Sonia Gardner

In October 2020, the United Nations Secretary General appointed Sonia Gardner as UNCDF’s first Goodwill Ambassador for Gender Equality in Access to Finance.

Ms. Gardner is an alternative investment pioneer who has helped shape this growing, international industry over three decades. She is the President, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Avenue Capital Group, a global alternative investment manager founded in 1995 that today has over $10 billion in assets under management. Headquartered in New York City, Avenue has 10 offices across the globe.

Ms. Gardner, a leader in both finance and philanthropy, has received extensive recognition for her professional and philanthropic work. She previously served as Chair of the Global Board of Directors of 100 Women in Finance, and continues to serve as Chairman Emeritus of the organization, which today has over 30,000 members. Prior to serving on the Board, she was the recipient of 100 Women in Finance 2008 Industry Leadership Award. In 2024, Ms. Gardner was named one of 20 distinguished naturalized citizens honored by the Carnegie Foundation as a leader in Finance and Philanthropy, as the Carnegie Foundation celebrated 20 years of Great Immigrants, Great Americans tribute. In addition, Ms. Gardner served on the Board of Trustees of The Mount Sinai Medical Center for approximately a decade, and also was a member of the Client Advisory Board of Citi Private Bank.

As a female leader in the male-dominated finance industry, Ms. Gardner will continue to advocate for the importance of gender equality in access to finance, both in terms of increasing the numbers of female decisionmakers in the finance industry and in improving the ability of female entrepreneurs, business owners and consumers in Least Developed Countries to access the capital they need.

Ms. Gardner was born in Marrakesh, Morocco and emigrated with her family to the United States at the age of four. She grew up in Connecticut and attended Clark University, receiving a BA with honors in Philosophy, and a J.D. from the Cardozo School of Law.