Jennifer Colville

Functional Title: Regional Innovation Team Lead
Institution: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Email Address: jennifer.colville@undp.org
Phone Number: +962 7 9668 2231

Bio
Jennifer manages UNDP’s Innovation portfolio for the Arab States region, covering 17 countries from the Gulf to the Maghreb. She manages regional activities to introduce new and alternative approaches to development and support systems transformation, such as behavioral insights, data innovation, and alternative forms of financing. She supports colleagues and partners in continuous scanning of the horizon for fresh thinking to reframe development challenges; prototyping to quickly and inexpensively figure out what works and what does not; and “working out loud” to share successes and hard-won lessons learned. Prior to this position, Jennifer was a global development policy advisor with UNDP, focusing on institutional effectiveness and capacity development. Before joining the UN system, Jennifer worked for many years in the private sector as a management consultant with Accenture and Burson-Marsteller. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and a Masters of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University); and she attended an Executive Education programme on “Innovations in Governance” at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Governance and Institutional

Years of experience 15+ Years
Additional fields of expertise: Systems Thinking, Portfolio Approach, Strategic Innovation

SDGs Expertise:
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure


Countries of Expertise:
Arab region


  • Capacity building
  • Strategic planning
Degree Title University Graduation Date
MBA Northwestern University 1995-06-05
BA Yale University 1986-05-25