The United Nations has yet to make history by appointing a woman secretary-general, but that doesn't mean women aren't already leading elsewhere in development. Devex took a look at the largest bilateral aid agencies to see how many of them are led by women.

1. THE WOMENLEADING THE WORLD'S LARGEST
BILATERAL AID AGENCIES

2. Women continue to hold fewer
leadership roles than men in
international development.

3. A Devex analysis in 2014 on gender
parity among 50 leading
international NGOs showed women
make up 44 percent of senior-level
executives at headquarters and
27 percent in regional offices.

4. Devex wondered whether this
applied to the heads of bilateral
aid agencies.
To find out, we identified the
leaders of the main implementing
agencies of the 10 largest OECD-
DAC bilateral donors.

5. In instances when development
cooperation falls under a country’s
broader ministry of foreign affairs,
Devex chose the leaders that
specifically handle the international
development portfolio. Also
included in the list are the women
leading the bilateral donors'
development finance institutions.

6. Gayle Smith was involved in shaping U.S. aid policy
long before she came on board as head of USAID.
She co-founded the Modernizing Foreign Assistance
Network to advocate for more effective U.S. aid, and
helped create the 2010 Presidential Policy Directive
on Global Development during her time at the
National Security Council.
G A Y L E S M I T H
A D M I N I S T R A T O R , U . S . A G E N C Y F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L
D E V E L O P M E N T
Credit:EllieVanHoutte/USAID/CCBY-NC

7. Smith has a number of plans for the aid agency,
including strengthening USAID’s policy bureau and
ensuring the continuation of President Barack
Obama’s Feed the Future initiative through the
Global Food Security Act. The latter became law in
July, but how much time Smith has to achieve her
other goals remains to be seen, given the eminent
changes that accompany a new U.S. administration.
Credit:EllieVanHoutte/USAID/CCBY-NC
G A Y L E S M I T H
A D M I N I S T R A T O R , U . S . A G E N C Y F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L
D E V E L O P M E N T

8. D A N A H Y D E
C E O , M I L L E N N I U M C H A L L E N G E C O R P .
Dana Hyde broke two traditions when she became
CEO of MCC in 2014: she’s the first woman to lead
the development aid agency, and she’s the first to
have a legal, not business, background.
Credit:BenediktvonLoebell/WorldEconomicForum/CCBY-NC-SA

9. Hyde began talking about MCC’s future as soon as
she assumed the position, and early this year, she
finally put her thoughts in NEXT, the aid agency’s
new five-year strategic plan. But with little time on
her hands, experts are questioning where Hyde’s
priorities will lie for the remainder of her term, which
coincides with outgoing U.S. President Barack
Obama.
Credit:BenediktvonLoebell/WorldEconomicForum/CCBY-NC-SA
D A N A H Y D E
C E O , M I L L E N N I U M C H A L L E N G E C O R P .

10. At Elizabeth Littlefield’s swearing-in ceremony in
2010, then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
talked of her "passion for creating possibilities where
others only see obstacles," referring to the initiatives
Littlefield had taken on prior to the role.
E L I Z A B E T H L I T T L E F I E L D
P R E S I D E N T A N D C E O ,
O V E R S E A S P R I V A T E I N V E S T M E N T C O R P .
Credit:MirkoRies/WorldEconomicForum/CCBY-NC-SA

11. While working for J.P. Morgan, Littlefield engaged in
a number of passion projects, mostly for women.
She started a program that brought Wall Street food
to elderly women in Harlem, and used her annual
leaves to volunteer in setting up and bringing
microfinance to women in Africa.
Credit:MirkoRies/WorldEconomicForum/CCBY-NC-SA
E L I Z A B E T H L I T T L E F I E L D
P R E S I D E N T A N D C E O ,
O V E R S E A S P R I V A T E I N V E S T M E N T C O R P .

