Mrs. Kavilmadam Ramaswami Parvathy, national of India, is a seasoned international leader and aid professional, with more than 30 years of experience in development and humanitarian sectors, focusing on strategic planning, performance, and risk management, people management, conflict analysis and humanitarian access negotiations. She joined her assignment as Representative and Country Director for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Türkiye in July 2022. In this role, Parvathy will lead WFP Operations towards addressing the food and nutrition needs of the most vulnerable people living in Türkiye. She will work together with the national government, United Nations Agencies and other development and humanitarian actors for promoting sustainable actions towards building healthy, productive, and cohesive communities and societies, while advocating for responsible policies and legislations for safeguarding the environment for current and future generations.
Prior to her current assignment, Parvathy worked as Representative and Country Director for WFP in Liberia and as Deputy Country Director (Programme and Operations) for WFP in Afghanistan. In her career assignments, Parvathy has served in the Asia Pacific, West Africa, Regional and Global Headquarters of WFP, contributing to ending hunger in the world. Parvathy is very adept in operating in insecure and uncertain contexts, representing the United Nations, leading multi-cultural teams towards effective service delivery and high performance. Parvathy holds a Masters’ degree in Organizational Performance Management from the School of Management, Cranfield University in England.