusive finance in fragile countries, financial services for climate adaptation, inclusive insurance that helps people manage growing risks, and efforts to ensure inclusive carbon markets benefit rural women and low-income communities.

Claudia plays a central role in shaping how CGAP engages with public and private sector actors, funders, and policymakers to make financial systems more inclusive, adaptive, and aligned with broader development and climate goals. She is especially focused on ensuring that financial services are not only accessible, but designed around the real needs and constraints of low-income people, particularly in countries facing increasing climate and conflict-related stress.

Over her 12 years at CGAP, Claudia has contributed to a wide body of work across the inclusive finance space, including agent networks, human-centered design, interoperability, open APIs, and financial services for platform-based workers. She has also worked intensively in several markets—particularly across Sub-Saharan Africa—to support ecosystem-level change and strengthen local financial systems.

Claudia brings more than 20 years of experience in development and inclusive finance. Prior to CGAP, she spent seven years with Opportunity International, including four years as Head of Microfinance Banking at Opportunity Bank in Malawi. She began her career as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, where she developed a strong foundation in strategic thinking and operational execution.

Claudia holds a Master of Business Administration from Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.