Esther is a Governance and Inclusive Development practitioner with nineteen years of experience managing the implementation of governance and inclusive development programs in the Caribbean, South and Central Asia, Eastern Africa and the Pacific – with a track record as a senior manager of technical and integrated teams, working in multi-cultural and complex country contexts.

Currently, she is a Senior Advisor at the Club de Madrid (CdM). CdM is the largest club of former democratic Presidents and Prime Ministers in the world. Previously, she was the Director of the Decentralization and Citizen Participation Partnership (DCPP), part of the AUD 400 million Papua New Guinea-Australia Governance Partnership (PAGP). She has worked on policy reform and change processes at multiple levels, including under the National Solidarity Program and National Area Based Development Program in Afghanistan, the IRC’s Community Development and Civil Society program in South Sudan and indigenous community engagement in Guyana linked to the country’s National Protected Areas System and Low Carbon Development Strategy.

Esther has a passion and commitment for the development and inclusion of marginalized groups including youth, women, ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples which has influenced her participation in policy advocacy, specialised committees and research. She is an experienced qualitative researcher with publications on topics related to minority participation and inclusion in democratic (post war) transitions, political processes and decentralization.

Esther chairs the Alumni Advisory Committee and sits on the Remuneration Committee.