Gender lens investing and board readiness advisory for funds, institutions and boards.
in gender-responsive portfolios advised
private capital mobilized by a CAD 62M portfolio she advised as gender lead
structured for women-led SMEs in Senegal, a first for that market
years of experience
countries, in English and French
The Smart Woman Consulting, founded by Darine BenAmara, advises funds, institutions and boards in two areas: gender lens investing, women's leadership and board readiness. Every engagement is tailored.
Most gender strategies are written for the investor. Very few change what the business does on Monday.
Every engagement is shaped around your situation, timeline and budget. For larger mandates, I bring in a trusted network of seasoned consultants. Remote or on site, in English or French.
Get in touchDetailed case studies are coming soon. Three mandates behind the numbers above:
I’ve spent 15 years where gender commitments get made: ministries, parliaments, development banks, investment committees. I’ve also seen what happens after the signing ceremony, when the strategy goes into a drawer and the women it was written for are still waiting.
My work starts there. I help funds, institutions and boards turn what they’ve promised into results they can measure and defend. Sometimes that means rebuilding a portfolio around the evidence. Sometimes it means teaching a lender to read a business it has overlooked for years.
I’ve done this with Global Affairs Canada, African parliaments, UN Women Canada and programs in more than 20 countries. On larger mandates, I bring in a network of seasoned consultants, so you get one point of contact and the depth of a team.
Born in France to a French-Arab family, I built my career in Canada and worked across more than 20 countries, so I’ve spent my life translating: languages, cultures, expectations. On inside Quiet Power, I write about women and power, naming what high-achieving women, and women raised between cultures, don’t say out loud.
Anything else, ask me directly at contact@thesmartwmn.com.
Gender lens investing is investing that considers gender across the whole investment process, from strategy and deal sourcing to portfolio support and reporting, with the aim of earning financial returns while advancing gender equality. In practice, it means looking at who owns, leads, works in and is served by the businesses a fund backs. The Smart Woman Consulting helps funds and financial institutions turn that intention into evidence.
The 2X Criteria are the global standard for gender lens investing, maintained by 2X Global. 2X Certification, run by 2X Global, assesses how a fund or company performs against that standard. It looks at what was delivered as well as what was promised, so commitments need evidence behind them.
Darine BenAmara maps the fund against the 2X Criteria and identifies the gap between what has been committed and what can be evidenced. Then she builds, with the fund's team, the strategy, processes and reporting that let it show results.
Every engagement with The Smart Woman Consulting is shaped around the client's situation, timeline and budget. Most start with a clear look at where a fund, portfolio or board stands today, followed by a plan the team can own and, where useful, ongoing advisory. For larger or multi-country mandates, Darine BenAmara leads a team drawn from a trusted network of seasoned consultants. The work happens remotely or on site, in English or French.
Both. The Smart Woman Consulting works with fund managers, banks and other financial institutions, development finance institutions and their technical-assistance teams. The work adapts to how each institution lends, invests and reports.
Board readiness prepares senior women to take a board seat and to use it well: governance fundamentals, how board decisions are actually made, and how to hold authority in a boardroom. Darine BenAmara also works with boards on making women directors' voices count once they are appointed.
Darine BenAmara has advised governments, parliaments and development finance programs in 20+ countries, primarily in Africa, including francophone markets. The Smart Woman Consulting works internationally, remotely or on site, in English and French.
Often, yes. Many development finance institutions run technical-assistance facilities that can cover gender diagnostics and gender action plans for their investees. Darine BenAmara can help scope the work so it fits the facility's requirements.
Write to Darine BenAmara through the contact form on this page or at contact@thesmartwmn.com, with a few lines on your fund, institution or board and what your investors expect. She replies personally with the right first step, which for most funds is a diagnostic.
Tell me a little about your fund, institution or board. Every inquiry is read and answered by me personally.
