Welcome to the latest review by Saxton Bampfylde of people moves in International Development covering the final months of 2018 and 2019.
Our latest People Moves review covers the latter half of 2018 and 2019, a period that may be seen in future years as a pivotal, transitional period in the international development and humanitarian sector.
Political pressure, or the threat of it, shifting emphases on differing development priorities, ongoing and new challenging operating environments, governance and control challenges, and public criticism made a harsh backdrop for the sector. Operationally, many organisations in the sector have struggled with the com-pounded challenges of adapting governance, operational structures and in particular, culture, to evolve into the more agile, impactful actors required of the future.
Investment in leadership development in the sector remains sparse. Legacy thinking and demanding tactical situations particularly in fundraising, is still hampering capacity to change, and cross sector consolidation, or collaboration at the strategic level has not operated as well as the co-ordination and collaboration that has been happening at the tactical, programmatic level.
Nevertheless, significant examples of innovation and impact at a programmatic level, be that through effective partnering, use of new technologies or adept advocacy, abound within the sector and are proliferating. The more strategic Chairs and CEOs are recognising the urgency of creating a greater diversity and interdisciplinarity of skills and experience at Board and executive level, and are becoming more confident about the talent they can attract. Engagement between the private sector and civil society is also increasing in sophistication, bringing cross-learning opportunities and greater capacity for impact.
It has felt painful for many in the sector but the pressure my be forging a tougher, more enduring diamond.
Aidan Kennedy
Partner and Head of International Development
Contents
IFI / MDBs
Intergovernmental Organisations
Government
Non-Government Organisations
IFI/MDBs
African Development Bank
The Bank announced a number of senior leadership appointments over the second half of 2018:
- Yana Kakar to the Presidential Youth Advisory Group, which provides insights and innovative solutions for creating jobs for Africa’s youth.
- Dr Cosmos Milton Obote Ochieng as Director, Africa Natural Resource Centre.
- Astrid Manroth as Director in the Office of the Vice President, Regional Development.
- Coulibaly Abdoulaye as the Director, Governance and Public Financial Management Department.
- Frank Mvula as Director, Fiduciary and Financial Management.
- Fatoumata Josselyne Ahogny as Director, Process Re-engineering and SAP Upgrade Project.
- Bajabulile Tshabala as Vice President for Finance and Chief Finance Officer.
- Dr Mateus Magala as Vice President for Corporate Services and Human Resources.
- Professor Kevin Urama as Senior Director, Africa Development Institute.
- Dr Kapil Kapoor as Director General, Southern Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office.
In 2019, the Bank made a handful of appointments:
- Alan Bacarese as Director for Integrity and Anti-Corruption, Office of the President
- Frauke Harnischfeger as Director of Human Resources, Corporate Services
- Amadou Hott as Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth.
Asian Development Bank
The ADB also announced a number of senior leadership appointments in 2019:
- Ahmed M. Saeed as Vice-President for Operations.
- C. C. Yu as Country Director for Turkmenistan.
- Lotte Schou-Zibell as Regional Director, Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office.
- Narendra Singhu as Country Director, Afghanistan.
- Tetsushi Sonobe as Dean, Asian Development Bank Institute based in Tokyo.
- Shane Rosenthal as Country Director for Georgia.
- Pavit Ramachandran as Country Director for Mongolia.
CDC
CDC Group plc, the UK’s development finance institution, made five high-level appointments in 2018:
- Dolika Banda and Andrew Alli as Non-Executive Directors.
- Yasemin Seltuk as Deputy Chief Investment Officer, a newly created role.
- Chris Chijiutomi as the new Head of CDC’s Infrastructure Team.
The latter half of 2018 also saw the appointment of Liz Lloyd CBE was appointed as the CDC’s first Chief Impact Officer. In this role, she leads in overseeing the assessment, measurement and management of development impact activity and engages on focus areas such as gender, job quality, climate change and human capital.
The CDC made further senior appointments in 2019:
- Stephen Priestley as Managing Director, Funds and Capital Partnerships.
- Tony Morgan as Managing Director, Direct Equity.
- Seema Dhanani and Benson Adenuga as Heads of Office for Kenya and Nigeria respectively.
EBRD
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced a number of senior appointments in the latter half of 2018:
- Zsuzanna Hargitai as Director for the Western Balkans.
- Francis Malige as Managing Director, Financial Institutions.
- Victoria Zinchuk as Director for Croatia.
- Bruno Balavera as Managing Director, Central Asia.
- Matteo Patrone as Managing Director, Eastern Europe and Caucasus.
- Nandita Parshad as Managing Director of the new consolidated Sustainable Infrastructure Group.
