Staff Directory

Sarah Rotman Parker

Senior Financial Sector Specialist

Sarah Parker currently focuses on CGAP's work on inclusive insurance. Specifically, she is leading the work on inclusive insurance advocacy, measurement, and financial health.

Before returning to CGAP in 2024, Sarah spent seven years at the Financial Health Network, leading their financial health measurement work and starting a new inclusive insurance practice. She was a VP of Customer Insights at Swiss Re, the global reinsurance company, where she leveraged human-centered design and customer insights to build innovative insurance products. She has also worked as a management consultant with Guidehouse. While at CGAP for six years over a decade ago, she managed work on mobile banking and digital finance in francophone West Africa and led global research on electronic G2P payments.

Sarah has a Master's degree in international development from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor's degree from Wheaton College.
 

By Sarah Rotman Parker

Research

Confronting the Climate and Health Nexus: Lessons from Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)

This case study is the third in CGAP's series on scaling inclusive insurance while preserving consumer value. Aimed at distribution networks — specifically grassroots networks — and insurers, it takes a deep dive into SEWA's innovative heat insurance product, developed with partners and grounded in direct insights into the needs and risks of its members.
Research

Scaling Inclusive Insurance through Government Systems: Lessons from the World Food Programme

Drawing on WFP's work in Zambia, Ethiopia, Cuba, and Guatemala, this case study shows how inclusive insurance can build food-secure nations at scale. Key lessons: government integration cuts costs and drives uptake; forecast-based payouts protect smallholder livelihoods faster; and risk reduction is no longer optional — it is a prerequisite for insurability.
Research

Leveraging Social Protection Networks for Inclusive Insurance: Lessons from Fiji

This case study draws on UNCDF's experience in Fiji to explore the effectiveness of social protection networks as a distribution channel and the role of subsidies. It reveals three conditions are needed for success: strong policy backing, long-standing UNCDF engagement, and existing social protection networks.
Research

Inclusive Insurance: Scaling for Resilience and Impact

Insurance builds resilience by helping people manage shocks and invest confidently in their futures. Yet, inclusive insurance remains small-scale due to barriers in demand, supply, and policy. This deck explores challenges and opportunities—showing how funders can unlock insurance’s full potential as a catalyst for stability, security, and economic growth.
Blog

Measuring Financial Health: Not as Easy as It Looks

There are six key indicators of financial health in developing countries, but measuring them can be difficult.