A gender-equal business ecosystem is based on three things:  access to information, access to finance, and access to networks for women entrepreneurs.

Barbara Grunewald, the founder & director of BSG International Consulting, is a gender equality expert with 15+ years of experience in designing and implementing gender programs in Latin America, the Caribbean, the MENA region as well as Europe and North America.

Barbara’s speciality is putting a gender lens on International Development, International Trade and FDI project. She has supported hundreds of women entrepreneurs in diverse sectors to grow their business, build out their network, and expand their export activities into new markets.

Barbara has worked in programs and projects funded by international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the International Trade Center, and SheTrades; and international development agencies such as the Department for International Development UK, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Empire State Development New York State

As a gender equality expert, Barbara provides technical assistance, strategic planning, program design, program implementation, and monitoring and evaluation for international gender projects, with a specific focus on women’s economic empowerment, international trade, and foreign direct investment with a gender lens.