Who's who in #globaldev: June 2022 executive appointments

Michelle Bachelet, the high commissioner for human rights at the United Nations, has said she will not seek a new four-year term. Bachelet, a former president of Chile, sees her current term in office expire on Aug. 31. She had faced widespread criticism following a visit to China, with some saying that she had not done enough to challenge the government over alleged human rights abuses against the Uyghur population in the country’s Xinjiang region. But she has said her decision to step away had been taken before her visit to China. She is just the latest high commissioner for human rights not to serve the maximum of two full terms, with none of her predecessors doing so either. That’s just one example from a range of job moves, leadership changes, and executive appointments in the month of June. Civil society Frances Longley, the chief executive of ActionAid UK, is stepping down after 13 months in the role, saying that the charity “needs different skills to the ones I bring” to address its particular challenges. ActionAid UK has faced criticism for not taking sufficient action after a review early this year found “systematic racism” within the organization. Dutch women’s fund Mama Cash has announced Happy Mwende Kinyili as co-executive director. She comes to Mama Cash from UHAI, the East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative. Mama Cash said from now on it will have a model with one director based in the global south and the other in the Netherlands. Natasha Sakolsky will join reproductive health NGO Pathfinder International as the organization’s first chief of global services. Ronald Abraham, a co-founder of IDinsight, which supports evidence-gathering in the development sector, is leaving the organization after over 10 years. Anti-poverty advocacy group ONE Campaign has appointed Suzanne Granville as its executive director for North America. Before joining the ONE Campaign, Granville led issue and membership engagement programs at Americans United for Change, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, and the National Association of Letter Carriers. United Nations Nazila Ghanea has been nominated as the next U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. Ghanea is professor of international human rights law and director of international human rights programs at the University of Oxford. Ibrahim Thiaw has been appointed as interim head of the climate division at the U.N. Thiaw has served as the executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification since January 2019. Finance The Asian Development Bank has appointed Warren Evans as special senior adviser for climate change. Evans, an American national, has spent 40 years working in sustainable development and climate change, the bank said. The International Monetary Fund has appointed Krishna Srinivasan as director of the Asia and Pacific department. Srinivasan, an Indian national, has 27 years of experience with the institution. Infrastructure Global affairs think tank ODI has appointed Ricardo Fuentes-Nieva, formerly of Oxfam International, as director of its equity and social policy program. The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network, which campaigns for improvements in U.S. aid policy, has named Tod Preston as its new policy director. Preston was previously managing director of communications consultancy Finsbury Glover Hering, which recently underwent a merger and relaunched as FGS Global. Freedom House has named Tiseke Kasambala as director of Africa programs and Alessandra Pinna as director of Latin America and the Caribbean programs. The World Resources Institute, a global research organization, has announced a new leadership team with five managing directors at the helm: Adriana Lobo, Wanjira Mathai, Janet Ranganathan, Craig Hanson, and a fifth person yet to be named. The European Venture Philanthropy Association has appointed Leslie Johnston as chair. Johnston, CEO of the Laudes Foundation, replaces Steven Serneels. Global health John Nkengasong has announced members of his front office team at the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, including Jirair Ratevosian, Sandy Thurman, Veronica Davison, and Shanita Williams. Pharmaceuticals giant Merck, one of the main contributors to vaccine provision, has announced that Chirfi Guindo will lead marketing for Merck’s human health division. Jannie Oosthuizen will lead human health in the U.S. and Joe Romanelli will lead human health internationally. Foundations Peter Pereira Gray, one of U.K. civil society’s highest-paid professionals, is retiring from his role as managing partner and chief executive officer of Wellcome’s investments team. He received a pay package worth about £7.8 million last year. Matthew Grollnek is joining the Mastercard Foundation as lead for employability and the future of work. Grollnek has previously been a consultant on workplace practice, including for the foundation. Silicon Valley Community Foundation has hired Edward Wang as vice president of donor engagement. Wang was previously director of corporate social impact at social investor Tides Foundation. Private sector Chris Sharrock, a former British civil servant, is Microsoft’s new vice president for U.N. affairs and international organizations. Digital currency company Circle has hired Mercina Tillemann Perez to lead its impact arm. Neal Myrick is starting a new position as vice president of transformative philanthropy at Salesforce. Marshall Stowell, formerly of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, has launched an advocacy and communications company called Intentional. Africa Mateus Magala, a former vice president at the African Development Bank, is joining the Mozambican government as minister of transport and communications. Monica Geingos, the first lady of Namibia, was elected as president of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development. Europe The European Union has made a number of diplomatic appointments. Among them are Sandra Kramer, nominated to head the EU delegation to South Africa, and Petra Pereyra, nominated to head the EU delegation to Botswana and the Southern African Development Community. United States Beth Cameron, formerly of the U.S. National Security Council, is joining the U.S. Agency for International Development as senior adviser for global health security. United Kingdom The U.K. government has appointed Sarah Montgomery, formerly the U.K. trade and economic counselor in Washington, as special envoy to the Horn of Africa and Red Sea.