{{Short description|Guyanese diplomat}}
{{For|the first female Scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts of America|Catherine Pollard (Scouting)}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Catherine Pollard |image = Catherine Pollard.jpg |caption = Catherine Pollard, 2022. |office = United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance |president = |term_start = 1 September 2019 |term_end = Incumbent |predecessor = Jan Beagle |successor = |office1 = United Nations Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management |president1 = |term_start1 = 2015 |term_end1 = 2019 |predecessor1 = Tegegnework Gettu |successor1 = Movses Abelian |office2 = United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management |president2 = |term_start2 = 2014 |term_end2 = 2015 |predecessor2 = |successor2 = Movses Abelian |spouse = |birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1960}} |birth_place = Georgetown, Guyana |death_place = |party = |children = 0, 3 nieces and 1 nephew |education = University of the West Indies }}
'''Catherine Pollard''' (born 1960 in Georgetown, Guyana) is a diplomat who has been serving as Under Secretary-General of the United Nations for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance since 2019.<ref>[https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sga1881.doc.htm Secretary-General Appoints Catherine Pollard of Guyana Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy, Compliance] United Nations, press release of June 10, 2019.</ref> From 2015 until 2019, she was the Coordinator for Multilingualism for the United Nations; in this capacity, she also served as Under Secretary-General of the United Nations for General Assembly and Conference Management.
== Early life and education == Born in 1960, Pollard holds a master's degree in accounting from the University of the West Indies, Mona.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2008-04-05|title=Guyanese woman appointed to senior United Nations post|url=https://www.stabroeknews.com/2008/04/05/news/guyana/guyanese-woman-appointed-to-senior-united-nations-post/|access-date=2021-02-01|website=Stabroek News|language=en-US}}</ref> Her father, Bryn Pollard, was a recipient of national honours for his legal and political works.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-25|title=President offers condolences on passing of Bryn Pollard|url=https://www.stabroeknews.com/2020/01/25/news/guyana/president-offers-condolences-on-passing-of-bryn-pollard/|access-date=2021-02-01|website=Stabroek News|language=en-US}}</ref>
== Career == Pollard's career in the United Nations began in 1989 when she worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the Chief of National Execution Projects. In 1993, she joined the Department for Peacekeeping Operations; she then worked as Chief Budget Officer for the United Nations Operations in Yugoslavia and Central Headquarters. Thereafter, she served as Chief of the Budget and Finance Section of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV).
Pollard was Chief of Staff in the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and before that, the Director of the Peacekeeping Finance Division<ref name=":0" /> in the Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts.
Pollard became Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management in 2008.<ref name=":0" /> She represented the Secretary-General on human resource management issues, providing advice on wide-ranging strategies and policies. She has led human resources reform initiatives and the introduction of new policies during her tenure including as Co-Chair of the Chief Executive Board/Human Resources Network for the United Nations common system.
From 2014 until 2015, Pollard served as Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management.
Pollard was appointed Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2015, replacing Tegegnework Gettu.<ref>[https://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sga1613.doc.htm] UN Press Release, 27 November 2015</ref> Shortly after, the Secretary-General also appointed Pollard as the Coordinator for Multilingualism in the United Nations Secretariat.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sga1619.doc.htm |title=Secretary-General Appoints Under-Secretary-General Catherine Pollard of Guyana Coordinator for Multilingualism |date=2015-12-17 |accessdate=2016-01-08}}</ref> She was Chair of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations International School from 2017-2022, a position appointed by the UN Secretary General.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Governance - UNIS|url=https://www.unis.org/about-unis/governance|access-date=2021-02-01|website=www.unis.org|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Other activities== * International Gender Champions (IGC), Member<ref>[https://genderchampions.com/champions Members] International Gender Champions (IGC).</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|3}}
==External links== * [https://www.un.org/Depts/DGACM/ Department for General Assembly and Conference Management] {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, Catherine}} Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Guyanese diplomats Category:Guyanese women diplomats Category:Guyanese officials of the United Nations Category:Under-secretaries-general of the United Nations Category:People from Georgetown, Guyana Category:University of the West Indies alumni