Margaret Thomas

Margaret is a senior international development professional, having held various strategic leadership and management positions in both national and multilateral settings. From 2012 until early 2021, she worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York, most recently as the Head of the Effectiveness Group and formerly as the Senior Adviser for the Corporate Strategy and Governance Group.

Prior to joining UNDP, Margaret worked for the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) for over twenty years. Margaret’s positions in AusAID included extensive country office experience including as Head of the Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste country offices, and an earlier posting in the Philippines. In Canberra, Margaret served as Head of the Pacific Branch and concluded her career with AusAID as First Assistant Director General with a focus on corporate reform issues.

Margaret was also an adviser to the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs on development cooperation and South Pacific matters for several years.