Senior Leadership Team
Ms. Catherine Pollard
Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance
(Regional representation: Latin America and Caribbean Group)
Catherine Pollard of Guyana assumed her role as Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance in September 2019. Since 2022 she also serves as Chair of the High-Level Committee on Management for the UN System.
Ms. Pollard previously served as Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management; Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management; and Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management. She also held the roles of Chief of Staff in the Department of 91麻豆天美keeping Operations, and Director of the 91麻豆天美keeping Finance Division.
She first joined the United Nations in 1989, serving with UNDP, peacekeeping operations, and UN Volunteers in the early years of her career. She has a solid foundation of UN culture, organizational and operational structures, global initiatives and reform efforts in accordance with the Secretary-General’s priorities and strategies. In each of her assignments at senior levels, Ms. Pollard has helped to effect real improvements in management practices, moving away from the status quo.
Office of Human Resources
Ms. Martha Helena Lopez
Assistant-Secretary-General for Human Resources
(Regional representation: Latin America and Caribbean Group)
Martha Helena Lopez is the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources at the United Nations, overseeing strategic human resources management. She has extensive international experience, having held senior HR roles since 2015, including Director of Human Resources at UNDP and various leadership positions within the UN.
Earlier in her career, she worked with UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and UNDP in Colombia. Ms. Lopez holds a Law Degree from Xaveriana University in Bogota, Colombia, with a specialization in socioeconomics.
Ms. Lopez is fluent in Spanish, English, and French.
Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget
Mr. Chandramouli Ramanathan
Assistant-Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Finance and Budget
(Regional representation: Asia-Pacific Group)
Chandramouli Ramanathan, from India, is the UN's Controller and Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Finance, and Budget. With nearly 40 years of international experience, he has held various roles in finance, management, and IT.
He has proven experience leading complex change management initiatives, including implementation of IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards), and Umoja (the United Nations Enterprise Resource Planning solution). Mr. Ramanathan holds a Master’s degree in Economics and is a qualified Cost Accountant.
Office of the Under-Secretary-General
Ms. Olga De La Piedra
Director, Office of the Under-Secretary-General
(Regional representation: Latin America and Caribbean Group)
Olga de la Piedra is the Director in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance. With over 30 years of experience, she has worked in program management, engineering, and IT for the UN, UNICEF, and the International Computing Centre.
She has also worked in private manufacturing and oil exploration in her native Venezuela. Ms. de la Piedra holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Notre Dame, a master's in industrial engineering from Northeastern University, and several advanced certificates, including from Columbia University. Ms. de la Piedra specializes in business process improvement, change management, and interagency cooperation.
Business Transformation and Accountability Division
Enterprise Resource Planning Solution Division
Ms. Sunitha Korithiwada
Director,
(Regional representation: Asia-Pacific Group)
Sunitha Korithiwada is the Director of the Enterprise Resource Planning Solution Division (ERPSD) at the UN. She joined the organization in 1998 to implement the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) and previously worked as a Software Systems Analyst at Tata Consultancy Services.
Over the years, she led several financial operations and implemented the current ERP system, Umoja, driving business transformation. As Chief of Analytics and Project Management, she expanded the use of analytics in support of the Secretary-General’s Data Strategy.
Ms. Korithiwada holds degrees in Civil and Industrial Engineering from prestigious institutes in India.
Anti-Racism Office
Ms. Alcinda Manuel Honwana
Director, Anti-Racism Office
(Regional representation: African Group)
In December 2022, Alcinda Manuel Honwana from Mozambique became the Director of the Anti-Racism Office in the UN’s Department for Management Strategy, Policy, and Compliance. Previously, she served as a Principal Adviser in the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Ms. Honwana has held various academic roles: Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics, Chair in International Development at the Open University UK, and Director at the Social Science Research Council in New York, among others.
Renowned for her research on post-conflict reintegration, youth politics, and social movements, she has earned her reputation as one of the most influencial scholars in these fields. Ms. Honwana holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology and an Honorary Doctorate.
Office of Information and Communications Technology
Mr. Bernardo Mariano Jr.
Assistant Secretary-General,
(Regional representation: African Group)
Bernardo Mariano has 28 years of experience in the United Nations system and various international organizations. At the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mr. Mariano led teams in digital transformation efforts, he championed several business transformation initiatives, and drove innovations in digital technologies, among others.
Mr. Mariano holds degrees in Global Management and Electrical Engineering; he fluently speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish and he has a very good knowledge of French.