Jennifer Blanke

Economic Development and Development Finance Expert


Jennifer Blanke is an economic development expert and development finance professional who sits on the boards of various development and impact investment focused entities. She was previously Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development at the African Development Bank Group, responsible for overseeing the Bank’s strategy, lending and other activities in this area. Prior to that she was Chief Economist at the World Economic Forum, overseeing economic research and risk-related activities. Before joining the World Economic Forum, Dr Blanke worked as a management consultant for Eurogroup Consulting in Paris, France, where she specialized in banking and financial market organization. She has written and lectured extensively on issues related to national competitiveness and economic development.

Dr Blanke holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, New York, and an MA and PhD in International Economics from the Geneva Graduate Institute. In addition, she was until 2019 a member of the Canadian Government’s Council of Economic Growth.