Master's in Development Management, Open University, UK; PhD in Communication Science, University of Salzburg, Austria. Twenty-four year career in development on all continents. Started with advocacy and development education, Austria. Joined the UNDP in El Salvador and Honduras. Later, coordinated the programmes of an Austrian non-governmental organization in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. 2001, joined Plan as Country Director, Colombia. 2006-10, headed Plan's operations in India. Since August 2010, Regional Director, Americas, responsible for the operations of Plan in 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.