The Bank made further appointments in to 2019:
- Mark Davis as Regional Director for Romania & Bulgaria.,
- Catarina Bjorlin Hansen as Regional Director for the Caucasus.
- Christian Cleboth as Head of Loan Syndications.
- Beata Javorcik as Chief Economist.
- Baris Dincer as Head of the Ankara Office and Deputy Director for Turkey.
- Manuela Nassl as Head of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
- Andi Aranitasi as Head of North Macedonia.
- Ian Brown as Head of Baltics.
- Andrea Moraru as Head of Greece and Cyprus.
- Michael Strauss as General Counsel.
- Annemarie Straathof as Vice President, Risk and Compliance, and Chief Risk Officer.
- Soha El-Turky as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer.
- Anca Ioana Ionescu as Director, Head of Bulgaria.
2019 also saw the appointment of Barbara Housek as the Bank’s first Director for Gender and Economic Inclusion.
Intergovernmental Organisations
United Nations
The United Nations made a handful of senior appointments in the latter half of 2018, and 2019:
- Christine Schraner Burgener as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar.
- Sahle-Work Zewde as Special Representative to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU).
- Robert Piper as Assistant Secretary-General, Head of the Transition Team for the repositioning of the United Nations development system.
- Shireen L. Dobson as United Nations Ombudsman.
- Anita Bhatia as Deputy Executive Director, UN-Women, for Resource, Management, Sustainability, Partnerships.
2019 saw the appointments of Anriette Esterhuysen as Chair, Internet Governance’s Forum’s Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group, and Ghada Fathi Waly as Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
UNAIDS
In early 2019, UNAIDS welcomed the appointment of Rico Gustav as Executive Director of the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+). They also appointed Shannon Hader as the new Deputy Executive Director of Programme of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations.
In August 2019, UNAIDS warmly welcomed Winnie Byanyima as its new Executive Director; she brings more than 30 years of experience in political leadership, diplomacy and humanitarian engagement.
UNDP
The UNDP announced four senior appointments in the latter half of 2018:
- Ahunna Eziakonwa as Regional Director for Africa.
- Mirjana Spoljaric Egger as Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States,
- Asako Okai as Director for the Crisis Bureau.
- Luis Felipe López-Calva as Regional Director for Latin American and the Caribbean.
In 2019, there were a further three appointments – Angelique Crumbly as Director of the Bureau of Management Services; Haoling Xu will lead the Bureau of Policy and Programme Support; and Abdoulaye Mar Dieye as Special Adviser to the Administrator.
All newly appointed leaders will hold the rank of Assistant Secretary-General.
UNEP
In June 2019, Danish economist and environmentalist Inger Andersen took up her new role as Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, promising to prioritise greater action on climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution during her four-year tenure.
UN Global Compact
In 2019, UN Global Compact appointed three new Members to its Board:
- Dr Musimbi Kanyoro, President and CEO, Global Fund for Women.
- Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group.
- Emmanuel Chirico, Chairman and CEO, PVH Corp.
UN Habitat
2018 saw the appointment of Victor Kisob as Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director. He succeeds Aisa Kirabo Kacyira of Rwanda.
UNICEF
In 2018, Charlotte Petri Gornitzka was appointed as Deputy Executive Director, Partnerships for the United Nations Children’s Fund.
World Food Programme
Steven Were Omamo was appointed as the WFP’s new Country Director in Ethiopia in June 2018.
In 2019, the WFP appointed Ute Maria Klamert as Assistant Executive Director. Klamert succeeds Elisabeth Rasmusson of Norway, who retired in 2018 after more than five years as Assistant Executive Director and more than 20 in the humanitarian sector.
World Health Organization
In January 2019, the WHO Executive Board, currently holding its 144th session in Geneva, appointed Dr Takeshi Kasai as Regional Director for WHO’s Western Pacific Region, and re-appointed Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh for a second term as Regional Director for WHO’s South-East Asia Region.
World Bank
In the latter half of 2018, the World Bank announced a handful of senior appointments:
- Ferid Belhaj as Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa Region.
- Juan Carlos Alvarez as Representative in Ecuador.
- Firas Raad as Country Manager for the World Bank Group Global Knowledge and Research Hub in Malaysia.
- Jingdong Hua as Vice President and Treasurer.
- Birgit Hansl as Country Manager for Thailand.
In April 2019, the Bank appointed David Malpass as its new President, succeeding Jim Yong Kim. Malpass previously served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs for the United States. This was accompanied by a string of further appointments throughout the year;
- Akihiko Nishio as Vice President of Development Finance.
- Martin Raiser as Country Director for China and Mongolia and Director for Korea.
