Ola Awad

President, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)

Co-chair, United Nations World Data Forum Programme Committee

Ola Awad has been the President of PCBS since 2009, leading the successful development and implementation of various statistical and non-statistical programs on the local, regional and international levels with over 20 years’ past experience working on various topics including modernization of statistics, sustainable development, gender equality, youth, labor market, the Palestinian economy, good governance, statistical literacy, management and communication.

She was the first woman elected from developing countries and the Arab region to lead the International Association for Official Statistics (IAOS) as well as a council member in the ISI for the years (2017-2021) and she is currently the co-chair of the High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (HLG-PCCB) having represented the Arab region over two terms. She is a board member of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD), a member of the Advisory Board of the Harvard Data Science Review (HDSR), a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, and has been a fellow of the Aspen Institute Middle East Leadership Initiative (MELI) since 2013.

She holds a Doctorate of Business Administration from the University of Liverpool (United Kingdom), a Master of Science in Applied Statistics from Birzeit University, a Master's degree in Business Administration and Management from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Birzeit University.

Ola also served as a member of the Programme Committee for the Third United Nations World Data Forum.

Shaida Badiee

Co-founder and Managing Director, Open Data Watch

Co-chair, United Nations World Data Forum Programme Committee

Shaida Badiee leads Open Data Watch, an NGO focused on monitoring and promoting open data in national statistical offices. She is a senior advisor to Data2X working on closing gender data gaps. She has been an active member of the UN Secretary General’s advisory group on data revolution, co-chairs the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Data Network and has played a key role in the startup of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD).

She brings several decades of experience in managing global development statistics as the long-time Director of the World Bank’s Development Data Group. During her tenure, flagship global statistical products were launched such as the World Development Indicators, Global Development Finance, and the Atlas of Global Development. In 2010, she led the World Bank’s Open Data Initiative, a ground-breaking program to provide full and free access to the World Bank’s extensive statistical databases. Prior to that, she played a key role in the creation and operation of Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) as well as leading international efforts to coordinate technical and financial support for statistics through initiatives like the Marrakech Action Plan.

Shaida also served as a member of the Programme Committee for the Third United Nations World Data Forum.

Babatunde Abidoye

Global Policy Advisor, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Babatunde Abidoye is the Global Policy Advisor at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Integration and has led data and analytics work at UNDP since 2020. Babatunde manages UNDP’s Data Futures Platform, an open resource that translates multidimensional data into actionable insights to support the development efforts of Governments and other practitioners. He provides technical advice on integrated policy solutions and data analytics to UNDP Country Offices, as part of UNDP’s SDG Integration service offer.

He has over 20 years of experience in economic analysis and policy regarding development issues including interventions alleviating poverty and achieving the SDGs under different scenarios of risks and uncertainties as a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Visiting Fellow at Yale University and an Assistant Professor (Senior Lecturer) at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Statistics from Iowa State University, United States.

Rachael Beaven

Director Statistics Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

Rachael Beaven was appointed UNESCAP's Statistics Division Director on 1 November 2021. She has more than thirty years of experience from the United Kingdom government having worked during this time on statistical capacity development partnerships with the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the World Bank, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) and the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21). She has provided a wide range of technical support, from improving economic and financial statistics to estimating local population using geospatial data.

She is one of the founders of the Inclusive Data Charter, launched at the 2018 High-Level Political Forum, which aims to mobilize political commitments for advancing inclusive and disaggregated data. She also established a data science hub with the Office for National Statistics of the United Kingdom to explore the use of data science—geospatial data, in particular— to monitor progress.

She holds Master’s degrees in Statistical Applications in Business and Government and in Business Administration, and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Geology.

Anir Chowdhury

Policy Advisor, Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme, ICT Division/Cabinet Division/UNDP Bangladesh

Anir Chowdhury as a Policy Advisor to the a2i Programme leads the formation of an innovative whole-of-society ecosystem in Bangladesh through massive technology deployment, extensive capacity development, integrated policy formulation, whole-of-government institutional reform, and an Innovation Fund. His work on innovations in the public service sphere has resulted in replicable models of service delivery decentralization, public-private partnerships, and transformation of a traditional bureaucracy into a forward-looking, citizen-centric service provider.

He is a regular speaker at international conferences, addressing topics such as public service innovation and reform, digital financial inclusion, civil registration and digital identity management, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), youth and community empowerment, educational transformation, public-private partnerships, and South-South Cooperation.

He is also a member of the Prime Minister’s National Digital Task Force, Education Minister’s National ICT in Education Task Force, UNESCAP Regional Steering Group for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), Co-Founder and Board Member of South-South Network for Public Service Innovation (SSN4PSI) and Co-Founder of South-Asia Civil Registration Network (CR8).

