New director for the World Development Movement

The World Development Movement is delighted to announce the appointment of Deborah Doane as its new director, who started 1 June at the UK’s leading grassroots, anti-poverty campaigning organisation. The World Development Movement looks forward to an exciting new era led by Deborah's dynamism and a wealth of experience from over 15 years working on social and environmental issues.

Deborah Doane, said:

"The root causes of the current global economic and the climate crises are the issues that the World Development Movement works on. And by working at the cutting edge, we now have the greatest opportunity to tackle the root causes of global poverty and injustice – and realise a better future for the lives of poor people around the world.

“The World Development Movement has been one of the most effective organisations, working at the forefront of anti-poverty campaigning for nearly forty years, in partnership with campaigners from around the world. I’m delighted to be able to take the organisation forward and build on the excellent work of my predecessor, Benedict Southworth, who is moving on after nearly 5 years as director to become the primary carer of his children, undertake a Masters degree and consultancy work."

Deborah was previously Head of Sustainable Consumption at WWF-UK, where she led strategies to achieve an 80% reduction of the UK's carbon footprint by 2050, working with specific sectors including food, housing and finance and with both local and national governments. She has spent 15 years working with NGOs, think-tanks and the Private Sector on ethical trading, human rights and sustainable development issues. She was director of the CORE (Corporate Responsibility) coalition from 2003 to 2007, a coalition of over 130 NGOs, which campaigned for and achieved changes to UK Company Law strengthening corporate accountability over social and environmental impacts.

A regular guest lecturer at the London School of Economics and the London Business School, she has contributed to the Guardian and Independent newspapers, BBC Newsnight and BBC Radio 4. Deborah sits on the Corporate Responsibility Advisory Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and is a co-founder of Anti-Apathy, which supports people to take creative approaches to social and environmental issues.

Kate Blagojevic
Press officer, World Development Movement
0207 820 4900/4913, 07711 875 345, Email: kate.blagojevic@wdm.org.uk