Kevin Watkins

Kevin is currently a visiting Professor of Practice at the London School of Economics. He was CEO of Save the Children UK from 2016 to 2021, having previously led the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). Kevin worked for seven years in the United Nations, first as lead head of UNDP’s Human Development Report Office, where he was lead author of flagship reports on climate change, water and sanitation, and inequality, and then as Director of UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report. Prior to working at the UN Kevin worked at Oxfam GB, where he was head of research. He has authored a number of books, reports, and articles on development issues, including education, international trade, and public health, and is a regular commentator in the media. Kevin has held visiting positions at the Washington-based Brookings Institution and the Global Economic Governance Programme at Oxford University. He holds a D.Phil in modern Indian history from Oxford University.