Speaker's Biographies:

Melissa Powell is a Project Manager with the United Nations Global Compact, the corporate citizenship initiative launched by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2000.  Ms. Powell joined the Compact Office shortly after its operational launch and since then has been involved in virtually every aspect of the program. 

In her role as Issue Coordinator, she has worked closely with the broader UN community, NGOs, labor, governments and the private sector to convene Policy Dialogues focused on “The role of the Private Sector in Conflict Prevention and Peace-Building”.  She has contributed to the development of practical tools and resources for companies to utilize in their efforts to adopt a more conflict-sensitive approach to their operations.  Ms. Powell has also worked on initiatives which encourage business to contribute to sustainable development.  In addition, Ms. Powell manages a variety of projects which contribute to the development of UN policies in the area of UN/business partnerships and which serve to enhance the capacity of UN staff to partner with the private sector.  These efforts include the development and dissemination of tools and resources and support for the UN’s own efforts to implement the principles of the Compact into its procurement, facilities management and pension fund operations. 

 In her role as Network coordinator, Ms. Powell is responsible for supporting the development of Global Compact Networks in South Asia and in Canada and she was part of the team who organized the UN Global Compact China Summit which took place in November 2005 in Shanghai.

Prior to joining the Global Compact Office Ms. Powell worked as a Junior Professional Consultant in the Speechwriting Unit of the Executive Office of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.  In this role, she composed messages and short articles on behalf of the Secretary-General.

 A graduate of the London School of Economics, where she earned a Masters degree in International Relations, Ms. Powell also holds an honors bachelors degree in Political Science from Queen's University, Canada.