Management Team

Albena Melin

Director of Partnerships

Albena Melin joined ZEP-RE as Director of Partnerships in September 2024. She brings with her more than 30 years of experience focused on economic growth, development financing, and impact investing. Her diverse background spans across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, and includes work in the private sector, government (UK and Sweden), and multilateral institutions such as the IFC, EBRD, United Nations, and the European Union.

A pioneer in ESG and Sustainability, Albena has been involved in these fields since their early days. She contributed to the negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and played a key role in conceptualising and launching the Impact Principles in 2019.

Albena holds an MSc in International Economics, with a focus on Institutional Economics, International Finance, and Trade. A German and Swedish national raised in Eritrea and Ethiopia, she is multilingual and brings a uniquely global perspective to her role at ZEP-RE.