Grant Cameron

Director, Sustainable Development Solutions Network Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics (SDSN-TReNDS)

Grant Cameron is the Director of SDSN-TReNDS oversees a program bringing innovative approaches of improving data for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda to countries in the Global South. Until recently, Grant was a Manager at the World Bank for 15 years. He has led teams across various countries to increase their capacity for producing data and statistics and to make those more accessible and useful to policymakers and the public. Before joining the Bank, Grant held managerial and economist positions in the Government of Canada in policy development (personal income tax) and at Statistics Canada.

Elsa Dhuli

Director General, Institute of Statistics Albania (INSTAT)

Elsa Dhuli was appointed the Director General of Institute of Statistics Albania (INSTAT) in November 2020. She has 28 years of experience in the field of statistics. Previously, she was the Director of the General Directorate of Statistical Production and before that the Coordinator of Quality Statistics, Director of Economic Statistics. As co-chair of the National Commission on Classifications and now Chair, Elsa has led the implementation of the European Economic Classification and Product Classification in Albania since 1994. She also led the Census of Economic Enterprises in 2010 and contributed to drafting the Official Statistical Programme and Strategy of INSTAT. As a Quality Coordinator, she contributed to developing the strategy for the National Statistical System, Quality Guidelines, Access on Microdata Policy, and the Performance Assessment Framework.

She is the country coordinator for the e-GDDS platform (NSDP-IMF) for statistics and for the OECD - WB Regional for Competitiveness outlook report for statistics, member of the Monitoring Committee of the SEE 2020 strategy, a member of the Administrative Council of the Social Insurance Institute and negotiator for the Albanian EU accession representing Chapter 18 "Statistics".

She holds a Doctorate of Statistics from the University of Tirana, Faculty of Economics. Elsa also served as a member of the Programme Committee for the Third United Nations World Data Forum.

Nayana Das

Head of Research, IMPACT Initiatives

After more than seven years of working in research and analysis within the humanitarian and development sector, Nayana Das was appointed Head of Research of IMPACT Initiatives, a Swiss-based ‘think-and-do’ tank, in 2020. Prior to her appointment, she served in different capacities within IMPACT’s global research team in Geneva, and spent time in several of IMPACT’s field offices including Jordan, working on the Syrian refugee response for 2.5 years; Bangladesh, working on the Rohingya refugee response in Cox’s Bazar in 2017; Nigeria, supporting the flood response in Kogi state in 2018 and Afghanistan, supporting the establishment of a nationwide humanitarian needs assessment in 2019.

Nayana holds a Master’s degree from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Delhi, Lady Shri Ram College.

Dilek Fraisl

Research scholar, Novel Data Ecosystems for Sustainability (NODES) Research Group of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) Advancing Systems Analysis Program
Managing Director, Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP)

Dilek Fraisl is a research scholar in the NODES Research Group of the IIASA Advancing Systems Analysis Program. She has led and contributed to citizen science projects related to marine litter, land use and cover, and other environmental issues. She was the chair of the European Commission funded "WeObserve SDGs and Citizen Science Community of Practice". She has held board memberships with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics (SDSN-TReNDS), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Resilience Frontiers, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), and the Global Citizen Science Partnership (GCSP). She is involved in the organizing committees and scientific advisory boards of several European and global conferences.

She has a Ph.D. in Sustainability Transitions from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) in Austria, a Master’s in Sustainable Development from the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium, the University of Padua in Italy, and Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne in France.

Haishan Fu

Director, Development Data Group, World Bank

Haishan Fu is the Director of the World Bank’s Development Data Group, overseeing its global development monitoring and open data initiative, surveys and other technical advisory services, and global statistical programs such as the International Comparison Program. In her capacity as the Ex-Officio member of the World Bank Group (WBG) Data Council and the Co-Chair of the Development Data Directors Group, Haishan leads and coordinates development and implementation of the Bank’s development data agenda. She is an active leader in the global statistical community, having served or currently serving as a member of the UN Secretary General’s Independent Expert Advisory Group on Data Revolution for Sustainable Development, Council Member of the International Statistical Institute, and Co-Chair of the Global Steering Committee of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics, among others. Haishan holds a Ph.D. in Demography from Princeton University and a B.A. in Economics from Peking University.

Haishan also served as a member of the Programme Committee for the Third United Nations World Data Forum.

Xuming He

President-Elect, International Statistical Institute

Xuming He is an H.C. Carver Collegiate Professor of Statistics at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the University, he served on the faculty of the National University of Singapore and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and worked as Program Director of Statistics at the National Science Foundation in the United States. He is an internationally recognized statistician who has published extensively his work on robust and trustworthy statistical inference, as well as his work’s application in biosciences, climate studies, and concussion research.

