Who's who in #globaldev: March 2017 appointments

World Food Programme David Beasley is the World Food Programme's new executive director. He will be succeeding Ertharin Cousin, whose current term expires this April. Beasley is a former governor of South Carolina and was a supporter of President Donald Trump during the U.S. presidential campaign. His appointment, announced last week by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and Food and Agricultural Organization Director-General José Graziano da Silva, is seen by some members of the aid sector as strategic given his close ties with influential people in the current administration. It could help stave off potential deep cuts to the agency, part of the U.N. family and wider humanitarian sector under threat of funding cuts in the current U.S. administration’s budget discussions. Much like the reactions fellow South Carolina politician Nikki Haley received on her appointment as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, some aid officials have raised concerns about the new WFP chief’s limited foreign policy experience, although he has done peacebuilding missions and development work globally, according to an FAO news release. Beasley’s appointment is also seen a step back amid a growing push for more competitive election processes for international positions at major organizations like the United Nations. Americans have led the WFP for more than two decades. Adam Smith International A former head of the British Council, Sir Martin Davidson, is stepping in as the new chairman of Adam Smith International. Davidson will be leading the organization as it goes through major structural and governance reforms following investigations that revealed its misuse of proprietary government information and fabricating beneficiary testimonies where U.K. aid money was involved. One of Davidson’s first tasks is launching the process of finding the organization’s next CEO, which he said could take at least six months. Layth Bunni, the organization’s long-term CEO, will soon be stepping down alongside the other ASI executives announced to retire in February following the controversy. Global Fund Sylvie Billion, deputy CFO and treasurer at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, will be interim chief financial officer at the multilateral organization. Billion will be stepping in after Daniel Camus retires from the role this month. “Sylvie will provide continued leadership and oversight for our financial operations,” said Mark Dybul, outgoing Global Fund executive director, in a news release. “Her experience in establishing core financial functions gives us an excellent basis to continue the implementation the new Global Fund strategy and provide stability to the Finance functions.” Concern Worldwide For the first time in its history, Concern Worldwide U.S. will be led by women across the organization’s three major leadership positions. The nonprofit’s board of directors announced mid-March the appointment of Joanna Geraghty, executive vice president of customer experience at JetBlue airways, as Concern U.S.’s new board chair, and Colleen Kelly from brand experience agency SET Creative as its new CEO. Both women’s leadership and experience in the private sector could further the organization in navigating partnerships between the nonprofit and the corporate sectors. “I am honored to pass the torch to Joanna and we are thrilled that she will have a dynamic counterpart in Colleen Kelly as Concern Worldwide U.S. moves boldly into its next generation of continued growth and expanded impact in the lives of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable,” said Thomas Moran, outgoing board chair of Concern Worldwide U.S., in a statement. “They share a relentless commitment to our mission and strong track records of innovation and transformational leadership in the private sector. Our succession planning efforts could not have yielded a better outcome for the future of this organization.” The two will be working alongside veteran aid worker Áine Fay, the nonprofit’s president. Management Sciences for Health After spending close to three decades working at pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., Marian Wentworth is venturing into the nonprofit sector as the new president and CEO of nonprofit Management Sciences for Health. In a recent Devex interview, Wentworth admitted it’s a big shift for her and she’s still in the early stages of learning more about the organization from staff, but she’s keen on exploring ways the organization can create a greater impact amid the organization’s limited resources. “It is as important to measure impact on investment for MSH as it is to measure return on investment in the business world. So the question I already ask every day is: what is the impact, is it needed, are we best positioned to deliver?” she said in the interview. Wildlife Conservation Society Paula Hayes is starting in her new position as executive vice president and chief of global resources at Wildlife Conservation Society. She joins the organization after taking on leadership roles at the Environmental Defense Fund, a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on environmental advocacy. “Paula was a transformational leader at EDF, overseeing significant financial growth and expanding its operations into Europe and Asia,” said Cristian Samper, WCS president and CEO, in a news release. “We welcome Paula to WCS where she will join a leadership team dedicated to protecting the world’s biodiversity.” Washington Global Health Alliance Dena Morris is starting in her new role this Monday as the new president and CEO of The Washington Global Health Alliance. She comes to the job after decades of working in public service, most recently as director at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a recent Devex interview, Morris said the position at WGHA was “most appealing” of all the positions she came across. “It’s easy to get to a place where you say: ‘Okay, I know all the players now. I’ve gone to all the networking events and I know everybody and now I’m done.’ Part of the value of this alliance is that it’s about constantly refreshing, recalibrating and even re-evaluating,” she said. Devex delivers cutting-edge insights and analysis to the leaders shaping and innovating the business of development. Make sure you don't miss out. Become a Devex Executive Member today.