The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Leadership
The UNOPS Management Team is responsible for advising and supporting the Executive Director. This is in accordance with the organization's strategic plan, which is under the direction of the Executive Board.
Executive Office
Jorge Moreira da Silva joined UNOPS in April 2023. He has extensive experience working in the public and development sectors, with a strong focus on climate change, energy and the environment.
Previously, Mr. Moreira da Silva was the Director of the Development Co-operation Directorate at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and was Portugal’s Minister for the Environment, Territorial Planning and Energy, Secretary of State on Environment and Secretary of State on Science and Higher Education.
He also served as Senior Environmental Finance Adviser and as Programme Manager on Climate Change Innovative Finance at the UN Development Programme. As a member of the European Parliament, he authored the legislation that created the European Union Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme.
Mr. Moreira da Silva holds a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a postgraduate degree in Senior Management.
Sonja Leighton-Kone joined UNOPS in October 2023, bringing more than 25 years of experience in international development. She has served in many countries supporting humanitarian response efforts and countries in transition, along with regional and global roles focused on systems strengthening and organization transformational initiatives.
Before joining UNOPS, Ms. Leighton-Kone served as the UN Environment Programme's Corporate Services Director and Acting Deputy Executive Director, where she led strategic engagement with key stakeholders, and oversaw global environmental financing mechanisms, resource mobilization, risk management, information technology, and financial and human resources management.
Previously, Ms. Leighton-Kone also held several senior operations positions at UNICEF and worked for the World Food Programme. She holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Fordham Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor’s degree in Management Science from the University of the West Indies.
Kirstine Damkjaer was appointed UNOPS Deputy Executive Director – Delivery and Partnerships in May 2024. A Danish national, Ms. Damkjaer brings over 25 years of global senior-level management experience, including significant expertise in infrastructure, development finance and project implementation.
Ms. Damkjaer joins UNOPS from the Africa Finance Corporation, where she served as Non-Executive Director and committee chair of the multilateral financial institution alongside a wide range of other board and advisory leadership roles. Previously, Ms. Damkjaer served as Chief Executive Officer of the Danish Export Credit Agency and held several senior positions at the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank.
Ms. Damkjaer is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Aarhus, Denmark and certifications from MIT Sloan School of Management, Stanford University Graduate School of Business and IMD Business School.
Hilary Balbuena joined UNOPS in June 2023, bringing over 25 years of experience in leadership roles focused on strategic planning, budgeting, and financial and human resources management. She has dedicated her career to the work of leading international organizations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Interpol and the United Nations. As a trusted advisor in complex organizational change and transformations, she has led, and contributed to, many reform initiatives throughout her career. Most recently, she was Head of the Central Management Unit at the OECD's Development Co-operation Directorate. Prior to this, she was Head of Finance and Operations at Cities Alliance. Ms. Balbuena holds a Master of Business Administration from the Open University.
Regional Offices
Émilie Potvin joined UNOPS in 2021, bringing 20 years of experience in public policy and government affairs. Before joining UNOPS, Ms. Potvin was Director in the Public Policy and Government Relations Team at Uber, where she was responsible for working with governments, policymakers and other stakeholders across Asia – creating a positive case for change and advocating for smart technology and innovation. Before joining Uber, Ms. Potvin served as Vice President in Public Affairs and Stakeholder Relations at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce where she acted as Canada’s Sherpa to the B20 group. She also served as Chief of Staff to various ministers in the Canadian government and held a number of positions in the private sector. Ms. Potvin began her career as a Foreign Service Officer and holds an MBA in International Management from HEC Montréal.
Mr. Feliciani has held a range of senior management positions in his career, developing innovative practices in sustainable development, human rights, evaluation and oversight. In the 1990s, he managed a range of UNOPS portfolios, including in areas of Central America affected by war. Mr. Feliciani worked for ten years as an evaluator of projects, programmes and public policies for several UN entities, private firms, NGOs and governments. He re-joined UNOPS in 2012 as Regional Advisor for Sustainable Development for Latin America and the Caribbean, and from 2014 as Regional Director. Mr. Feliciani holds a Doctorate in Agriculture Sciences. He has also served as a professor of ecology, rural development and cooperation for development.