- Andrei Mikhnev as Country Manager for Mongolia.
- Henry Kerali as Country Director for Afghanistan.
- Jean-Francois Marteau as Country Manager for Kazakhstan.
- Sebastian Molineus as Regional Director for the South Caucasus.
- Anshula Kant as Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer.
- Jesko Hentschel as Country Director for Maghreb and Malta.
- Renaud Seligmann as Country Director for the Russian Federation.
- Axel van Trotsenburg as Managing Director of Operations.
- Hiroshi Matano as Executive Vic President of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), an arm of the World Bank.
Government
DIFD
DFID appointed two new Non-Executive Directors to its Departmental Board. As lead Non-executive Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee respectively, Marc Bolland and Alan Johnson will provide advice, oversight and scrutiny to DFID’s work as independent members of the Departmental Board and attendees at the Management Board.
ICAI
In January 2019, Dr Tamsyn Barton took over as head of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact after the parliamentary International Development Committee endorsed her appointment. She had previously been backed by then-Secretary of State for International Development, Penny Mordaunt. Tamsyn has 25 years’ experience working in international development, delivering and overseeing a wide variety of programmes including those run by UK government, small NGOs and International Financial Institutions.
In May 2019, the ICAI’s next two Commissioners were announced – Sir Hugh Bayley and Tarek Rouchdy, joining the new Chief Commissioner. Both were appointed by Penny Mordaunt. The completed three-commissioner team will serve a four-year term ending in June 2023.
Non-Government Organisations
ACEVO
Rosie Ferguson, Chief Executive of single parents’ charity Gingerbread, was named Chair-Elect of Acevo in October 2018.
Amnesty International
In December 2019, Kumi Naidoo announced he was stepping down from his role as Secretary General of Amnesty International. Naidoo announced that he had been forced to make the “painful decision” to relinquish the role he took up just 16 months prior, following medical advice.. He is due to continue working for the human rights organisation until January 2020 and will then go on medical leave.
Earlier in 2019, Sarah Beamish was elected as Chair of the International Board. Sarah is a lawyer and the founder of Beamish Law, based in Toronto, Canada. She was elected to the International Board in 2013 and was then elected as Vice-chair in 2017, and now Chair in 2019. She was formerly President of the board of Amnesty International Canada (English-Speaking).
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
In April 2018, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation appointed Amy Pollack as Director of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. Pollack joins the foundation from Medtronic, where she most recently served as the Chief Safety Officer and set the strategy and policy for medical safety across the company’s global business groups.
In December 2019, Mark Suzman was announced as the Foundation’s new CEO. He was formerly the President of Global Policy & Advocacy and Chief Strategy Officer, and replaces Sue Desmond-Hellmann, who steps down after more than five years in the role.
BOND
Bond appointed Stephanie Draper as their new Chief Executive in January 2019. She was previously Chief Change Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at Forum, and replaces Tamsyn Barton.
In November 2019, there were two further senior appointments; Kate Sayer as Board Chair, and Simon Starling as Director of Policy, Advocacy and Research.
Care International
In July 2019, Frances Longley was appointed as Executive Director for Programmes and Policy at Care International. She joined from Amref Health Africa UK, where she was CEO for four years.
CAFOD
In Spring 2019, Christine Allen took up her post as the new Director of CAFOD. Christine has held leadership positions at two faith-based international development organisations for the last seventeen years, most recently as the Director of Policy and Public Affairs for Christian Aid.
Comic Relief
Ruth Davison, Comic Relief’s Impact and Investment Executive Director, was appointed as Interim CEO of Comic Relief in May 2019, after Liz Warner stepped down after more than three years at the helm.
Davison will lead until Alex Reid, who was appointed as the charity’s next CEO in November, takes over in March 2020. Alex will join from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she is currently Head of Global Campaigns, and has a wealth of charity experience, previously serving as a Trustee to Comic Relief.
Concern Worldwide
In September 2019, Concern Worldwide appointed Danny Harvey as its new Executive Director in the UK. Harvey was previously the Zambia country director for SolidarMed, a Swiss non-profit, and has also worked at senior management level with Concern in South East Asia and southern Africa.
Fairtrade Foundation
In the latter half of 2018, Marike de Peña, the former Chair of Fairtrade International was confirmed as a Member of the Board of Trustees.
There was a further Trustee appointment in February 2019, with Simon Wright of OF+ Consulting joining the Fairtrade Foundation’s Board.
Mines Advisory Group
The Mines Advisory Group appointed two new Trustees in December 2019; Khaleel Desai, Head of Governance at Islamic Relief Worldwide, and Frances Milner, Executive Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships at Cancer Research UK.
