Nardos Bekele-Thomas (Ethiopia) is a distinguished development and public sector leader, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the continent’s premier development institution covering all 55 African countries. She is the first woman to hold this position, having been appointed and endorsed by the African Union Heads of State and Government in February 2022. Bekele-Thomas brings extensive international experience, having previously served as Senior Director in the Office of the UN Secretary-General, and as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in multiple African countries, including South Africa, Kenya, and Benin. Her career spans high-level advisory, policy, and programmatic roles focused on human development, economic empowerment, and pro-poor development initiatives, underpinned by a commitment to social, political, and economic rights across the continent. Fully bilingual in French and English, she has authored multiple papers and monographs and is widely recognized for her strategic leadership in shaping Africa’s development agenda, advancing private-public sector partnerships, and promoting inclusive growth across the continent.