Michelle Gyles-McDonnough

Michelle Gyles-McDonnough is the Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in December 2024. With over 30 years of experience in sustainable development, policy advocacy, international trade, and change management within complex bureaucracies, she has held numerous leadership roles across the UN system. Most recently, she served as Director of the Sustainable Development Unit in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, where she advised on sustainable development priorities and reforms. Her extensive UN career includes roles as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Barbados and the OECS, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, as well as leadership positions within UNDP in the Caribbean and post-disaster recovery efforts. Before joining the UN in 1999, she worked as an international trade lawyer, advised the Jamaican Embassy in Washington DC, and served at the Organization of American States. She holds degrees from Columbia University (Law), Harvard University (MPA), and executive training from The Wharton School, with an undergraduate degree in Economics from Bryn Mawr College.