Hodan Osman is the President of the Somali Development and Reconstruction Bank, where she leads efforts to expand inclusive finance and catalyze private sector growth in Somalia. With over 20 years of experience in commercial banking, public financial management, and development policy, she brings deep expertise in building financial systems, particularly in emerging economies.
She played a pivotal role in restoring Somalia’s central banking functions and advancing the country’s debt relief process under the HIPC Initiative. Hodan has advised the Central Bank of Somalia, the Ministry of Finance, and international partners—including the World Bank, the United Nations, and the European Union—on fiscal reform, economic planning, and private-sector financing.
A practitioner of adaptive leadership, she has taught and advised globally through institutions such as Harvard, Cambridge, and the Global Fund. Her work in fintech across Africa has focused on expanding access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises. She has also advised the UN Joint SDG Fund and convened leading development finance institutions, including through a roundtable with European DFIs on investing in fragile states.
She holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she was a Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership, as well as a master’s in Human Rights and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
