Caroline Vandenabeele

Caroline Vandenabeele is an international executive level strategist, leader, and change manager. An experienced high level, interdisciplinary, and intercultural teams leader and Chief of Party with a focus on policy and organizational development, peace building, governance, rule of law, citizen engagement, political transition, and inclusion, she has 30 years working experience in international development. She has extensive experience in establishing and leading multi-donor trust funds and facilities. She has lived and worked nearly 30 years in Asia where she has worked with the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations, multi-donor trust funds (including funded by FCDO, DANIDA, Swiss), and for DFAT. She has lived in Thailand (5rys), the Philippines (10+yrs), Nepal (6+yrs) and Myanmar (3yrs) and has worked extensively in South-East Asia (Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam), the Mindanao region of the Philippines, and in South-Asia – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. She has an extensive network throughout the Asia-Pacific Region. Caroline has well recognized experience in overall strategic and development planning and long-standing expertise working in fragile, conflict, and post-conflict environments. She has a track-record in successful strategic policy dialogue on politically sensitive matters with a wide range of stakeholders and influencing the public policy agenda. She has a track-record of initiating innovative research and translating the findings into workable programs and policy initiatives. She is well recognized for her high level of analytical thinking, followed by action and has the ability to fluidly switch from strategic to tactical tasks. She has extensive experience with responsive and adaptive program design and management. Caroline is recognized as a diplomatic senior liaison and coordinator to internal, partner, governmental, donors and civil society stakeholders. She has proven her ability to support leaders and policy-makers at the highest levels, manage complex political situations, facilitate dialogue among multiple stakeholders, and balance competing goals and limited resources. Caroline is well regarded for her capacity to engage with a very wide range of stakeholders: top tier and local government officials; top officials in constitutional bodies; but also grass root organizations, colleagues in the wider international community, and top academics. She takes pride in her capacity to translate difficult concepts and ideas in ways that are understandable and accessible to all. As a Team Leader/Chief of Party, Caroline has built, managed, restructured, and coached teams in difficult circumstances. Employers seek her out for her expertise and skill in bringing together people from different backgrounds into one effective and efficient team with a shared vision, shared measurable objectives, and common, mutually supportive work ethics. She is skilled at growing teams through maturity stages (e.g. start-up to establishment). Caroline believes in human progress for all, on the basis of universal values, and has a high level commitment to using her knowledge and skills to support more equitable access to resources, goods, services and opportunities for all people alike. She has been recognized by colleagues and peers as an agile, reflective, results-oriented, and principles-based manager, able to constructively speak truth to power and actively promote staff and peer development.