Adele Barzelay is a Governance Analyst within the Governance Practice’s Middle East and North Africa Unit at the World Bank. Adele is co-leading the technical regional work on data governance under the MNA Tech Initiative and has contributed to other global reports on data governance within the World Bank. She has a broad range of analytical and operational experience on issues related to public sector reform, including GovTech, regulatory governance and anti-corruption.
Her professional interests include developing legal and regulatory frameworks to enable the sustainable and trustworthy digital transformation of government, geared towards leveraging existing and emerging technological opportunities while governing and protecting data and digital rights.
Prior to joining the World Bank in 2017, Adele worked in international law and human rights in London and political risk in Washington, D.C. She has published guidance advising companies on how to approach and mitigate human rights risks in their operations. She is admitted to the New York Bar, having obtained her law degree from the University of Oxford and her MA in International Economics and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
