Sanda Ojiambo, a Kenyan national, has been named assistant secretary-general of the United Nations Global Compact by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Ojiambo was the UN Global Compact’s executive director for the past two years.
According to the UN, Ms Ojiambo’s new post will entail heading the world’s largest corporate sustainability effort, as well as forging strategic alliances to promote impact and advocacy at the local and global levels.
The statement reads; “She will advise the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General on the contributions of the private sector to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, on the engagement of the United Nations with business and on key organisational partnerships with the private sector.
“She will also manage and coordinate the engagement of the UN Global Compact in United Nations inter-agency affairs, engaging with relevant multilateral and international organisations, alongside developing new, innovative partnerships with the private sector.”
Ojiambo was previously the chief of sustainable business and social impact at Safaricom PLC. She worked in civic society in several roles before joining Safaricom in 2008.
During her time at Safaricom, the firm joined the UN agency she would lead, with one of the benefits being the telecommunications company’s sustainable business reports.
She holds a Master of Arts in public policy from the University of Minnesota, USA, and a Bachelor of Arts in economics and International Development from McGill University, Canada.