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Ilze Melngailis, Senior Director, Business Council for the UN and Private Sector Engagement, UN Foundation
Ilze Melngailis’ career has focused on applying business approaches to international development – accelerating gains in health, gender equality and poverty alleviation. She leads the Business Council for the UN (BCUN) and Private Sector Engagement at the United Nations Foundation, where she connects business with the UN and promotes companies’ participation in the UN’s historic Sustainable Development Goals. She also develops innovative corporate partnerships with the UN and other partners that help elevate the impact of each sector’s ability to drive progress.
Previously, Ilze has developed and overseen social marketing programs and public-private partnerships in over 30 developing and emerging-market countries through leadership positions at GBC Health, at the USAID-funded ACQUIRE Project at EngenderHealth, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), and consulting roles for the UN and other clients.
She is an experienced speaker and moderator, is fluent in Latvian and speaks basic French and Spanish. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at McGill University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration with academic distinction from Yale University School of Management.
Veronika Goncharova, Associate, Integrated Development and the Business Council for the UN
Veronika Goncharova is an Associate for the Integrated Development team and the Business Council for the UN, at the UN Foundation in Washington D.C. She collaborates closely with private sector partners to help deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), mainly in the context of global health, gender equality, digital innovation, climate, and youth. As a young professional, she is passionate about multigenerational and multilateral action to ensure a sustainable future for all. Prior to joining the UN Foundation, she was an analyst in economic litigation consulting, which helped her understand the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) within corporate structures.
Veronika is fluent in Russian and English and is conversational in French and Spanish. She graduated from the University of Florida with Bachelor's degrees in Economics and International Studies, accompanied by a minor in Business Administration.