Risk Management Specialist at the United Nations Development Programme, Syrian Arab Republic.

In her role, Mouna  leads strategic and operational risk frameworks, sanctions and compliance assessments, and financial integrity initiatives. Her portfolio includes risk evaluation for MSMEs, cash-based interventions, FX exposure, earthquake response, Social and Environmental risks and the operational impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures (UCMs) on development programming.

she also serves as a coordinator among UN agencies in the areas of anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, financial integrity, and environmental and social safeguards in development contexts.

Mouna has over 15 years of experience across commercial banking, international development, financial audit, and advisory services, with a focus on fragile and frontier markets. She also has expertise in financial sector governance, risk mitigation, and development finance.

Mouna spent over eight years at Ernst & Young (EY), where she led financial audits and advisory engagements for regional banks, insurance companies, and holding companies, managing multiple audit teams and complex portfolios under international standards. She later served as Deputy Managing Partner at Talal Abu Ghazaleh, overseeing advisory services for IFRS 9, Islamic finance, and market evaluations and other services for UNDP, UNHCR, and OCHA.

As Finance Manager at Al Sharq Bank, she participated in executive-level committees including: ALCO, Credit,Risk,  IFRS 9 and directed budgeting, regulatory reporting, and ECL calculations.

In addition to her professional roles, Mouna has contributed voluntarily to the Syrian Association of Certified Accountants, where she participated in drafting and finalising the training materials and training the CErtificate exam candidates for the national CPA certification program for 5 consecutive years.

She holds a Master's degree in Financial Management and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance from Damascus University. She also holds several international certificates in International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), a Certified Public Accountant (CIPA) for Islamic Banks, and Risk and Crisis Management from the London School of Economics, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) from the United States of America, and a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).