Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen

United Nations executive Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen took over as the CEO of Plan International on 1 September 2015.

Ms Albrectsen is the former UN Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director for Management at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

A renowned leader in the sector, Ms Albrectsen has worked for over 25 years in international development, human rights, change management and diplomacy. She has held senior leadership positions in times of significant change in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Danish government, and most recently at the UNFPA.

Ms Albrectsen is Danish and holds a law degree from the University of Copenhagen. She has a strong background in development and humanitarian work. She served with the UNDP from 1997 to 2004, in Indonesia and later as Director of the Administrator’s Office at UNDP Headquarters. She led country operations for UNFPA in Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan from 2004-2006.

From 2007-2009, she led the Danish government’s humanitarian and civil society affairs work as the director of the relevant division in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.