"Our hope is that CIFF’s journey will be useful for all
who aim to make development more impactful."

Peter McDermott is the Managing Director of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and also serves as a member of the CIFF (US) Board of Trustees. Prior to assuming this role, he worked in the United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) for over 21 years in numerous capacities throughout the world and extensively in Africa (Zambia, Somalia, Kenya, Senegal, Gambia and Nigeria among others.) He served as Chief of the HIV/AIDS UNICEF headquarters in New York. Before his appointment in 2004, he served as Principal Advisor for HIV/AIDS in the Africa Bureau of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a post he held while on secondment from UNICEF.
Peter has a distinguished career with UNICEF, having held senior positions in Africa, Europe and the US over his 21 years. These include: UNICEF representative to Lusaka, Zambia; Deputy Director of Emergency Programs in Geneva, Switzerland and the Office of Emergency Operations at the New York headquarters serving in Somalia as assistant to Ambassador Sahnoun the Representative to Somalia of the Secretary General, and with UNICEF in Somalia and Afghanistan. Peter received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) from York University in England and a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics (MSc). He also holds a state registered nurse qualification (SRN) from St. George's Hospital in England.