Ms. Gonçalves joined UNOPS in 2021 as Deputy Director for the Africa Region and was appointed Director for the Africa Region in April 2024. Prior to joining UNOPS, she held several managerial roles in the private sector in Africa, including Aggreko in Southern and Central Africa, SGS in Angola, and Bureau Veritas in Angola and Mozambique. Ms. Gonçalves holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Industrial Engineering from Beira Interior University, Portugal. She also completed postgraduate courses at Columbia Business School in Leading Strategic Growth and at Rutgers University in Managerial Excellence in Sales.
Ms. Kaloti has over 20 years of experience in the UN system, governmental and non-governmental sectors in humanitarian and development affairs. Prior to joining UNOPS in 2013 as the Sub-Regional Business Development Advisor in Amman, Ms. Kaloti worked for the Iraq Resident Coordinator, the UN Development Group Iraq Trust Fund-UNDP and the UN Children’s Fund in Palestine. Previously, Ms. Kaloti worked as a Senior Director at the General Directorate for Training and Administrative Development with the Palestinian Authority. She has also worked on technical assistance projects in Palestine, and served as a Board Member for a number of non-governmental organizations. Prior to her appointment as Director for the Middle East Region in 2015, Ms. Kaloti was the Director of the UNOPS Office in Amman.
Mr. Lardner has over 30 years of experience in the humanitarian and development sectors. He was appointed Director of Europe and Central Asia Region in April 2024, in addition to holding his position as UNOPS Country Director for Ukraine, Moldova and Poland. Previously, he was UNOPS Country Director for Somalia. Before joining UNOPS, Mr. Lardner served as Chief of the UN Mine Action Service in South Sudan as well as the UN Development Programme’s Chief Technical Advisor to the government of Lao PDR. In addition to significant experience with NGOs and the United Nations, he has also worked in private, academic and commercial sectors and holds a Master of Business Administration from Cranfield University and a Master of Arts in Global Diplomacy from the University of London.
Mr. Mathur joined UNOPS in 1995, where he spent four years working in sub-Saharan Africa as a Project Management Officer. He moved to UNOPS Asia Pacific Regional Office in Kuala Lumpur and then onto Bangkok, where he worked as Senior Portfolio Manager and Regional International Fund for Agricultural Development Cluster Coordinator. He was appointed Deputy Regional Director for Asia Pacific in 2007, before becoming Director and Representative for UNOPS Myanmar the following year. In 2015, Mr. Mathur began his new role as Director of Asia Region for UNOPS. His career began in France, where he worked in asset management. He also worked for Kraft Foods in New York, before accepting a position at the UN Development Programme in 1992 as the Head of the Consulting Services Unit.
Corporate Functions
Valerie Kushata was appointed Director of UNOPS People and Culture Group in November 2022 and brings with her more than 20 years of experience in operational and strategic human resources management. Prior to joining UNOPS, Ms. Kushata provided leadership on the development of people and culture at the World Wildlife Fund. Before this, Ms. Kushata worked for other international organizations including PATH, Oxfam and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Originally from Zimbabwe and a Permanent Resident of South Africa, she holds a Master of Business Administration in Leadership and Sustainability.
Nicole Jordan joined UNOPS in 2023 bringing over 25 years of private and public sector experience through her work in the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and the United States. Ms. Jordan previously held senior leadership roles at Goldman Sachs, Cable & Wireless and, most recently, the Caribbean Development Bank. Her work experience includes advising on procurement, project implementation, structured finance, derivative transactions, and telecommunications law and regulation. Ms. Jordan has also served as a member of a university council, a charity and the disciplinary committee of a sporting association. Ms. Jordan holds a Master of Law degree specializing in commercial law from the University of Cambridge.
Mr. Soll was appointed Chief Financial Officer in May 2024. He joined UNOPS from the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund in New York, where he served as Chief Financial Officer from 2012-2014, and more recently from 2017. From 2014-2017, Mr. Soll served as Deputy Director (Finance) for the UN Officer of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva. Prior to joining the UN, he worked for a number of international professional service providers within the private sector in the United States and in Europe, where he provided advice on change management, capital markets, financial reporting and project management.
Mr. Browne joined UNOPS in 2014 from UN Environment in Nairobi, Kenya. 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.
