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Jonathan Mitchell, Senior Vice President of International Programmes and Operations of CARE USA is joining global child rights and community development organisation Plan International as its new Director of International Programmes. He will take up his post on 1st September.
Mr Mitchell has over 35 years’ experience in international relief and development – 30 of which he spent with CARE in various roles, most recently providing strategic-level direction, leadership and management as CARE USA’s Chief Operating Officer from August 2011 until June 2014.
His previous roles included directing regions and country offices; leading CARE International's humanitarian emergency function based in Geneva; and as head of CARE USA’s organisational development function.
Welcoming Mr Mitchell’s appointment, Nigel Chapman, CEO of Plan International said: “Jonathan Mitchell brings with him solid international development experience that will support Plan’s ambition to help more children and make greater impact through high quality programmes. His expertise will particularly be useful in managing relationship between individual giving and grants.”
On his appointment Mr Mitchell said he was particularly impressed by Plan’s focus on child rights and its long-term engagement with communities. Founded over 77 years ago, Plan is among the oldest and largest child rights and community development organisations in the world. It has programmes in 50 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas. The organisation, with fundraising activities in 21 countries, has an annual budget of over €678 million and over 10,000 staff worldwide.
Talking about the key challenges facing the development sector Mr Mitchell said: “We need to adapt to profound changes occurring in the sector as local actors, civil society, private sector and governments - are playing a greater role in the development of their own communities. This is happening as technology offers great opportunity for innovation, as growing inequality within societies emerges as a predominant issue, and as climate change looms as a major threat to the livelihoods of the poor.”
“Our programming needs to evolve and adapt based on an understanding of emerging issues like these and this in itself speaks to the need for a more dynamic approach to development and one that reaches out and engages increasingly with other actors,” he added.
Mr Mitchell is a UK citizen with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Surrey. He has lived much of his life in Africa, and also lived in Asia, the USA, the Middle East and Switzerland.
