April Rinne

Current

Director - WaterCredit at Water.org
Investment Committee Member at Wokai
Microfinance Course Trainer at International Development Law Organization

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Past

Legal & Strategic Advisor, Microfinance & Social Enterprise Development at April Rinne Consulting
Director of Microfinance Venture Development at Unitus
External Consultant at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Associate at O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Associate at Allen & Overy LLP, London
Legal and Regulatory Policy Analyst at Women's World Banking
Senior Guide and Researcher at Butterfield & Robinson

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4 more...

Education

Harvard Law School
Tufts University - The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
European University Institute

Emory University
University of Oxford

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2 more...

Recommended

1 person has recommended April

Connections

483 connections

Industry

Financial Services

Websites

April Rinne’s Summary

Leader, advisor, promoter, manager, business developer, attorney, advocate and facilitator for microfinance organizations and social enterprises.

I have spent the better part of the last decade working toward the expansion of capital markets, the empowerment of individuals and the development of scalable, sustainable financing opportunities for the world’s unbanked. I have done this in the field, in-house at microfinance organizations and within international law firms. In addition I regularly teach policy-makers, attorneys and microfinance practitioners about international investment opportunities and often have public speaking engagements. Over time, this has resulted in working in 15 (and traveling to 75) countries around the world.

At WaterCredit, I seek to put microfinance tools and access to catalytic capital to work to address the needs of the poor for clean, safe water. My work encompasses strategic, business development, structuring and partnership arrangements.

I thrive when I can bring people, ideas, resources and impact together in meaningful, scalable and sustainable ways.

April Rinne’s Specialties:

"Beyond microfinance" innovations, especially water and sanitation and education. Legal and regulatory issues related to international microfinance. For-profit/Non-profit partnerships. Transactional counsel for investments into MFIs and social enterprises. Partner and investment due diligence. Country-specific legal and regulatory research. Forge and facilitate relationships between business, legal and policy communities.

April Rinne’s Experience

Director - WaterCredit

Water.org

(Non-Profit; Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

June 2009 — Present (6 months)

WaterCredit puts microfinance tools and access to catalytic capital to work to address the needs of the poor for clean, safe water. As director of this innovative initiative, my responsibilities include strategy and business development, structuring, partnership arrangements and global outreach on behalf of WaterPartners International.
Investment Committee Member

Wokai

(Financial Services industry)

February 2008 — Present (1 year 10 months)

Advisor to Wokai, a China microfinance intermediary and information portal for the China microfinance sector.
Microfinance Course Trainer

International Development Law Organization

(Non-Profit; 51-200 employees; Legal Services industry)

July 2007 — Present (2 years 5 months)

Train lawyers and policy-makers from around the world about legal and regulatory issues related to microfinance (including microfinance institution transformation, due diligence, commercial loan agreements, equity investments, structured finance, risk management and various capital markets-related topics).
Legal & Strategic Advisor, Microfinance & Social Enterprise Development

April Rinne Consulting

(Financial Services industry)

March 2009 — May 2009 (3 months)

Independent consultant to microfinance organizations and social enterprises. Short-term and long-term engagements regarding business development, legal structuring, governance and compliance, and strategic expansion with for-benefit, for-profit, non-profit and hybrid organizations. Deep expertise with respect to legal, regulatory and "enabling environment" issues. Ability to address both international and domestic concerns.

"Microfinance plus" and social enterprise strategy areas include water (supply and sanitation), education, housing, health care and technology solutions for the BoP.
Director of Microfinance Venture Development

Unitus

(Non-Profit; International Trade and Development industry)

January 2008 — March 2009 (1 year 3 months)

Responsible for the establishment and launch of a new group of commercially-oriented microfinance funds and companies to invest in and encourage the broader provision of financial services to the poor.
External Consultant

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

(Non-Profit; Philanthropy industry)

November 2008 — February 2009 (4 months)

Advised foundation grantees with respect to an innovative microfinance and water sanitation initiative.
Associate

O'Melveny & Myers LLP

(Partnership; 1001-5000 employees; Law Practice industry)

June 2006 — December 2007 (1 year 7 months)

Member of the Corporate Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity practice areas. Spearheaded and led the firm's global microfinance practice group, resulting in 17 international microfinance clients and more than 250 attorneys interested in microfinance work.
Associate

Allen & Overy LLP, London

(Partnership; 501-1000 employees; Law Practice industry)

October 2004 — May 2006 (1 year 8 months)

Member of the U.S. Law Group and International Capital Markets practice area. Worked on various cross-border debt, equity and capital markets transactions with public and private companies. Served as transaction counsel for the Blue Orchard Loans for Development (BOLD) securitization of loans to 22 microfinance institutions in 13 developing countries around the world.
Legal and Regulatory Policy Analyst

Women's World Banking

(Non-Profit; 11-50 employees; Financial Services industry)

2001 — 2002 (1 year )

Conducted comparative financial, legal and regulatory policy analyses of microfinance institutions in Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa. Researched factors related to the creation of Women's World Banking's first equity fund.
Senior Guide and Researcher

Butterfield & Robinson

(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

1997 — 2000 (3 years )

Researched and led extraordinary hiking and biking trips throughout Italy, France and elsewhere in Europe, Asia and South America.

April Rinne’s Education

Harvard Law School

J.D. , International & Financial Law , 2000 — 2004

Activities and Societies:

International Law Society. International Law Journal. Consortium on Global Leadership. Law School Council.
Tufts University - The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

MA , International Finance and Development Economics , 2000 — 2004
European University Institute

Fulbright Scholar , EU Integration and Economic Development , 1996 — 1997

Project: Economic Dualism and Poverty in Postwar Italy vis-a-vis European Integration.
Emory University

BA , International Relations, Art History, Italian , 1992 — 1996
University of Oxford

Visiting Scholar, University College , EU Integration and International Relations , 1993 — 1994

Additional Information

April Rinne’s Websites:

April Rinne’s Interests:

Travel (extensive travel in more than 75 countries in North America, South America, Europe, South Asia, East Asia and North Africa). Running. Hiking. Camping. Swimming. Sea kayaking. Foreign languages (fluent Italian and Spanish, proficient French, basic Dutch).

April Rinne’s Groups:

Silicon Valley Microfinance Network, Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM), Council of Microfinance Counsels, Financial Engineering for Economic Development (FEED) Task Force.