Orchid Project
The Orchid Project appointed Grethe Petersen as their new Chief Executive in August 2019. Grethe was previously Programme Director, Impact Investment at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).
ODI
In October 2019, the ODI announced the appointment of Sara Pantuliano as its new Executive Director. Sara has worked for ODI since 2006, most recently as Acting Executive Director, and previously as Managing Director, Director of Humanitarian Programmes and Head of the Humanitarian Policy Group.
Oxfam GB
In October 2019, Caroline Thomson announced she will step down as Chair of Oxfam GB in 2020 after a successor is appointed.
Plan International UK
In May 2019, Plan International UK appointed Rose Caldwell as its new Chief Executive. Rose joins from Concern Worldwide (UK), where she was Executive Director for the last 10 years. She has over 20 years’ experience in senior roles in the not for profit sector, including as the Finance Director of a mental health charity and as Assistant Director for the Refugee Housing Association. A qualified chartered accountant by training, Rose spent the first ten years of her career in the private sector. Her experience as a volunteer with Raleigh International in Zimbabwe and with Concern Worldwide in Burundi in the 1990s ignited a desire and commitment to working to address inequality and poverty.
Raleigh International
In 2019, Julian Olivier was appointed as Raleigh’s new CEO, taking up his new role on Janury 1st 2020. He was previously Deputy Chief Executive of Raleigh International and a former Director of Programmes, Head of Countries, and Director of Raleigh Central America at the charity. He replaces Stacey Adams, who was Chief Executive at Raleigh since 2007.
Restless Development
In 2018, Restless Development announced its new Chair of the Board, Charlotte Eaton. Charlotte replaced Martin Hayman, who served as Chair for just under a decade.
Royal Voluntary Service
In September 2019 it was announced that Stephen Dunmore, the former Chief Executive of the Fundraising Regulator, will take over as Chair of the Royal Voluntary Service, replacing Richard Greenhalgh.
Save the Children
In January 2019, Save the Children announced that Charles Steel will temporarily replace Peter Bennett-Jones as Interim Chair after Bennett-Jones stood down in 2018. Steel had been a Trustee since February 2018.
Sightsavers
In July 2019, it was announced that broadcasting veteran Sir Clive Jones CBE is to take the helm of Sightsavers’ UK board of trustees, taking over from Martin Dinham, who stepped down after four years in the role.
Tearfund
In December 2019, Tearfund appointed David Wesson as a Board Trustee Director. David is the CEO of City Gateway.
Transparency International UK
In October 2019, Daniel Bruce took over as the organisations new Chief Executive. He will take the reins from Robert Barrington who has overseen TI-UK’s growth and development since 2008.
Visionfund International
VisionFund International announced the appointment of a new Member to its Board of Directors in June 2019; Petronella Dhitima, Founder and Managing Director of Mustard Seed Advisory.
World Vision International
In February 2019, Andrew Morley became the President and CEO of World Vision International, having previously been Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Collaboration Officer. Andrew joined World Vision after leading and building successful digital businesses across the internet, retail, technology, telecommunications, financial services and media sectors. Immediately before joining World Vision, he was a partner in a private equity investment group and a Global Trustee at Christian Aid. He was also Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel Advertising UK.
Volunteering Matters
In July 2019, Paul Reddish was appointed as Volunteering Matters new Chief Executive after Oonagh Aitken retired after five years in the role. Paul joined from ProjectScotland where he was CEO, and has also worked in the Finance Sector, leading teams to drive engagement and growth at Royal Bank of Scotland Group.
2019 also saw the appointment of Lord Freud, the former Conservative minister, as Volunteering Matters’ new President, replacing Lord Levy.
WWF
In September 2019, Katie White OBE and Kate Norgrove were appointed as a job share to lead the WWF’s Advocacy and Campaigns Department.
Saxton Bampfylde
Trusted Leadership Advisors in International Development
Saxton Bampfylde is driven by our mission “to change the world by changing leaders in interesting and important organisations”. In our 34rd year, we are a fully employee-owned search firm and pride ourselves on working with some of the world’s most important values-driven organisations.
Our deep and long-standing experience in international development stretches over 25 years, during which time we have partnered with a wide variety of organisations across the sector, from UNICEF to DFID to DEC, and on a range of roles at both non-executive and executive level, finding some of today’s most influential Chairs, Chief Executives, Trustees, policy-makers and fundraisers.
As a founding member of a global community of handpicked independent firms, we have strength and network across the world of international development and a commitment to its aims.
Get in touch
For further details please contact Aidan Kennedy, Partner and Head of International Development