Mrs. Iva Hamel is the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳¡¯s Resident Representative for the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, based in Abu Dhabi. She leads the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳¡¯s engagement in both countries and serves as the main interlocutor between the Authorities and the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳. She joined the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ in 2005. Most recently, she was the global lead for the Women¡¯s Economic Empowerment Advisory Program and led women empowerment programs in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. Prior to that, she was a Senior Private Sector Specialist in the Prosperity Global Practice of the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳, leading business environment reform programs in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South Asia. Before joining the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳, she worked as a management consultant in Cambridge, MA, USA. She holds an MA in International Finance and Economics from Johns Hopkins University, and a BA in Economics from Colby College, USA.
