Gloria K. Karissa

As the DRIVE Actuarial & Insurance Lead, Gloria oversees the design, pricing, and monitoring of the DRIVE index-based livestock insurance product. She ensures that risk is effectively placed with various underwriters through engagements with a diverse panel of both local and global underwriters. Her role also involves providing timely analysis and reporting of climate-related risks to guarantee the product mitigates the financial impact of uncertain events, such as drought, on pastoralists in the Horn of Africa, specifically Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.

A fully qualified actuary with over 15 years of experience in the insurance industry, Gloria has worked with Old Mutual, the Insurance Regulatory Authority, and Liberty Life. She holds a BSc in Actuarial Science from the University of Nairobi, an MSc in Actuarial Management from Bayes Business School (formerly Cass Business School), and an MBA for Executives from Strathmore Business School. Gloria is passionate about developing sustainable financial solutions that enhance financial inclusion for underserved communities, particularly through the DRIVE project, which integrates pastoralists into the livestock value chain while providing protection against climate risks.