Simon Maxwell

Simon Maxwell was Director of the Overseas Development Institute from 1997-2009. He is an economist who began his career working overseas, first in Kenya and India for the UN Development Program, and then in Bolivia for the UK Overseas Development Administration. He holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University and an MA in Development Economics from the University of Sussex. Before joining ODI, Simon spent 16 years at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, latterly as Programme Manager for Poverty, Food Security and the Environment. He has written extensively on poverty, food security, agricultural development and aid, and his current research interests also include development policy, linking relief and development, global governance and bridging research and policy.

He is a forum fellow of the World Economic Forum and was awarded a CBE in January 2007.

Simon has his own website: http://www.simonmaxwell.eu/