John Young has been appointed as the new Deputy Director of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the UK’s leading independent think-tank on international development and humanitarian issues. John has been Director of ODI’s Research and Policy in Development (RAPID) Group since 2001, managing the Institute’s work on the transformation of research into policy-making, and its partnerships portfolio. He will take up his new role on 4 January 2010.
ODI Director, Alison Evans, said:
"I am delighted that John Young is taking up this new and vital position.
"As ODI prepares to mark its 50th anniversary, John will play a key role in ensuring that we remain a think tank that is effective and efficient in everything it does. John brings a unique combination of skills and experience to this post. His leadership skills, combined with his first-hand experience in transforming research into action, will help ODI continue to do what it does best: bringing rigorous research and analysis to policy makers at the right time and in the right way in support of international development."
Since joining ODI in May 2001, John Young has been involved in projects on decentralisation and rural services, information and information systems, strengthening southern research capacity, and the relationship between research and policy. John joined ODI after five years in Indonesia where he managed a project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to promote decentralised, client-centred livestock services.
John Young said:
"This new role will have one main focus: to ensure that ODI works as effectively as possible on behalf of the world’s poor. ODI is reviewing the way in which it does business internally and with its partners, and I am looking forward to working alongside Alison to lead the Institute through this process. My role in the RAPID Programme has explored how think tanks can maximise the impact of their work, and I look forward to using that experience to benefit ODI as a whole, to make it a truly great global development think tank".
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
The Deputy Director will manage ODI’s strategic operations including information systems, human resources, internal monitoring and evaluation and the RAPID Programme. The Deputy Director will also play an active part in the restructuring of ODI's operations which continues into next year.
ODI’s Research and Policy in Development (RAPID) Programme works with partners in developing and developed countries to turn research-informed evidence into action. More information can be found here.
A high resolution photo of John Young is available from ODI.
ODI is Britain's leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. Our mission is to inspire and inform policy and practice which lead to the reduction of poverty, the alleviation of suffering and the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries. We do this by locking together high quality applied research, practical policy advice, and policy-focused dissemination and debate. We work with partners in the public and private sectors, in both developing and developed countries.
ODI is ranked as the leading non-US think tank for international development in Foreign Policy magazine's 2009 think tank index. For full listings visit:http://tinyurl.com/think-tank-index
For further information, please contact:
Leah Kreitzman, Media Officer, on +44 (0) 20 7922 0431 or +44 (0) 7843276909,
email:[email protected]