12. At OPIC, Littlefield faced a number of challenges,
not least of which was operating with a small team
to handle a multibillion dollar portfolio. But she’s
made strides: growing the organization’s
commitments in sub-Saharan Africa while
generating income for the U.S. government that
reached over $400 million in 2013.
Credit:MirkoRies/WorldEconomicForum/CCBY-NC-SA
E L I Z A B E T H L I T T L E F I E L D
P R E S I D E N T A N D C E O ,
O V E R S E A S P R I V A T E I N V E S T M E N T C O R P .

13. P R I T I P A T E L
U . K . S E C R E T A R Y O F S T A T E , D F I D
When new U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May
appointed Priti Patel as the new head of DfID in July,
concerns abound in the aid community, especially
as Patel has previously been critical of the agency’s
aid spending. She’s also a vocal supporter of Brexit.
Credit:MichaelDean/OECD/CCBY-NC

14. But in her first parliamentary hearing in September,
Patel put some of the U.K. aid community’s
concerns to rest regarding the U.K.’s support to the
European Development Fund. She also said she’ll
uphold former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron’s
commitment to spend 0.7 percent of the country’s
GNI on aid and “uphold” her predecessor’s focus on
women and girls.
Credit:MichaelDean/OECD/CCBY-NC
P R I T I P A T E L
U . K . S E C R E T A R Y O F S T A T E , D F I D

15. D I A N A N O B L E
C E O , C D C G R O U P P L C
Diana Noble sat at the helm of CDC in 2011 at a
pivotal moment for the U.K.’s development finance
institution. Following a push from the head of DfID
and the International Development Committee, she
was tasked with refocusing the institution to make it
work more like a development institution helping lift
people out of poverty in developing countries rather
than merely an investment company.
Credit:CDCGroupplc

16. Today, CDC is acknowledged as helping create jobs
in some of the poorest places in the world, including
in Africa and South Asia, and for helping businesses
and entrepreneurs there gain access to capital and
other business know-how. In 2015, CDC also received
its first new capital from DfID after 20 years, which
CDC Chairman Graham Wrigley attributed to
Noble’s “energy and passion.
Credit:CDCGroupplc
D I A N A N O B L E
C E O , C D C G R O U P P L C

17. Noble will be leaving CDC in 2017, and the
development finance institution is now in the
process of finding a new CEO.
Credit:CDCGroupplc
D I A N A N O B L E
C E O , C D C G R O U P P L C

18. A N N A R Y O T T
M A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R A N D C E O , S W E D F U N D
Anna Ryott’s career is full of twists and turns. She
began as a financial analyst in the pharmaceutical
industry, followed by work in advertising for seven
years. After a while, she became interested in social
issues, eventually applying and securing a job at
UNICEF as marketing manager then at SOS
Children's Villages as secretary-general before taking
on the role of CEO at the Swedish government’s
development finance institution.
Credit:Swedfund

19. “I benefit from and feel joy about having done so
many different things in my career,” she said in an
interview with Stockholm University where she was
a keynote speaker on its Alumni Day in 2015. “Today
there are high demands on a leader which makes it
important to understand that one cannot do
everything yourself. You have to find your strengths,
be clear with them and build a strong team who
together develops the company in the right
direction.”
Credit:Swedfund
A N N A R Y O T T
M A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R A N D C E O , S W E D F U N D

20. L I L I A N N E P L O U M E N
M I N I S T E R F O R F O R E I G N T R A D E A N D D E V E L O P M E N T
C O O P E R A T I O N , N E T H E R L A N D S M I N I S T R Y O F F O R E I G N
A F F A I R S
Lilianne Ploumen, who has been the Netherlands’
foreign trade and aid minister since 2012, has put
combating income inequality at the heart of her
2016 policy agenda, where she earmarked 35 million
euros ($38.6 million) to promote inclusive economic
growth in developing countries where Dutch aid is
present.
Credit:HervéCortinat/OECD/CCBY-NC

