Alex Thier joined Overseas Development Institute as Executive Director in 2017. Prior to this,  Alex held senior leadership roles at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In his role as Chief of Policy, Planning, and Learning he represented the U.S. in key international development fora, including on Financing for Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. As Assistant to the Administrator for Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs, he managed USAID’s multi-billion dollar assistance program, and more than 1000 staff in Washington, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region.

Alex played a leadership role in the creation of several major international initiatives, including the Vision to End Extreme Poverty, the Sustainable Development Investment Partnership, the Addis Tax Initiative, the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, and the first ever U.S.–China agreement on global development cooperation. At the U.S. Institute of Peace, he led efforts to prevent genocide and mass atrocities and to help divided societies overcome the root causes of conflict. Earlier, he served as a legal advisor to the constitutional commissions of Afghanistan and South Sudan.

Alex founded Triple Helix, a US-based consultancy firm which he founded to increase access to off-grid, renewable energy in Africa and Asia. He also has held leadership positions in the United Nations (UN), Stanford University and several NGOs, and began his career as a humanitarian aid worker with the UN and Oxfam. He has authored and co-authored books, articles and op-eds in The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Policy. He has a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School, a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and a bachelor’s degree with honors, from Brown University.