Who's who in #globaldev: February 2018 appointments

FinDev Canada Canada’s first development finance institution, FinDev Canada, has appointed a managing director. Paul Lamontagne, founding CEO and long-time chair of Enablis Financial Corporation, an impact fund that supports small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa, will be taking the helm of the new institution, which was established in 2017 with an initial capital of 300 million Canadian dollars to provide financial services to the private sector in developing countries. It will operate under Export Development Canada, the country’s export credit agency. Lamontagne’s appointment is a significant milestone for the institution, which is still in the early stages of development. Among his priorities is expanding the team, refining the institution’s operational strategy, and engaging with key stakeholders in and outside Canada, according to a news release. “With Paul’s deep knowledge of impact investing in emerging markets, his guidance will help accelerate the building of the team, the organization, and the launch of activities to help deliver on its mandate,” said Board Chair Benoit Daignault. In a statement, Lamontagne said he is excited but also conscious of the responsibilities that come with his new position, aware that “the world will definitely be watching” as he establishes FinDev Canada’s foundations. He underscored that gender will be a critical focus of its core business strategy. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s new malaria program director has a long history with malaria. Philip Welkhoff previously serves as senior director of research at the Institute for Disease Modeling, which makes use of innovative software tools to understand disease patterns, circulation, and transmission to assist in global efforts toward their eradication. As a child, he frequently suffered from malaria, which led to his interest in the disease. At the University of Texas and Princeton, he applied what he learned from his doctorate in applied and computational mathematics to malaria disease transmission. In 2009, he received a Special Achievement Award by a Hertz Fellow for his work on malaria modeling. Apart from this, he’s also been an external reviewer and a pro bono external advisor for the Gates Foundation’s programs. “The world desperately needs new tools and strategies to fight malaria, and I believe Philip’s leadership in this area will help maximize the impact of global malaria investment and sustain international commitment to creating a malaria-free world,” said Trevor Mundel, president of global health at Gates. United Nations U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ February appointments include: • Mami Mizutori of Japan as assistant secretary-general and his special representative for disaster risk reduction at the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction • Jamie McGoldrick of Ireland as deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and U.N. resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory • Dereje Wordofa of Ethiopia as deputy executive director for programs of the U.N. Population Fund • Lisa Filipetto of Australia as head of the U.N. support office in Somalia • Martin Griffiths of the United Kingdom as his special envoy for Yemen Also last month, UN Women appointed renowned activist Jaha Dukureh of The Gambia as its first regional goodwill ambassador for Africa. Dukureh, CEO and founder of the NGO Safe Hands for Girls, has been a leading voice on ending female genital mutilation and child marriage, particularly in Africa. “These issues are personal to me; they’re part of my life history,” she said of the announcement. Dukureh is an FGM survivor and was forced to marry at the age of 15. She was named by Time magazine as among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. Global Green Growth Institute Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is the new president and chair of the Seoul-based intergovernmental organization Global Green Growth Institute. He will be serving in the role for two years. “Under Mr. Ban’s leadership, governments of the world agreed on concrete goals and targets necessary for achieving a more sustainable and inclusive future. The climate change targets agreed under the Paris Agreement and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are rightly recognized among the world’s greatest diplomatic successes. His vision and leadership will help GGGI deliver even greater impact in our mission supporting member governments to achieve the ambitions set out under the SDGs and the Paris Agreement,” said Frank Rijsberman, GGGI’s director general, in a news release sent to Devex. Islamic Development Bank Mohammed Al Ammari will be interim head of The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, a multilateral development finance institution that is part of the Islamic Development Bank Group. The announcement follows the departure of Khaled Al Aboodi, its CEO and general manager, who is moving on to lead the government-owned Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company. Mothers2mothers International nonprofit mothers2mothers has appointed a new director for its North America operations. Ellen Peck, who has more than two decades of experience in resource mobilization, development, and crisis response, will oversee its U.S. operations and will be building her team in New York to raise funding for mothers2mothers programs across Southern and Eastern Africa. Peck is succeeding m2m co-founder Robin Smalley, who held the position for 13 years but is now moving to become the organization’s “chief connector,” developing special projects while continuing to support the organization’s fundraising, partnership development, advocacy, and program strategy. Imperial College London David Nabarro, who has held various roles within the U.N. system, including as former special advisor to the U.N. secretary-general on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change, will be joining Imperial College London as professor within its Institute of Global Health Innovation. “I am so pleased that we have been able to attract Dr Nabarro to Imperial. His wisdom, experience and expertise will be a great asset to the College and the IGHI as we advance our health and well-being research and education strategy,” said Alice Gast, professor and president of Imperial College London, in a news release. High-level Commission on NCDs In February, the World Health Organization finalized the list of co-chairs and members of the High-Level Commission on Noncommunicable Diseases. Here’s the full line-up and Devex’s story in the lead up to the high-level meeting. Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves In April, Radha Muthiah will be stepping down as CEO of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves to lead the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C. Read this exclusive interview to learn more about why she is making the switch.