Ellen Olafsen is a Senior Private Sector Specialist in the Southern Africa Unit of the World Bank Group's Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation Global Practice. She has been working in the field of entrepreneurship for over a decade and has developed significant regional experience, including in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, North Africa, Central and South Asia, as well as Central America. She oversaw two programs on digital and agribusiness entrepreneurship, both of which started under her leadership. Currently, Olafsen is initiating a World Bank flagship study on growth entrepreneurship intended to inform the design of Bank's projects in this area. She previously worked for the Grassroots Business Department in IFC (now Grassroots Business Fund), the Development Gateway at the World Bank, and Citizens Energy International in Angola. Olafsen holds an MBA in International Finance and an M.A. in International Affairs focused on Sub-Saharan Africa.