The Power of Youth: Harnessing Technology for Growth and Jobs

Please join the SAIS Europe and Eurasia Club in welcoming Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank Group, for a discussion on the future of jobs and economic growth as the institution adapts to a rapidly evolving global landscape shaped by emerging technologies. The conversation will be moderated by the club’s leadership, and attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with Ms. Bjerde.

Date and Time: January 29th, 2026, 4-6:00 PM

Location: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center, Room 1020

Anna Bjerde oversees the World Bank’s operations across developing and emerging markets with the goal of stepping up the World Bank Group’s impact by creating more and better jobs as a pathway out of poverty. Under her leadership, the World Bank Group has achieved record levels of financing in 2025 and launched bold new initiatives, including Mission 300 to bring electricity to 300 million people in Africa by 2030.

As a key member of the World Bank Group leadership team, she has helped transform the institution, making it faster, more effective, and more impactful—for example, by introducing innovative financing products tailored to specific development needs and providing immediate liquidity to countries facing crises. Anna’s focus is on achieving scale, quality, and impact by mobilizing staff in more than 130 offices worldwide around a shared culture of innovation and leveraging knowledge for greater development results. She has been instrumental in establishing regional hubs headed by senior leaders to provide better support to clients and in fostering more synergies across the private and public sector arms of the World Bank Group through the introduction of integrated management roles.

Collaborating with others to deliver greater impact, Anna has a track record of building strong partnerships with clients, the private sector, philanthropies, multilateral institutions, bilateral donors, and civil society. In her previous role as Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, she steered the region through turbulent times and mobilized unprecedented support for Ukraine. Over her career, she has held leadership roles across all regions, and her expertise in energy-sector reform, infrastructure, leading and mobilizing large workforces and organizational change is recognized globally.

Anna’s influence extends beyond her executive role. Named “International Leader of the Year” by Dagens Industri in 2024, she is a leading voice in global development. She is also the host of Talking Development, a video series featuring engaging conversations with leaders and entrepreneurs from around the world.

Before joining the World Bank Group in 1997, she worked at a private consulting firm in London, advising clients on growth strategies, mergers and acquisitions, and operational transformation.

She holds a master’s degree in business and economics from the University of Stockholm in Sweden. Anna is married and has three sons.

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