Britain's Top "40 Under 40" International Development Leaders Announced

LONDON, October 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- List honors 40 Londoners creating opportunity in the developing world

Devex, the world's largest community of relief and development professionals, today announces the top 40 under 40 international development leaders based in London. They represent the next generation of leaders helping to improve the quality of life for millions of people around the world.

Honorees include a wide variety of professionals ranging from members of Parliament to private sector champions who are spearheading innovative approaches to global challenges from economic development and governance and to improved access to quality education and health care.

"The awardees comprise key international development leaders who are helping to transform the global development agenda - and most importantly, make a difference in the lives of millions around the world," said Devex President Raj Kumar.  

Sponsored by Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, the Devex-led initiative highlights the importance of economic, social and infrastructure-based development as a key component of the prosperity of local businesses and communities.

"In today's economic climate, our collective commitment to economic opportunity, global health and education must assume more importance, not less," said Russ Yarrow, general manager of corporate affairs for Chevron.  "At Chevron, we know that successful businesses, including ours, do best when they operate in healthy, prosperous communities. Each of these 40 individuals is contributing to the achievement of those goals."

The 40 individuals honored today were chosen by an independent selection committee that includes the head of the UK's leading global development think tank, the chief executive of one of the UK's largest international NGOs, and the senior executive responsible for global development at one of the world's largest software companies. Young leaders were chosen based upon their impact on development and their influence on the development agenda.

All honorees will be recognized at a reception held tonight at the Heron Tower in London and hosted by The Milken Institute. More information on the honorees and selection committee can be found on london40.devex.com. The complete list of the Devex "40 Under 40" International Development Leaders in London is as follows (in alphabetical order):

• Rushanara Ali, member of Parliament and shadow minister for international development
• Rob Bailey, senior research fellow on energy, environment & resource governance at the Royal Institute of International Affairs
• Rachael Barber, head of global community investment at Barclays Corporate Affairs
• Laure Blanchard-Brunac, principal banker at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• Jasmine Burnley, global economic crisis advisor to Oxfam GB
• Karin Christiansen, managing director of Publish What You Fund
• Brendan Cox, director of policy and advocacy at Save the Children UK
• Jo Cox, former director of the Maternal Mortality Campaign and head of policy and advocacy at Oxfam GB
• Alex Evans, non-resident fellow and head of the program on resource scarcity, climate change and multilateralism at New York University's Center on International Cooperation
• Sally Faiz, global portfolio manager at The Children's Investment Fund Foundation
• Liz Ford, deputy editor of global development at The Guardian
• Jonathan Glennie, research fellow at the Overseas Development Institute's Centre for Aid and Public Expenditure
• Zac Goldsmith MP, member of Parliament
• Jesse Griffiths, coordinator of the Bretton Woods Project
• Kate Gross, CEO of the Africa Governance Initiative
• Peter Guest, UK business editor for The Huffington Post
• Louise James, Europe lead for Accenture Development Partnerships
• Nik Kafka, founder and managing director of Teach a Man to Fish UK
• Henriette Kolb, CEO of The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women
• Christine Kolbe, governance, security and justice team manager at Coffey International Development
• Anja Langenbucher, European government relations and public policy lead for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Richard Leftley, president & CEO of MicroEnsure
• Eric Levine, CEO of Restless Development
• Alexander McLean, founder and director general of the African Prisons Project
• Clare Melford, CEO of the International Business Leaders Forum
• Ben Mellor, head of the Iraq inquiry team at the UK Department for International Development
• Matthew Mitro, founder & chairman of Indego Africa
• Rosemary Nuamah, senior policy officer for The Elders
• Truman Packard, lead economist at the World Bank
• Kathy Peach, head of external affairs, VSO
• Tom Rippin, founder and CEO, On Purpose
• Joel Roxburgh, head of sustainability, Vodafone
• Bernadette Sexton, practice leader of the public administration and governance division, Maxwell Stamp
• Matthew Smith, principal advisor, KPMG
• Dr. Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, interim director, The Commonwealth Foundation
• Andy Sumner, research fellow, Institute of Development Studies
• Andy Wales, head of sustainable development, SABMiller
• Peter Williams, founder and executive director, ARCHIVE
• Ned Wills, director, Laureus Sport for Good Foundation
• Charlotte Wolff, corporate responsibility manager, ArcelorMittal

About Devex
Devex is a social enterprise bringing efficiency to international development through recruiting and business information services. Our members find development projects, business and career advice, jobs - and professional connections - on devex.com. Founded in 2000, Devex serves a global community of 500,000 development professionals and 1,000 donors, companies and NGOs. With a mission to bring greater efficiency to international development, our global staff of more than 100 in five offices (London, Barcelona, Manila, Tokyo, and Washington) works to provide innovative products and services to address the needs of each member of our development community. Development professionals or organizations working in the field of international development, humanitarian relief and global health are invited to join us on http://www.devex.com.