Senior Leadership Team
Ms. Catherine Pollard
Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance
(Regional representation: Latin America and Caribbean Group)
Ms. Catherine Pollard of Guyana assumed her role as Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance in September of 2019. Since 2022 she also serves as Chair of the High-Level Committee on Management for the UN System.
Ms. Pollard previously served as Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management; Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management; and Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management. She also held the roles of Chief of Staff in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and Director of the Peacekeeping Finance Division.
She first joined the 51³Ô¹Ï in 1989, serving with UNDP, peacekeeping operations, and UN Volunteers in the early years of her career. She has a solid foundation of UN culture, organizational and operational structures, global initiatives and reform efforts in accordance with the Secretary-General¡¯s priorities and strategies. In each of her assignments at senior levels, she has helped to effect real improvements in management practices, moving away from the status quo.
Office of Human Resources
Ms. Martha Helena Lopez
Assistant-Secretary-General for Human Resources
(Regional representation: Latin America and Caribbean Group)
Martha Helena Lopez is the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources in the Department of Management, Strategy, Policy and Compliance at the 51³Ô¹Ï. She is responsible for the strategic leadership and direction of the UN¡¯s human resources organization, leading talent management and implementing management initiatives.
Ms. Lopez brings with her a wealth of senior-level international experience in human resources management. Since 2015, she has served as Director of Human Resources at the 51³Ô¹Ï Development Programme (UNDP). Previous to that, she was Director of the Strategic Planning and Staffing Division, Office of Human Resources Management, Department of Management at the 51³Ô¹Ï. She also held the positions of Chief of the Human Resources Policy Service (2006-2009) and Chief of the Staff Development Service (2004-2007) at the 51³Ô¹Ï.
Ms. Lopez previously served with UNDP as Chief of the Policy Unit, Office of Human Resources, Bureau of Management (2001-2004) and with the 51³Ô¹Ï Children¡¯s Fund (UNICEF), Division of Human Resources, as Human Resources Officer, Policy (1997-2001), and Human Resources Officer (1994-1997).
Ms. Lopez began her career as a national staff member in her native Colombia where she worked with both UNICEF (1989-1994) and the World Food Programme (WFP) (1984-1989).
Ms. Lopez holds a Law Degree with specialization courses in socioeconomics from Xaveriana University in Bogota, Colombia. She is fluent in Spanish, English and French.
Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget
Mr. Chandramouli Ramanathan
Assistant-Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Finance and Budget
(Regional representation: Asia-Pacific Group)
Chandramouli Ramanathan of India is Controller, Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Finance and Budget in the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance. He also served as Project Director for the Enterprise Resource Planning Project ¨C Umoja.
Mr. Ramanathan brings to the position nearly 40 years of executive international experience in diverse organizational settings in finance and budget, management and information technology. He has proven experience leading complex change management initiatives, including implementation of IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards), and Umoja (the 51³Ô¹Ï Enterprise Resource Planning solution).
Mr. Ramanathan has served as Acting Controller since September 2018, concurrently with his position as the Umoja Project Director (since 2016). He previously served as Deputy Controller, Director of Accounts Division and Chief of Service, IT Services Division. He also served as Assistant Auditor General, India (1993-1995) and Director of Accounts for the Auditor General of India (1989-1993).
Mr. Ramanathan has a Masters Degree in Economics and is a Cost Accountant.
Office of the Under-Secretary-General
Ms. Olga De La Piedra
Director, Office of the Under-Secretary-General
(Regional representation: Latin America and Caribbean Group)
Olga de la Piedra is the Director in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance. She has over 30 years of combined experience in programme management, engineering and information technology, including in the management of initiatives in ICT Operations, Applications Development and Programme and Project Management within the 51³Ô¹Ï system at the 51³Ô¹Ï Secretariat, the International Computing Centre and UNICEF. She also worked in private sector manufacturing and in oil exploration in Venezuela. In addition, Olga brings with her extensive experience in programme management, business process improvement, change management and interagency cooperation.
A citizen of Venezuela, Olga has a bachelor¡¯s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, a Master Degree in Industrial Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, an advanced certificate in Information Technology Management from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores en Administraci¨®n (IESA) in Caracas Venezuela, Newfield Group Ontological Coaching studies, and an advanced certificate in Not for Profit Management from Columbia University in New York, USA.