He is an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA), the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is a past president of the International Chinese Statistical Association (ICSA) and has served on the Council of the IMS and the Board of Trustees for the National Institute of Statistical Science in the United States. He has also served as the Program Chair for the 59th World Statistics Congress of the International Statistical Institute.

Johannes Jütting

Executive Head, Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21)

Johannes Jütting leads PARIS21’s work in strengthening national statistical systems, promoting the integration of statistics and reliable data in the decision-making process and advocating for countries as crucial actors in the global development agenda. Prior to joining PARIS21, Johannes led poverty reduction teams at the OECD Development Centre and at the Centre for Global Development Research (ZEF). Johannes holds a Ph.D. in Development and Agriculture Economics from Humboldt University and regularly publishes on issues relating to data, statistics, development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Johannes also served as a member of the Programme Committee for the Third United Nations World Data Forum.

Amos T. Kabo-Bah

Ag. Dean-International Relations Office, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana

Amos T. Kabo-Bah is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Ghana and served as the Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 2019 to 2021 and as the Head of the Department for Energy and Environmental Engineering from 2018 to 2019. He was the foundation head for the Earth Observation Research and Innovation Centre from 2013 to 2018.He is a Programme Board Member for the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) and Co-Chair for the GEO Land Degradation Neutrality Initiative. He is also a Scientific Steering Committee Member for the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

In 2019, he was a programme committee member for the organization of the Ocean Observations Conference and is currently serving on the committee hosting the United Nations fifth international conference on space technology for water resources management, scheduled for 10-13 MAY 2022 in Accra, Ghana. He is the focal person for the DBAR International Centre of Excellence for Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals for Ghana.

Charles Lebon Mberi Kimpolo

Director, Industry Initiative; Acting Director, Skills for Employability (SFE); Head, Next Einstein Forum (NEF) at the Global Network Secretariat of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences – Next Einstein Initiative (AIMS-NEI)

Charles Lebon Mberi Kimpolo leads the implementation of AIMS’ Work Integrated Learning programs to develop new industry needs-driven capacity development programs while supporting students and alumni in their transition to employment. His goal is to further African economic advancement by strengthening AIMS-NEI until it is the industry’s leading academic partner on the continent. He is a member of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data.

He founded the Young African Technologists (YAT), an organization promoting education through technology in underprivileged African communities. During his 2-year stay in India, Charles supported African students through the Knowledge Sharing Campaign (KSC), which he founded to empower the African student diaspora and reverse brain drain. He holds a Ph.D. in Computational and Applied Mathematics from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in South Africa.

Drudeisha Madhub

Data Protection Commissioner, Republic of Mauritius

Drudeisha Madhub was appointed Data Protection Commissioner in August 2007. Prior to her appointment, she was Senior State Counsel at the Attorney General's Office for six and a half years. She is a respected member of various international networks including the Association Francophone des Autorités de Protection des Données Personelles’ (AFAPDP), Réseau Africain des Autorités de Protection des Données Personelles (RAAPDP), Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN), Common Thread Network (CTN), the Council of Europe, and United Nations Global Pulse.

She was appointed by Interpol as a data protection and human rights expert and was a member of the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files from 2011 to 2018 with the specific function of judging data protection and human rights issues in Interpol’s cases. She was appointed UN Emeritus expert, joining the UN Global Pulse Data Advisory Group in 2014 to provide expert advice on data protection.

Neal Myrick

Vice president of social impact, Tableau and Global head, Tableau Foundation

Neal Myrick leads Tableau’s global initiatives focused on encouraging the use of facts and analytical reasoning to solve world problems. He joined Tableau as a program director and then moved from that role to head the Foundation. Prior to this, he worked for two pioneering technology companies, the Aldus Corporation (acquired by Adobe Systems) and the Visio Corporation (acquired by the Microsoft Corporation), where he ran global IT and facilities.

After a mid-career break working as a barista and living in Central America, he became managing director of technology at a foundation focused on children in foster care. He later became executive director of a nonprofit and CEO of a consulting firm serving environmental nonprofits. He is a clean-tech angel investor, philanthropist, and has served as a volunteer board member for a non-profit.

He serves as a member of the governing board for Digital Square, a global health technology initiative, and on several technologies for global development advisory workgroups, including the World Food Programme Innovation Advisory Council, the World Health Organization Tech Task Force, the Digital Connected Care Coalition, and the Global Homeless Data Initiative led by UN-Habitat and the Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness.

