Changing of the guard — key leadership changes in the past year
A number of key development institutions named or announced new leaders in 2019. We've compiled some of the biggest and most controversial ones.
It's been a tumultuous year for U.K. aid.
The Department for International Development changed leaders thrice this year, from Penny Mordaunt to Rory Stewart to Alok Sharma.
And now, the future of DFID looks uncertain, with concerns that Prime Minister Boris Johnson may merge DFID with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
With aid-skeptic Boris Johnson’s Conservative party securing a decisive majority in Thursday’s election, the future of @dfid_uk remains uncertain. https://t.co/irW48u4QC9
— Devex (@devex) December 13, 2019
David Malpass, a former Trump administration official, assumed leadership of the World Bank in April.
Malpass has taken a softer line on some of Trump's most outspoken positions, such as climate change, lending to China, and multilateral cooperation.
But his preference for country-focused programs has prompted questions of whether the bank will sustain its development leadership during his tenure.
Kristalina Georgieva capped a rapid rise through development leadership ranks, moving from the World Bank to become the International Monetary Fund's managing director in October.
Georgieva appears poised to extend former IMF chief Christine Lagarde's emphasis on using the fund’s fiscal tools to reduce inequality, tackle fragility, and promote human capital investments.
“You want to be rich tomorrow? Invest in your people today.”
Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao's resignation sparked rumors of a potential Chinese candidate challenging the bank’s leadership.
But that never materialized, and Masatsugu Asakawa, special advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the only candidate, will take over in January 2020.
Observers will be watching to see how he approaches ADB's relationship with China.
Winnie Byanyima emerged victorious in the rigorous selection process for the UNAIDS leadership, where she was the only female candidate.
She succeeds Michel Sidibé, who resigned following controversy over his leadership at UNAIDS.
Byanyima will be closely watched to see how she addresses the many issues hounding the embattled organization.
Yannick Glemarec started as the Green Climate Fund's new executive director after a turbulent board meeting in 2018, where his predecessor Howard Bamsey resigned, and ahead of the fund's first replenishment in October 2019.
The GCF eventually exceeded its replenishment target of $9.3 billion, but several big donors such as the U.S. and Australia didn't pledge new money.
Qu Dongyu, China's former vice minister of agriculture and rural affairs, started in August as the head of the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization.
Qu's election was marred with controversy, with the U.S. actively lobbying against Qu.
There were also reports of China using investments under its Belt and Road Initiative to win countries' support for its candidate.
The Millennium Challenge Corp. was without a Senate-approved CEO for more than two years and cycled through four leaders before Sean Cairncross was finally confirmed in June.
Cairncross was originally nominated in January 2018, but his nomination languished as some senators objected to his nomination.
Mark Suzman will succeed Sue Desmond-Hellmann as CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private foundation.
Whereas Desmond-Hellmann brought a medical background to the role, Suzman brings expertise in policy, media, and advocacy, which the foundation needs to extend its reach beyond what it can directly fund with its $50 billion endowment.
How can philanthropy "catalyze action that otherwise might not have happened?" Mark Suzman, chief strategy officer and incoming CEO at the Gates Foundation, speaks to Devex Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar about the future of philanthropy.
Inger Andersen, a Danish economist and environmentalist, became executive director of the UN Environment Programme in June.
Her predecessor, Erik Solheim, was criticized for excessive travel expenditures and other internal rule-breaking.
There have since been reforms within UNEP, and Andersen told Devex the organization is now making sure staff are following U.N. policies and regulations.
Koen Doens is the new director-general of the European Commission's Department for International Cooperation and Development, or DEVCO.
Doens, who took over from Italian Stefano Manservisi, is well-regarded in EU development circles as a safe pair of hands who knows the details on sensitive files such as the Post-Cotonou talks with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group.
“There’s a lot of activity happening in Africa. 80% of young people want to be entrepreneurs. If we look at the dynamism of what is happening (...) I mean, this is incredibly important, and that is where Europe and Africa need to link up.” @KoenDoens at the #EurAfricanForum. pic.twitter.com/swS7Bxo6Z1
— EurAfrican Forum (@EurafricanF) July 12, 2019
Alex Hawke started in May as Australia's minister for international development and the Pacific — a region Hawke called "our home."
He is leading Australia’s high-priority "step-up" engagement in the Pacific on a number of fronts, including aid and defense. He also serves as assistant minister for defense.
Vince Chadwick, Catherine Cheney, Michael Igoe, Sara Jerving, and Adva Saldinger contributed reporting to this article. Production: Mariane Samson
Credits: Marvin Meyer on Unsplash; DFID/Anna Dubuis; Suzanne Plunkett/Chatham House; Patrick Gorman/ODI; UN/Violaine Martin; World Bank; IMF Staff/Stephen Jaffe; UN Women/Ryan Brown; REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon; FAO; REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal; World Economic Forum; UN/Mark Garten; Koen Doen; Alex Hawke
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