As Deputy Director of the OECD’s Development Co-operation Directorate (DCD), Brenda Killen leads DCD’s work in areas such as: development partnerships; private sector development; environment, green growth and climate change; the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation and the G20 Development Working Group. Ms. Killen has led the DCD’s portfolio on development effectiveness since 2007, including working with partners from around the world to prepare the Fourth High Level Forum on Development Effectiveness in Busan (2011). Before taking up duties as Deputy Director, she was Head of DCD’s Global Partnerships and Policies Division, leading DCD’s activities on conflict and fragility, climate change and green growth, gender equality and other important policy areas.

Ms. Killen, a British citizen, worked from 2004 to 2007 at the World Health Organization (WHO) as Deputy Director of Health Policy, Development and Services, responsible for defining WHO’s role in development policy and accelerating progress towards the health Millennium Development Goals.

Prior to joining WHO, Ms. Killen worked for the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK in a number of senior roles and was the lead author of DFID’s policy on middle income countries. An experienced development economist, Ms. Killen has extensive field experience, including several years in East and Southern Africa.

Ms. Killen has a MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics.