Mrs. Iva Hamel is the World Bank’s Resident Representative for the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, based in Abu Dhabi. She leads the World Bank’s engagement in both countries and serves as the main interlocutor between the Authorities and the World Bank. She joined the World Bank 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 World Bank, leading business environment reform programs in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South Asia. Before joining the World Bank, 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.