ChildFund New Zealand appoints Josie Pagani as Chief Executive / Kaiwhakahaere Matua.

The Chair of ChildFund New Zealand, Simon Whyte, is delighted to announce the appointment of Josie Pagani as the new Chief Executive / Kaiwhakahaere Matua of ChildFund New Zealand (“ChildFund”).

Josie is a leader in the areas of aid, economic development, trade, and media having worked at several leading aid and development organisations. Josie was the Executive Director of the New Zealand Council for International Development, New Zealand’s peak body for aid and development organisations between 2016 -2022 and is currently Chair of Fairtrade (Australia & New Zealand). Josie is also a recognised geopolitical & current affairs media commentator and columnist.

Currently working with the Copenhagen Consensus Centre and several Pacific countries on a locally owned cost benefit analysis of government policies in work funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Josie is managing relationships with Pacific governments and overseeing in country works. She is also working with the Tony Blair Institute to support Pacific governments implement policy.

In making the appointment, Simon Whyte said that “Josie brings to the role a deep commitment to localisation in her work and an approach that is characterised by collaborative partnerships from a wide range of Pacific stakeholders including, government, civil society, community, & business. This approach aligns strongly with the values of ChildFund that together with her strong leadership and management experience will add considerable capacity and momentum to ChildFund’s strategy to transform its operations and its plan to broaden and increase its work in the Pacific”.

“Josie is guided by strong values and is uniquely qualified to lead ChildFund in the next exciting stage of its development. We are delighted that she has agreed to come on board.”

In accepting the appointment Josie said “I am thrilled to be joining the ChildFund New Zealand team as the new CEO. This is a group of experts able to respond rapidly to tragic events like the recent earthquake in Morocco, while also stretching themselves to be at the forefront of both child and community development. This commitment to innovation, to devolving decisions to local communities and to amplifying the voices of our Pacific partners in particular, is exactly where the aid sector needs to be. It will be a privilege to work with the ChildFund team in New Zealand and across the world.”

Josie will commence the role on Monday, 27th November 2023.

Background: ChildFund New Zealand is a New Zealand based for purpose NGO providing international development assistance around the World by partnering with local organisations and communities to build sustainable long-term programmes that prioritise the perspectives of children and youth to create environments where children and youth can grow, develop, and flourish, free from violence and to enable their communities reach self-reliance. It is a member of the ChildFund Alliance. A global alliance comprising 11 child centred international development organisations that provide development assistance to nearly 32 million children and their families in over 70 countries around the world. (See ChildFund Alliance).