Nnenna Nwakanma

Board Member, International Digital Health and AI Research

A Diplo alumnus, an ICT4D Strategist, an expert in eParticipation and Citizen Engagement, Nnenna Nwakanma advocates for policy and systemic changes that are needed for meaningful internet access, open data, open government and the open web across Africa, bringing together local and international stakeholders to advance the digital agenda. She is one of the early pioneers of the Africa Data Revolution, a respected voice in the UN’s Internet Governance Forum, a pioneer and continued advisor on internet governance in Africa, and Faculty at the Schools of Internet Governance.

She has over 15 years of experience working with the United Nations Systems in human rights, information society, gender, data digital equality and sustainable development. She recently co-founded The Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa and previously served as a board member of the Open Source Initiative. She has lived and worked in five African countries and is fluent in English, French and a number of African languages.

Nnenna also served as a member of the Programme Committee for the Third United Nations World Data Forum.

Reidun Gjengedal

Senior Adviser in Section for Governance and Transparency, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad)

Reidun Gjengedal is currently responsible for development of the cooperation programme on statistics and registers, which is incorporated in Norad's governance portfolio. Within the same agency, she has served as the head of the statistics section and has held positions in the Communication Department and the Department for Civil Society. Her primary duties have included producing and disseminating statistics on Norwegian Official Development Assistance (ODA), combined with international work regarding definitions and standards setting. Reidun holds a master’s degree in Human Geography from the University of Oslo combined with studies in Spain and Chile.

Andrea Ries Padmanabhan

Senior Advisor, Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC)

Andrea Ries Padmanabhan is the Senior Advisor for Development Effectiveness leading work on “Effective Support to Statistical Capacity and Data” and supporting the Swiss Co-Chair of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC). She has worked for the SDC since 2003 and has held various positions; including working on policy in the multilateral division and as head of the Food Security division. Previously she oversaw the methodology of the labor survey in the Federal Office of Statistics of Switzerland, as well as environmental economics and environmental standards at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and worked for the World Bank in Social Development. She holds degrees in mathematics, applied physics and sociology.

Josh Powell

Chief Executive Officer, Development Gateway (DG), an IREX Venture

Josh Powell oversees DG’s management team and coordinates strategy and overall organizational performance. Over the past decade, Josh has earned a reputation for excellence in all aspects of leadership in the development of data at both programmatic and organizational levels. Through his work on international multi-stakeholder initiatives and government support in more than a dozen countries, he has gained expertise in bridging gaps between global norms, practices, standards and the needs, systems, and institutions of individual countries. He currently chairs the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and serves on the US Millennium Challenge Corporation External Advisory Council.

Philipp Schönrock

Director, Cepei

Philipp Schönrock founded Cepei in 2003, a data-driven think tank, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to scale up the participation of Latin America and the Caribbean within the global development agendas. Over the past years, he has been part of numerous initiatives: he was the co-chair of Beyond 2015, and currently serves as a board member of Together 2030 and Core Women and of the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21). He is also a member of the Technical Advisory Group of the Global Partnership on Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) and the SDSN Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics (SDSN-TReNDS). In 2018 he was a visiting Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).

Philipp also served as a member of the Programme Committee for the Third United Nations World Data Forum.

Claudia Wells

International Hub Director, Development Initiatives

Claudia Wells leads Development Initiatives (DI) focused on understanding and addressing the critical barriers to data use, working closely with stakeholders to support them in their use of data and evidence as well as developing direct research and learning on data use. She is currently leading the P20 Initiative: data to leave no one behind, a programme of work focused on data to track the progress of the poorest people and ensure that no one is left behind. Prior to joining DI, she was Head of Sustainable Development Goals and Environmental Statistics at the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics where she was responsible for developing new data and analysis for a wide range of users, from informing the everyday decisions of the public, to working across government providing robust evidence for policymakers. She is passionate about working in statistical areas that promote action on economic and social inequalities while also making data open and available to all.

Claudia also served as a member of the Programme Committee for the Third United Nations World Data Forum.

Xiaojun Wang

Professor and Dean, School of Statistics, Renmin University of China

Xiaojun Wang is Deputy Director of National Bureau of Statistics – Renmin University Research Data Center, Academic Chair of the Center for Applied Statistics at Renmin University. She is the executive member of the Statistical Education Society of China, a member of the International Advisory Committee of the United Nations Global Platform for Big Data China Hub during 2020-2022, an executive member of the Insurance Society of China, and a fellow member, as well as a member of the China Committee, of the China Association of Actuaries. Her main research interests include mortality modeling, longevity risk, morbidity modeling, long-term care insurance, and annuity and pension plans.