I cannot remember when I first met Michaela but it was more than ten years ago while she was at the EBRD.  I was impressed by her no-nonsense manner, efficiency and dedication to gender equality and the power of women and girls. Michaela did not suffer fools at all well!  But once you got to know her, she revealed a wry and witty sense of humor and a delightful laugh! When I joined the World Bank in 2014, she became a valued external colleague. While we strategized about how to navigate bureaucracy and make internal changes within the MDBs, we had good times and fun along the way. Michaela showed how to live with passion and joy, even as she bravely and courageously battled the cancer that would take her life.  My condolences go out to her parents, her brother, and her many friends and colleagues on whom she has left a very large imprint.