21. “Inequality is truly the mother of all crises,” she said
in an opinion piece for The Guardian early this year.
“Whether it is conflict, climate change, economic
stagnation or migration flows, inequality is always a
major underlying cause.”
Credit:HervéCortinat/OECD/CCBY-NC
L I L I A N N E P L O U M E N
M I N I S T E R F O R F O R E I G N T R A D E A N D D E V E L O P M E N T
C O O P E R A T I O N , N E T H E R L A N D S M I N I S T R Y O F F O R E I G N
A F F A I R S

22. C O N C E T T A F I E R R A V A N T I - W E L L S
M I N I S T E R F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T A N D
T H E P A C I F I C , D E P A R T M E N T O F F O R E I G N A F F A I R S
A N D T R A D E A U S T R A L I A
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells is known in Australian
politics for her conservative views. She strongly
voiced her opposition against same sex marriage in
Australia, for example, saying marriage is a religious
ceremony between a woman and man.
Credit:DepartmentofForeignAffairsandTrade

23. “Conservatism is still a dirty word for some,” she said
in an interview at the National Press Club. “If you
believe in god, there is a cross against your name. If
you believe in the traditional family and oppose
same sex marriage — another cross. If you support
our current constitutional arrangements, another
cross. Goodness, if you believe that CO2 is plant food,
two crosses.”
Credit:DepartmentofForeignAffairsandTrade
C O N C E T T A F I E R R A V A N T I - W E L L S
M I N I S T E R F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T A N D
T H E P A C I F I C , D E P A R T M E N T O F F O R E I G N A F F A I R S
A N D T R A D E A U S T R A L I A

24. “People may not agree with you, but they will
respect you more if you stand up for what you
believe in,” she said in a separate interview with SBS,
Australia’s publicly funded multimedia platform.
Credit:DepartmentofForeignAffairsandTrade
C O N C E T T A F I E R R A V A N T I - W E L L S
M I N I S T E R F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T A N D
T H E P A C I F I C , D E P A R T M E N T O F F O R E I G N A F F A I R S
A N D T R A D E A U S T R A L I A

25. Marie-Claude Bibeau has a deep understanding and
knowledge of Canada’s foreign assistance. She used
to work for the defunct Canadian International
Development Agency, serving in different postings in
Africa.
M A R I E - C L A U D E B I B E A U
M I N I S T E R O F I N T E R N A T I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T
A N D L A F R A N C O P H O N I E , G L O B A L A F F A I R S C A N A D A
Credit:GlobalAffairsCanada

26. Bibeau is carrying forward the former conservative
government’s aid initiatives, from a focus on
maternal and child health to seriously considering
the establishment of Canada’s own development
finance institution. She is cautious in committing to
any percentages though when it comes to Canada’s
aid spending.
Credit:GlobalAffairsCanada
M A R I E - C L A U D E B I B E A U
M I N I S T E R O F I N T E R N A T I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T
A N D L A F R A N C O P H O N I E , G L O B A L A F F A I R S C A N A D A

27. T A N J A G Ö N N E R
C H A I R , M A N A G E M E N T B O A R D O F G I Z
GIZ was in its early years when Tanja Gönner joined
the agency in 2012. The German government had
just merged three of its technical cooperation
agencies under the GIZ brand the previous year,
meaning Gönner took charge of a much larger
organization. that’s now the main provider of
Germany’s technical cooperation.
Credit:Chiussi/AgenturStandArt/CCBY-NC

28. In her first annual press conference in 2013 as chair
of GIZ’s management board, Gönner spoke of a GIZ
that’s expanded its focus to include not just
developing countries, but also emerging and
industrialized economies like Saudi Arabia, where
GIZ experts trained vocational school teachers.
Credit:Chiussi/AgenturStandArt/CCBY-NC
T A N J A G Ö N N E R
C H A I R , M A N A G E M E N T B O A R D O F G I Z

29. Under Gönner’s leadership, GIZ has opened offices in
the U.S. and South Africa. Last year, the agency also
celebrated the inauguration of its carbon neutral
Bonn office.
Credit:Chiussi/AgenturStandArt/CCBY-NC
T A N J A G Ö N N E R
C H A I R , M A N A G E M E N T B O A R D O F G I Z