Christian Saunders of United Kingdom Appointed Assistant Secretary-General, Office of Central Support-Services, Department of Management

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Christian Saunders of the United Kingdom as Assistant Secretary-General for the Office of Central Support-Services in the Department of Management.  He will succeed Stephen Cutts, to whom the Secretary-General and the Under-Secretary-General for Management are grateful for his commitment and dedicated service to the Organization.

Mr. Saunders has over 30 years of experience in international affairs, much of it focusing on delivering results and overseeing major reforms leading to improved organizational effectiveness and efficiency.  Since June 2013, he has served as the Director of the Office of the Under Secretary-General for Management, where he is responsible for a wide range of issues, including coordinating duty of care for staff serving in countries affected by the Ebola virus and the deployment of Umoja across Headquarters.  Prior to this Mr. Saunders served as the Executive Officer for the Department of Safety and Security (2009-2013), the Chief of Coordination and Support Service in the Office of Information and Communications Technology (2005-2009) and as the Chief of the Procurement Service (2001-2005).  Earlier this year, Mr. Saunders served as a member of the high-level task force established by the Secretary-General to develop a strategy to improve the organization’s approach to preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse.

Mr. Saunders also has significant humanitarian and field experience, having begun his United Nations career in 1989 with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza.  He also served in subsequent postings with UNRWA, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), peacekeeping missions and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Mr. Saunders is a graduate of Royal Holloway College, University of London and the University of Wales in the United Kingdom.  Born in 1961, he is married and has three children.