The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Leadership
Senior Leadership Team
Prior to joining UNOPS, she served as Minister of Justice and Public Security in Norway. Ms. Faremo began public service in 1979 and has held various senior-level positions for the Government of Norway, including Minister of Defence, Minister of Oil and Energy and Minister of Development Cooperation for the Norwegian Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She also brings a wealth of experience from the private sector and has sat on various advisory boards and associations throughout her career.
Beforehand, he worked for four years with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Mission in Bosnia and Herzogovina and spent five years with the United Nations Office in Ukraine. Before his UN career, Mr. Vanshelboim served in various capacities for the state and in the private sector. Since joining UNOPS, Mr. Vanshelboim has helped lead UNOPS through major transformations, firmly establishing UNOPS as central UN resource for providing peace and security, humanitarian, and development projects.
Before that Mr. Dainhi worked for Vivo Energy (Shell licensee in Africa) as Chief Operating Officer for Africa. He has also worked as Regional CEO and Managing Director for West Africa for Shell Oil Products, based in Ghana. Mr. Dainhi has been Board Director for several entities: the Business Council for Africa in the UK, Elton Oil International in Senegal, and Shell companies in Botswana, Kenya, Morocco and Namibia. He has also sat as Chairman of the Board for GEPACO in Tunisia, as well as Shell companies in Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritius, Senegal and Togo.
Before joining UNOPS, Ms. Marianne de la Touche held several leadership positions within LVMH from 2002 to 2017 in strategy and business development, audit and finance – the latest as Finance and Supply Chain Director for Moët Hennessy Iberia. Ms. Marianne de la Touche started her career with McKinsey & Company and most recently worked with Eurofins, an international life sciences company, as Senior Finance Director in charge of group controlling and shared service centres in emerging markets. She earned an advanced degree in finance at HEC Paris, France.
He began his career with the UN by supporting the UN Verification Mission in Angola. He then moved to UN Mine Action as Chief of Administration. In 2004, he joined the UNOPS Mine Action Unit in New York as a Portfolio Manager, where he oversaw programmes in Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Lebanon and Sudan. He was appointed UNOPS Country Representative in Kenya in 2006, and later became the Director of UNOPS Office in Jerusalem in 2011. In 2015, he was appointed Head of the Project Management and Infrastructure Centre of Excellence, retaining his role as Director in Jerusalem. Mr. O'Regan was appointed director of UNOPS Infrastructure and Project Management Group in 2017.
Beforehand, he worked at UNOPS from 1999 – 2003 as Assistant Director, Office of Legal and Procurement Support. Mr. Provenzano has also worked for UNDP, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN Secretariat during his twenty-plus years within the UN system.
Advisers to the Senior Leadership Team
He has more than 15 years of experience in media and communications, including nine years based in Africa. Before joining the UN, he was a journalist, reporting from three continents for publications such as the New York Times and The Guardian. He holds Masters Degrees in Environmental Science and Communications.
Before joining UNOPS, Ms. Higgs served as a member of the executive management team at Transparency International UK and was Director of the Business Integrity Programme – partnering with leading ethical UK companies and working with the private sector to advance the standards of business ethics globally. Ms. Higgs began her career as a lawyer in Sydney, Australia. She later moved into the field of business ethics and compliance. Having completed a Master of Laws at the University of Cambridge, Ms. Higgs returned to the UK in 2014 to become Head of Ethics and Compliance at Balfour Beatty, and subsequently at Tesco.
He joined the UN system in 2005 as an Audit Specialist. Since then, Mr. Lucas has led teams investigating corruption, fraud and related financial crimes, using technology to prevent and detect misconduct, as well as to counter cyber threats. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Macquarie University and a Masters degree from Tufts University. He is a Chartered Accountant.
