My Bio

I have been asked by many about my bio and my website (?). Given that I already have so many communication points, I think having my own website is overkill. So, here is my bio on my blog --

Durreen Shahnaz is Head of the Programme on Social Innovation and Change and Adjunct Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) at the National University of Singapore.

Prof Shahnaz has been a change maker throughout her career which has spanned both the social and private sector. As a successful social entrepreneur, Prof Shahnaz founded, ran and sold oneNest, a New York-based social purpose business which operated a marketplace for products produced by microfinance, micro enterprises and artisan groups from all over the world. Recently Prof Shahnaz founded Impact Investment Exchange Asia, a social stock exchange which will allow Asian social enterprises to raise growth capital.

Prof Shahnaz began her career in the social sector at Grameen Bank (Bangladesh) where she played a critical role in the bank’s first major capital raising exercise. At World Bank (Washington, D.C.) Prof Shahnaz evaluated non performing loan portfolios for the East Africa Department and at International Finance Corporation she assisted in selling Ashanti, the largest gold mine in the world for the Ghanian government.

In the private sector, Prof Shahnaz worked as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley (New York) before moving to the media sector. As the head of three regional media companies (Asia City Publishing Group, Hearst Magazines International and Reader’s Digest Asia), Prof Shahnaz worked vigorously to incorporate social responsibility in these companies’ work.

Prof Shahnaz holds a BA from Smith College (double major in Economics and Government); and a joint graduate degree -- MBA from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (Finance) and MA from School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University (International Economics and International Relations). Recently Prof Shahnaz was nominated as one of the Young Leaders of Asia by Asia Society.