Brigit Helms, a Seattle native described as a development and microfinance expert with a risk-taking spirit, will join local non-profit Unitus as its new chief executive officer.

ANDREW HELMS

New Unitus CEO Brigit Helms is a Seattle native returning home from working in Indonesia.

Helms worked previously at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an arm of the World Bank, in Jakarta, where she was responsible for developing a five-year strategy involving $15 billion in investments. Before that she spent 10 years working at the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP).

She said the field of microfinance faces some of its greatest challenges and opportunities right now.

"The challenge now is to explosively scale and increase access to the millions in need," Helms said. Bold and creative microfinance organizations need to take risks to help make financial services accessible to the large numbers of people still living in poverty, she added.

She joins Ed Bland, who is Unitus' president and chief operating officer. Unitus had been operating without a CEO since the departure of Geoff Davis last year.

Helms has a Ph.D. in Development and Agricultural Economics from Stanford University and master's degrees from Stanford and Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies.