United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Director General Qu Dongyu announced on 21 June 2024 the appointment of Stephen Omollo of Kenya as WFP Assistant Executive Director for Workplace and Management. He succeeds Stanlake Samkange of Zimbabwe, who served in the role ad interim, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his service and dedication to WFP.
Mr. Omollo brings over 25 years of experience to this role, with a rich background in leadership positions across the humanitarian and development sectors. Since 2022, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Plan International. He previously held senior-level positions with International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Commonwealth Secretariat and World Vision International.
Before joining Plan International, Mr. Omollo worked for World Vision International as Vice-President and Regional Director for Eastern Africa. Earlier, he worked with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in a number of senior leadership roles in Geneva including Director for Partnerships and Resource Development and as IFRC Permanent Representative to the African Union and International Organizations in Addis Ababa.
He was appointed by the Commonwealth Secretary General as Special Adviser and Head of Good Offices and Mediation Services in London. Mr. Omollo has also served in various roles leading and coordinating large scale emergency response operations in senior positions including Country Representative, Humanitarian Coordinator, Regional Director and others.
Mr. Omollo holds a master’s degree in management from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, a postgraduate study in practicing management from Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires in France, a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Lucknow University in India and a certificate in digital business strategy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States. He is fluent in English and Swahili.
