Margo Thomas

GSI Fellow

Throughout her career spanning more than two decades as a senior official at the world’s premier development organization – the World Bank Group, Margo Thomas, Ph.D. has provided policy advice to over 50 national and sub-national governments.

As Founder and CEO of the Women’s Economic Imperative, Dr. Thomas serves as a catalyst for initiatives aimed at increasing opportunities for the economic empowerment of disadvantaged and under-represented groups globally. In April 2017, Dr. Thomas successfully completed her appointment as the Chief of Secretariat for the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment. Under the Argentinian Presidency of the G20, Dr. Thomas was appointed Co-Chair of the 2018 Think 20 Task Force on Gender Economic Equity. She served as Co-Chair of the 2019 Think 20 Task Force on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development under the Japanese Presidency.

Concurrently Dr. Thomas is an Associate Fellow at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

With a Doctoral Degree in Public Policy and Private Sector Development from the University of Manchester, Margo’s areas of focus include trade and competitiveness, business environment and regulatory reform, investment policy, and women’s economic empowerment.