Alexandra Drees-Gross is currently Practice Manager for Strategy and Operation for the World Bank Group (WBG) Finance and Markets Global Practice. Since 2010, she has been based in the East Asia and Pacific region focusing on financial inclusion, stability and development issues and most recently has led the WBG financial sector program in Myanmar. From 2005 and 2006, Alex served as the manager of the FIRST Initiative, a global trust fund focused on providing financial sector technical assistance in low and middle income countries. Prior to joining the World Bank in 2000, Alex worked on a microfinance and SME lending program in Russia. She holds a MA degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.