Who made moves: January's jobs and appointments in global development
There is a new top World Health Organization official in the Americas and we look at other high-level job moves, leadership changes, and executive appointments in global development in January.
The World Health Organization welcomed a new top official to its ranks. The global health outfit’s board appointed Brazilian Jarbas Barbosa as regional director for the Americas and he will take on his new role effective Feb. 1. Barbosa was chosen to serve as director of the Pan American Health Organization, which is also WHO’s Regional Office for the Americas, in September 2022. At WHO, he takes over from Carissa Etienne, who had occupied the position for a decade. Here’s a look at other high-level job moves, leadership changes, and executive appointments in global development in January. NGOs Plan International USA has appointed Shanna Marzilli as president and CEO. Marzilli is familiar with the top job as she served in the role in an interim capacity in 2021 before she was appointed the organization’s chief operating officer in April 2022. Zohra Zori is the new chief marketing and engagement officer at Alight, the humanitarian agency formerly known as the American Refugee Committee. She was previously a vice president of influence at Candid. ClimateWorks Foundation has appointed Illyasha Peete as its chief of equity, justice, and culture. The foundation has also tapped Michael Bosse to be deputy vice president and Shelagh Whitley to be senior director of sustainable finance. Alexander Pym joins Wellcome Trust as a new director of infectious disease. He was previously senior director of global public health research and development at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Somachi Chris-Asoluka will become the new chief executive officer at The Tony Elumelu Foundation effective March 1. This is a promotion from her current role as director of partnerships and communications. Liesbet Steer will be the next president and CEO of the Education Development Center. She joins EDC from the Education Commission. Steer will start her new job in March. United Nations Dane Inger Andersen of Denmark has had her time as executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, or UNEP, extended to a second four-year term until June 14, 2027, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Garry Conille has taken on a new role as regional director at UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean. Edith Heines has moved to Rome to take a new role as director of the Cash-based Transfers Division at the World Food Programme. She was previously the country director in Kigali. Finance Chris Chijiutomi is the new managing director and head for Africa at British International Investment, or BII, the country’s development finance institution. He was previously managing director and head of infrastructure equity at the organization. The Association of European bilateral Development Finance Institutions, or EDFI, has tapped Colin Buckley as interim general manager. He succeeds Søren Peter Andreasen until a permanent replacement is recruited.
The World Health Organization welcomed a new top official to its ranks. The global health outfit’s board appointed Brazilian Jarbas Barbosa as regional director for the Americas and he will take on his new role effective Feb. 1.
Barbosa was chosen to serve as director of the Pan American Health Organization, which is also WHO’s Regional Office for the Americas, in September 2022. At WHO, he takes over from Carissa Etienne, who had occupied the position for a decade.
Here’s a look at other high-level job moves, leadership changes, and executive appointments in global development in January.
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Omar Mohammed is a Foreign Aid Business Reporter based in New York. Prior to joining Devex, he was a Knight-Bagehot fellow in business and economics reporting at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has nearly a decade of experience as a journalist and he previously covered companies and the economies of East Africa for Reuters, Bloomberg, and Quartz.
