Who's who in #globaldev: April 2018 executive appointments

US government Former Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo is new United States secretary of state. He replaces Rex Tillerson, who had a much publicized departure from the White House in early March. Pompeo’s appointment has received mixed reactions from the development aid community, as Devex reported. His closeness to President Donald Trump could signal strong support from the White House on policies he aims to advance in his new role, but there are concerns on him taking on similarly hardline views on foreign policy issues — including aid. Meanwhile, Dr. Kenneth Staley is the new head of the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative. In his role as global malaria coordinator, he will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating all U.S. government work in combating malaria. Prior to the appointment, Staley did consultancy work with McKinsey & Company, where he worked on public health crisis response, including those involving Ebola and the Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus. He was also director at Medtronic, and adviser on strategy and business development at health-tech company Kinsa. Earlier on in his career, he worked with the U.S. Department of State and the White House on counterproliferation and biodefense policy. Organizations combating malaria have welcomed his appointment. “Dr. Staley has a strong track-record of protecting U.S. citizens and advancing U.S. global health security, and we look forward to working with him at this critical juncture in the malaria fight,” said Martin Edlund, CEO of Malaria No More. World Bank The World Bank Group has a new chief economist: Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, Elihu professor of economics at Yale University. Goldberg has had a long career in academia and has taken on several leadership positions in economic circles. She’s vice president of the American Economic Association and was editor-in-chief of their flagship publication, the American Economic Review, until 2017. “Penny has spent her career examining many of the most complex issues that affect developing countries, and she will help answer the most important — and difficult — questions of our time: How to help developing countries prepare for the economy of the future, and how to ensure equality of opportunity everywhere in the world,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. The search for a new chief economist came after Paul Romer’s sudden departure in January, following a controversial interview with The Wall Street Journal in which he was quoted as criticizing bank processes and methodologies. After his exit, reports emerged of his rocky tenure at the bank. Plan International Serap Altinisik is the new head of the Plan International EU Liaison Office in Brussels. She joined the international NGO after taking on various positions at the European Women’s Lobby, where she was program director responsible for the organization’s fundraising and program strategy before taking on the new role this April. Gates Foundation Dr. Amy Pollack is joining the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in early May as director of its maternal, newborn and child health program. Pollack has over two decades of experience working in global health, both in the public and private sectors. She was president and CEO of EngenderHealth for 15 years and took leadership positions at both Covidien and Medtronic, serving as chief safety officer at the latter, overseeing their medical safety strategy and policy. “Amy brings deep experience in domestic and global health, strategy development, and in leading high-performing teams of technical experts,” said Chris Elias, the Gates Foundation’s president of global development. “She will play a central role in the foundation’s efforts to save the lives of women, newborns, and children around the world.” Chinese government An official from China’s National Development and Reform Commission will head the country’s new agency focused on foreign aid. Wang Xiaotao was appointed deputy director of NDRC in Dec. 2014 and was with the commission for over three decades. In his previous role as deputy director, he engaged with officials from numerous countries and other important domestic ministries, such as China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, this month, he’s been tasked to lead China’s State International Development Cooperation Agency. Little information has emerged on the agency’s functions so far, but it is expected to play a huge role in the government’s ambitious Belt and Road initiative. United Nations Early last month, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka tapped Purna Sen to fill a newly created position within the organization: executive coordinator and spokesperson on addressing sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination At the time of the announcement, Sen was director of policy division at UN Women. Among Sen’s new responsibilities: encouraging women to share their experiences of sexual harassment and assault, as well as finding examples of good practices, policies, and laws that deal with the issue, according to a news release. Sen is also expected to provide advice to the executive director and senior management team of UN Women and engage on issues related to gender-based discrimination, including those in the workplace. Other new appointments within the U.N.: • Christine Schraner Burgener of Switzerland as new U.N. special envoy on Myanmar. • Bola Adesola of Nigeria, CEO and managing director of Standard Chartered Nigeria, and Paul Polman of the Netherlands, CEO of Unilever, as vice-chairs of the board of the U.N. Global Compact. • Lieutenant General Elias Rodrigues Martins Filho of Brazil as force commander of the U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. • Marta Ruedas of Spain as new deputy special representative of the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq. • Major General Gebre Adhana Woldezgu of Ethiopia as new force commander of the U.N. Interim Security Force for Abyei.