Who's who in #globaldev: October appointments

United Nations After a long and arduous process, the United Nations has finally selected its new secretary-general. On Oct. 13, the U.N. General Assembly officially appointed António Guterres, the former high commissioner for refugees, as the next head of the global body. Guterres was a clear U.N. Security Council favorite, consistently topping all six council straw polls. He defeated other high-profile candidates such as U.N. Development Program Administrator Helen Clark, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and late entrant Kristalina Georgieva, EU vice president for budget and human resources. Guterres will assume office in January 2017. He will be the ninth U.N. secretary-general, after Ban Ki-moon. World Bank After her seven-year stint at the European Commission, Kristalina Georgieva is returning to the World Bank, the institution she served in various capacities from 1993 to 2010. Georgieva, currently vice president for budget and human resource at the European Commission, will be starting in her new role in January 2017 as chief executive officer of the bank’s two public lending arms for low- and middle-income countries: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association. “She will be the strongest possible champion for the work of our dedicated staff in addressing the complex challenges faced by our partner countries,” World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a news release. Before her appointment, Georgieva was nominated by Bulgaria for the U.N. Secretary-General position. She was Bulgaria’s second nominee after UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova failed to win enough favor among members of the U.N. Security Council, as evidenced in the council’s straw polls. Asian Development Bank After a decade at the World Bank, Marvin Taylor-Dormond will become the new independent evaluation chief at the Asian Development Bank. Taylor-Dormond has a long-standing career with multilateral institutions, and a rich knowledge and experience in evaluating and establishing procedures and protocols. He was part of the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group. Prior to that, he helped set up the monitoring and evaluation capacities of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration. Taylor-Dormond succeeds Vinod Thomas, who retired from the post in August. “What we are going to apply is what I call a DEEP approach: a focus on delivery, effectiveness, efficiency and people,” he told Devex in an exclusive interview. Overseas Development Institute A former senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development will soon be leading the Overseas Development Institute. Alex Thier, who founded the consultancy firm Triple Helix, will be joining the U.K.-based think tank as its new executive director. He will start in his new role in early 2017. Thier succeeds Kevin Watkins, who stepped down from the position in June to become chief executive at Save the Children U.K. “Given the worldwide movement to end extreme poverty and leave no one behind and the challenges we face — from Syria to South Sudan, from migration to climate change — ODI’s mission and global reach is more important than ever,” Thier said in a statement following the announcement mid-October. Accion Global nonprofit Accion has officially made Kevin Saunders as the organization’s general counsel. Saunders has been serving as interim general counsel at the nonprofit since Mary Chaffin retired from the position in August. But in early October, Accion President and CEO Michael Schlein announced his promotion, noting Saunders’ “deep understanding” of their work on financial inclusion worldwide. “I’ve had the chance to work closely with Kevin on a number of complex issues over several years and I have a very high regard for his thoughtful advice and judgment,” Schlein said in a statement. MEDICC Nassim Assefi is now executive director at nonprofit Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba or MEDICC, which works to promote cooperation between the U.S., Cuba and global health communities. Assefi is best known in recent years for her work as director of stage content at TEDMED, an annual conference on health and medicine. A physician by profession, Assefi is also known in the human rights circle for her work in advocating for prisoners’ and asylum-seekers’ rights to medical care. She has a number of awards and accomplishments in her name, including the 2007 publication of Aria, a novel about a mother’s journey following the death of her child. “We are excited to welcome such an inspiring and accomplished person to lead MEDICC at this pivotal moment of renewed ties between the United States and Cuba,” MEDICC board chair Peter Bourne said in a statement. 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.