Myrna Atalla

Myrna Atalla is a leader in sustainable development, venture philanthropy, social enterprise and civil society funding, training and evaluation.  She brings over 20 years of expertise in driving lasting education and economic empowerment for vulnerable women and children, including refugees, especially across the Middle East & North Africa (MENA).  Formerly, Atalla was the Executive Director of Alfanar Venture Philanthropy, driving the growth and expansion of the organisation over 14 years, enabling the pooling and delivery of +£11 million in grants, zero-interest loans, and a first equity investment, laying the ground for the launch of the independent, but affiliated, Anara Impact Capital, the Arab region’s first impact investment fund.  Over this period, Alfanar delivered management support to over 130 social enterprises across the region, with emphasis on Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, directly improving the lives of over 400,000 vulnerable women, youth and children. 

Prior to Alfanar, Atalla worked with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Beirut, managing civil society strengthening programmes covering electoral reform, election observation, budget monitoring, candidate capacity-building and political party development.

 Atalla holds a BA in International Relations from Brown University and a dual degree Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from Columbia University and the London School of Economics (LSE).  Recognised as one of the UK's top 100 women in social enterprise and impact investment (NatWest WISE100, 2022), Atalla recently joined the External Investment Committee of the Big Issue Invests and is a regular contributor to philanthropy publications, panels and podcasts.  

Find Myrna Atalla on LinkedIn.