Longstanding international development leader and former Asia Deputy Regional Director for Save the Children International, Heather Campbell, has been appointed as the new CEO of Save the Children New Zealand.

Ms Campbell, who will take up the role from Monday 17 March, brings more than two decades of experience in international development to the role, previously leading both development and humanitarian portfolios. As Asia Deputy Director, she has provided strategic leadership in delivering high-quality programmes, partnership, safety and security, and operational excellence across Save the Children’s $300 million Asia portfolio.

Prior to joining the Asia Regional team, Ms Campbell has held Country Director roles for Save the Children in Nepal and Bhutan, and Sierra Leone.

Save the Children New Zealand Board Chair Susie Staley says Ms Campbell’s extensive experience and expertise is particularly valuable in today’s increasingly challenging environment of cascading global crises and foreign aid cuts.

"Heather brings an immense knowledge to the organisation from her work in a variety of diverse and complex environments, roles and contexts," Ms Staley says.

"In every role, she has provided strong leadership to ensure high quality, efficient programmes that meet the needs of the communities she works with and make a real impact in children’s lives.

"Heather impressed us with her deep commitment to improve the outcomes for children across the globe. In Sierra Leone, she was the first Country Director to sit on the Presidential Sexual and Gender-Based Violence taskforce, collaborating closely with the First Lady on the groundbreaking 'Hands off our Girls' campaign, combatting sexual violence against girls.

"We’re excited to have her lead Save the Children New Zealand and look forward to working with her to grow our impact for children here in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Pacific, Asia and around the world."

Ms Campbell holds an MA in Humanitarian Assistance from Uppsala University, Sweden. She has previously worked in leadership positions at the Aga Khan Foundation, Catholic Relief Services, ACTED, CUMO Microfinance, and UNITED Purpose.

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