Maria Nowak

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Marie Sophie Thérèse Nowak , also known as Maria Nowak , (born March 27, 1935 in Lemberg , Poland ) is a French economist who is particularly known for her commitment to microfinance in France and has received several awards for this.

Career

Nowak, who was born in Poland, fled to France with her family during the Second World War . There she studied at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris , where she graduated in 1956 . She then moved to the London School of Economics , where she graduated in 1959. Inspired by a study trip to Guinea , she increasingly dealt with economic issues for rural areas and joined the Agence française de développement , a French government agency for development aid. There she later became director of politics and further education.

After Nowak 1985 Muhammad Yunus , founder of microcredit awarded Grameen Bank and one of the founders of microfinance had -Gedankens met, they decided to transfer this concept to France. To this end, she founded the Association pour le droit à l'initiative économique (ADIE) in 1989 , of which she was subsequently president for over two decades. From 1991 she also worked for the World Bank , organizing microcredit for them in Central and Eastern Europe. Via ADIE, she initiated the establishment of a Europe-wide network of microcredit issuing organizations in 2003, and until 2008 she headed the resulting European Microfinance Network . In 2011 she handed over the management of ADIE to Catherine Barbaroux .

In 2005 Nowak was awarded the Ordre national du Mérite with the rank of knight , in 2011 the then Prime Minister François Fillon presented her with the order of commander , i.e. H. the third highest level. After she was knighted in the Legion of Honor by the then French Economics and Finance Minister Christine Lagarde in 2008 , she was admitted to the second highest rank as a grand officer on July 14, 2017 .

Individual evidence

  1. legifrance.gouv.fr: "ORDRE NATIONAL DE LA LÉGION D'HONNEUR - Décret du 12 juillet 2017 portant élévation aux dignités de grand'croix et de grand officier" (accessed on 10 July 2019)
  2. a b adie.org: "Maria Nowak reçoit les insignes de commandeur de l'Ordre" (accessed on February 27, 2019)
  3. adie-fondsdedotation.org: "résidence du Fonds Adie: Catherine Barbaroux succède à Maria Nowak" (accessed on February 27, 2019)
  4. adie-fondsdedotation.org: "Maria Nowak promue grand officier de la Légion d'honneur" (accessed on February 27, 2019)