Ruth Goodwin-Groen

Dr. Ruth Goodwin-Groen is the Managing Director of the United Nations-housed Better Than Cash Alliance, leading its efforts to accelerate the global shift from cash to digital payments by governments, companies and international organisations. The digitization of payments continues her work on poverty reduction, as it helps to increase transparency and efficiency and provide a pathway to financial inclusion, driving inclusive growth. Dr Goodwin-Groen represents the Better Than Cash Alliance at the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), and is a member of the World Economic Forum Financial Inclusion Steering Committee and the Reference Group of the UN Secretary General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. Prior to joining the Better Than Cash Alliance, Dr Goodwin-Groen was the Australian Co-Chair of GPFI and the Financial Services for the Poor Adviser at the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). She has also advised leading organisations in the field of financial inclusion including the World Bank Group, the Soros Foundation, the UK Department for International Development, CGAP, the FinMark Trust South Africa, the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ), Women’s World Banking, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Cambridge University, in over 15 countries including in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Dr. Goodwin-Groen holds a PhD from the University of Bath, UK, an MBA (Distinction) from Harvard Business School, and a BSc Hons (1st) from the University of Western Australia.