Freya von Groote joined UNOPS in 2019 as Director of UNOPS Multi-Country Office in Austria and was appointed Director (a.i.) of UNOPS Partnerships and Liaison Group in January 2025. Ms. von Groote brings with her close to 25 years of leadership and operational management experience from the UN, inter-governmental and non-governmental sectors. She has served in diverse locations, including Europe, the Middle East and West Africa, managing complex development, humanitarian and partnership portfolios. A native of Germany, Ms. von Groote holds a Master of Science in Economics in International Politics from the University of Aberystwyth, Wales.
Steven Crosskey is a civil engineer with over 30 years of experience in both the private and development sectors. Mr. Crosskey joined UNOPS in September 2014 and established the Strategic Initiatives team before becoming the Deputy Director for the Infrastructure and Project Management Group in 2020, and acting as Director in 2022. This was following working in Nairobi, Kenya for the previous two years with Mott MacDonald advising the Kenyan government.
Prior to this, he worked primarily in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and across East Africa, engaged in the planning and management of infrastructure projects involving urban and rural development initiatives. In addition, Mr. Crossey spent nine years with the World Food Programme in Sudan and South Sudan leading a road rehabilitation programme.
Anne-Claire Howard joined UNOPS in 2022, bringing over 17 years of experience in heavy industry and raw materials sustainability, good governance and responsible supply chain management. Prior to joining UNOPS, Ms. Howard advised multiple organizations on sustainable supply chains including the International Finance Corporation, Adam Smith International and Shell. Most recently she was the CEO of ResponsibleSteel, a global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative that aims to maximize the role of steel in building a sustainable society. A graduate of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and Science Po Paris, she is also a member of the first cohort of the Franco-British Young Leaders Network.
Tushar Dighe joined UNOPS in 2006 where he began as a Systems Architect. Since then he has worked in several capacities including, among others, Strategic Business Advisor, ICT Enterprise Reporting Lead and Director of the Business Innovation and Improvement Programme. In his latter role, Mr. Dighe led a team to help transform the administration of UNOPS operations through a more efficient, integrated set of processes, systems and reporting mechanisms. Today as Director, Mr. Dighe leads IT at UNOPS, bringing in a culture of innovation to deliver solutions for the organization beyond technology. Prior to joining UNOPS, Mr. Dighe co-founded an award winning business management software company and was Managing Director of a software company in India.
Yngvil Foss was appointed Director of UNOPS Risk and Compliance Group in January 2025, and served as Director (a.i) from April 2023. Prior to her appointment, she served as Head of the UN Portfolio in UNOPS Geneva. A Norwegian national, Ms. Foss joined the UN as Junior Professional Officer in 2005. Since then, she has held coordination and programme management roles in complex humanitarian emergencies for several UN organizations, including in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Ms. Foss holds a Master’s degree in International, Military and Strategic Studies from the Defense College in Rome as well as a Master’s in International Relations from the London School of Economics.
Rahul Malhotra was appointed Director of the New York Board and External Relations Office in July 2024 and brings with him more than 25 years of experience in programme management, policy development, intergovernmental relations and leadership. Prior to joining UNOPS, he held several management positions at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris and served at the former United Kingdom Department for International Development in a number of country office and policy positions. A British national, Mr. Malhotra holds a Master’s degree in social policy and planning in developing countries from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and politics from the University of Manchester.
Advisory Functions
Abdoul Dieng has more than 25 years of experience leading audit, investigation and operational teams in a range of international environments – including the United Nations, international financial institutions and the private sector. Mr. Dieng first joined UNOPS in 2007, bringing with him years of experience from both field locations and Headquarters. He has worked in a variety of roles including Head of Audit Section, Head of Support Services, Finance Manager and Operations Manager. Mr. Dieng holds a Master in Auditing, Accounting and Finance as well a Master in Management.
Mr. Manaigo-Vekil was appointed Director of the Ethics Office in November 2022 after joining the UNOPS Ethics Team as Officer-in-Charge in March 2022. Prior to this, he headed the newly established Internal Grievances function at UNOPS. Mr. Manaigo-Vekil previously held positions in the private sector and at an international financial institution. He started his UN career at the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Management and the Department of Field Support in the UN Secretariat. Mr. Manaigo-Vekil has more than 14 years of experience working at the threshold of law, conflict resolution, ethics and culture. In his work he is interested in the link between neuroscience, workplace behavior and institutional justice systems within organizations. He holds a Diploma in Law, two Master’s Degrees including in Public Administration and is a trained mediator.
