Who's who in #globaldev: October 2015 executive appointments

Japan’s bilateral aid arm welcomed a new leader at the start of October. And he's promised to do his “utmost to foster trust and earn even more praise from both the international community and the Japanese people.” Succeeding Akihiko Tanaka, new Japan International Cooperation Agency President Shinichi Kitaoka previously served as president of the International University of Japan. He is also a former deputy permanent representative of Japan to the United Nations. Below are a few more major appointments in October across the international development community: European External Action Service Pedro Serrano De Haro Soriano is now deputy secretary-general for common security and defense policy and crisis response at EEAS. Soriano is a former EEAS managing director for crisis response operational coordination and principal adviser on external affairs to ex-European Council President Herman van Rompuy. He will assume his new post Nov. 1. FHI 360 Rasika Padmaperuma was promoted to chief financial officer of FHI 360 on Oct. 1. He was the organization's deputy CFO for more than a year and has more than two decades of financial management experience in international development. Micronutrient Initiative Joyce Banda and Phyllis Costanza have taken seats at the board of the Micronutrient Initiative. Banda is a former president of Malawi, and Costanza is CEO of UBS Optimus Foundation. United Nations Heidi Mendoza is the new undersecretary-general for the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services. The veteran public accountant, who has been an external auditor for the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization and International Labor Organization, will have a five-year nonrenewable term. U.S. Board for International Food and Agricultural Development Pamela K. Anderson and Gebisa Ejeta were appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama as members of BIFAD. Anderson is currently director of agricultural development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Ejeta, meanwhile, is a distinguished professor at Purdue University and executive director of the Purdue Center for Global Food Security. World Bank Group J. James Spinner was appointed as chair of the World Bank Group’s sanctions board. The U.S. national has been serving as member of the sanctions board since 2013 and was general counsel at the Inter-American Development Bank from 2000 to 2011. Know of any leadership changes at global development organizations? Let us know through the comment section below or email news@devex.com. Check out more insights and analysis for global development leaders like you, and sign up as an Executive Member to receive the information you need for your organization to thrive.