Business Transformation and Accountability Division
Enterprise Resource Planning Solution Division
Ms. Sunitha Korithiwada
Director, Enterprise Resource Planning Solution Division
(Regional representation: Asia-Pacific Group)
Ms. Korithiwada is the Director of Enterprise Resource Planning Solution Division (ERPSD), in the Department of Management Strategy, Policy, and Compliance.
Ms. Korithiwada joined the 51³Ô¹Ï in 1998 to implement the then ERP system, Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), with a background in engineering and software system design and programming. Before joining the UN, Ms. Korithiwada worked in the private sector with Tata Consultancy Services, India (1995 ¨C 1998) as Software Systems Analyst and Programmer for various multinational companies.
Gaining experience in a wide range of financial areas, Ms. Korithiwada moved through the ranks to lead the Financial Operation areas, which included Payroll, Payables, Travel Claims, Vendor Payments, Income Tax, Health and Life Insurance. In parallel, Ms. Korithiwada led the implementation of the current ERP system of Secretariat - Umoja - for these financial areas and brought in the much-needed business transformation.
Subsequently as chief of the Analytics and Project Management Service in the newly formed Business Transformation and Accountability Division, and now as the director of ERPSD, Ms. Korithiwada has used her experience and expertise to develop an ambitious programme to expand the use of analytics in the Organization in support of the Secretary-General¡¯s Data Strategy. In conjunction with this innovative work, Ms. Korithiwada and her teams in ERPSD are also responsible for the continued development of Umoja to ensure it is fit for purpose and to enable additional business transformation.
Ms. Korithiwada holds a Bachelor¡¯s Degree in Civil Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India and Master¡¯s Degree in Industrial Engineering from National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai, India.
Anti-Racism Office
Ms. Alcinda Manuel Honwana
Director, Anti-Racism Office
(Regional representation: African Group)
In December 2022, Alcinda Manuel Honwana of Mozambique assumed her role as the Director of the Anti-Racism Team in the Department for Management Strategy, Policy, and Compliance. Prior to this, she was the Principal Inter-Regional Adviser in the Divisions for Public Institutions and Digital Government, and Inclusive Social Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Before joining the 51³Ô¹Ï, Alcinda had been a Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Strategic Director of the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa. She also held the Chair in International Development at the Open University UK, and taught Anthropology at the University of Cape Town. She has been a Director at the Social Science Research Council in New York, and a Visiting Professor at Columbia University, and the New School for Social Research in New York.
Alcinda¡¯s extensive academic research on the dynamics of post-conflict social reintegration; on decolonizing the academy and processes of social change; on the impact of armed conflict on vulnerable groups, and on youth politics and social movements, earned her the reputation as one of the most influential scholars in these fields. Her most recent books include: ¡°Youth and Revolution in Tunisia¡± and ¡°The Time of Youth: Work, Social Change and Politics in Africa.¡± Her career has straddled academia and policymaking, allowing her to apply innovative insights to drive policy change.
Alcinda was conferred an Honorary Doctorate by Utrecht University. She holds a PhD and a MA in Anthropology from the University of London, a Ma?trise in Sociology from the University Paris VIII, and a BA in History and Geography from the University Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique.
Office of Information and Communications Technology
Mr. Bernardo Mariano Jr.
Assistant Secretary-General,
(Regional representation: African Group)
Mr. Mariano brings to the position 28 years of experience within the 51³Ô¹Ï system and international organizations, most recently serving as the Chief Information Officer and Director for Digital Health and Innovation at the World Health Organization (WHO), where he led the organization¡¯s digital transformation journey, leveraging digital technologies and innovations to accelerate the achievement of WHO strategic goals.
He started his career in 1993 with; International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mozambique and continued with IOM in Haiti; Mali, Angola, Kenya, Kosovo and South Africa in addition to Geneva, Switzerland before joining WHO in 2018.
Mr. Mariano served as IOM Senior Regional Adviser for Sub-Saharan Africa (2017-2018), Regional Director for Southern Africa (2009-2015) and served as IOM Chief Information Officer (2015-2017, 2002-2011). During this tenure, he championed several business transformation initiatives, driving innovations in operation and management systems, Enterprise Resource Planning systems, information technology, project management and network infrastructure.
He holds a Master of Science in Global Management from Salford University (United Kingdom), and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique; Mr. Mariano is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish, with a very good knowledge of French.