Washington, DC, April 4, 2022 – Global nonprofit Accion announced today the appointment of Maria Hermida as General Counsel. Maria will oversee all legal areas of Accion’s work, spanning investments, partnerships, and operations.
“Maria brings valuable experience in compliance, legal risk management, and investments, which will be crucial to Accion as we identify and grow new ways to reach the underserved in emerging markets,” said Michael Schlein, CEO and President of Accion. “I’m thrilled that Maria will bring her passion for financial inclusion to the team as we navigate new initiatives to empower vulnerable people, helping them to create a more resilient future.”
“Throughout my career, I have advocated for expanding access to financial services through responsible and ethical engagement with communities across the globe. Thus, I am very excited and honored to serve Accion as its General Counsel and to help lead its effort to empower the underserved by revolutionizing access to the capital markets,” said Maria Hermida, the new General Counsel at Accion.
Prior to joining Accion, Maria served as Chief Compliance Officer for anti-bribery and corruption, legal, conduct risk and regulatory remediation programs for the United Services Automobile Association (USAA), a Fortune 100 company that provides banking, investing, and insurance services to U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their families. Previously, Maria was the Global Chief Ethics Officer for Citigroup and the General Counsel for Citigroup Women & Co., a multi-channel platform that served the financial planning needs of women. She also served as Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Royal Alliance Associates, the AIG wealth management network. She holds a bachelor’s in finance from the New York University Stern School of Business and a J.D. from the Fordham University School of Law.
###
About Accion
Accion is a global nonprofit committed to creating a financially inclusive world, with a pioneering legacy in microfinance and fintech impact investing. We catalyze financial service providers to deliver high-quality, affordable solutions at scale for the three billion people who are left out of — or poorly served by — the financial sector. For 60 years, Accion has helped tens of millions of people through our work with more than 170 partners in 55 countries. More at http://www.accion.org.