Katrin Fakiri is a globally recognized development expert with over two decades of leadership and consulting experience in microfinance, SME banking, and governance across the United States, Afghanistan, Africa, and beyond. As the newly appointed Chair of the Board of Directors at Shahy Khazana Microfinance, she brings her extensive expertise in financial inclusion, strategic advisory, and organizational development to advance the institution’s mission of empowering underserved communities through innovative financial solutions
Chairperson of the Board
Katrin has held transformative leadership roles throughout her career, including founding Elucidate Services, a board governance strengthening agency, and IDEA Consulting, a firm focused on development finance and women’s empowerment. She also served as Managing Director of MISFA, Afghanistan’s MSME investment facility, and founded PARWAZ MFI, the country’s first microfinance organization dedicated to women’s financial empowerment. Her work with international organizations such as UNDP, World Bank, USAID, and Accion CFI has equipped her with deep insights into governance, risk management, and operational excellence.
Currently an Independent Board Member at Harakat Afghanistan, where she chairs the Risk and Audit Committee, Katrin has also served as an Independent Director at Da Afghanistan Bank, the Central Bank of Afghanistan, contributing to strategic policy and oversight. She holds a Master’s in business administration from Barcelona Executive Business School (2023) and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from San Jose State University (1996).
With a passion for fostering sustainable growth and client-centric solutions, Katrin is committed to steering Shahy Khazana Microfinance toward greater impact, leveraging her global experience to strengthen governance, enhance operational efficiency, and champion financial inclusion.
Member of the Board
Meryem Aslan brings nearly four decades of global expertise in integrated program design, implementation, and women’s empowerment to her role as Director of Financial Inclusion Focusing on Women at Shahy Khazana Microfinance (SKM). With a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Uludag University and a career spanning South and Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, Meryem has championed financial inclusion, gender equity, and sustainable development in some of the world’s most challenging contexts.
Meryem’s career includes over 15 years of leadership in Afghanistan and the broader region, where she has driven impactful initiatives for women’s economic empowerment and access to finance. As Country Representative for Oxfam in Afghanistan (2002–2004) and Program Director for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM, now UN Women) in Kabul (2004–2007), she designed and led programs focused on women’s economic recovery, microcredit, and gender mainstreaming in national policies. Her work in Afghanistan addressed cultural and structural barriers—such as literacy and mobility—while forging alliances with government, donors, and civil society to scale sustainable solutions. With fluency in English, Turkish, and fair proficiency in Arabic, alongside a working knowledge of Dari from her years in Kabul, Meryem is uniquely equipped to engage Afghan communities and stakeholders.
Her extensive experience in Shariah-compliant contexts, gained through decades of work in Muslim-majority countries, complements SKM’s mission. Meryem has held senior roles such as Global Human Mobility Lead at Oxfam (2023–2025), Country Director for Oxfam in Turkey (2013–2020), and Chief of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women (2010–2013), where she honed her skills in strategic policy coordination, stakeholder engagement, and program scalability. Her expertise in gender-focused development, participatory policy-making, and civil society strengthening aligns seamlessly with SKM’s goals of social equity and environmental care.
Member of the Board
Stephanie Calderas is a well-known and influential financial services expert with over 25 years of experience in various roles, including commercial banking, international development, financial planning, insurance, and tax services. She holds a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in Finance as well as Japanese Language and Business from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Additionally, she possesses US financial securities licenses to serve as an Investment Advisor Representative, is a licensed insurance agent, and is an Enrolled Agent authorized to practice before the Internal Revenue Service as a tax expert.
As part of her international development work, Stephanie has held various leadership and technical positions with the World Bank, USAID, and other aid agencies in the areas of microfinance, rural and agricultural finance, small and medium enterprise development, and strengthening the policy, legal, and regulatory environment. She has worked in dozens of developing countries and has experience in Afghanistan’s microfinance sector since 2008. In 2009, she led USAID’s Agriculture, Rule, Investment, and Enterprise Strengthening (ARIES) project to help expand financial services in underserved regions of Afghanistan. Since then, she has consulted on many projects and with various entities to further the development of microfinance in Afghanistan, promote women-owned businesses, and strengthen the financial sector.
Stephanie has a lifelong commitment to economic development and poverty alleviation. She intends to apply her deep managerial and technical expertise to help SKM achieve its goal of becoming Afghanistan‘s foremost Sharia-compliant financial institution, contributing to community empowerment and a sustainable, inclusive economy.