Leadership

Ms. Rosemarie McClean brings to the position over 32 years of progressively responsible experience in pension administration and management. Previously she was Chief Operating Officer of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in Toronto where she managed a sizable budget and was responsible for operational activities including financial operations for pension administration and investments, information technology, project management, and process improvement.

Before that position, Ms. McClean served as Senior Vice-President of Member Services in the Pension Plan and was accountable for all aspects of service delivery to retired and working teachers in Ontario. Named as one of the Most Powerful Women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network in 2008, she has mentored young leaders throughout her career.

Ms. McClean holds a Master of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management from the University of Waterloo. She holds a Certified Public Accountant designation.

Mr. Pedro Antonio Guazo Alonso was appointed the Representative of the Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of the UNJSPF on 29 July 2020.

Mr. Guazo was the Finance Director at the United Nations in New York for almost eight years. He managed a portfolio of more than USD$10 billion and an annual revenue of US$13 billion. He led the Organization’s finance operations in practically every country in the world.

Prior to joining the United Nations in 2012, he served in a similar capacity for more than two years as the Director of Finance and Treasury at the United Nations World Food Programme, managing a Portfolio of USD$4 billion and supervising finance officials in more than 75 Country Offices.

During a 15-year banking career, he contributed to the modernization of the Mexican Financial System, while serving as its regulator and supervisor. As CFO and Treasurer at the Federal Mortgage Bank (SHF), he negotiated and managed loans from the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Similarly, he championed financial inclusion among people with low and middle incomes as CFO and Treasurer of the National Savings and Financial Services Bank (BANSEFI). His government service included posts at the Ministry of Finance and at the National Banking and Securities Commission, as a member of its Financial Sector Supervisory Body. While a student, he started his professional career at PWC.

A former professor of Finance at ITAM, Mr. Guazo received an International Executive MBA from the IE Business School in Madrid. He earned a Master’s degree in Business Economics from ITESM and graduated from ITAM in 1996 with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.

Mr. David John Penklis was appointed as Deputy Chief Executive of Pension Administration and started on 16 September. He brings over two decades of finance, administration, and management experience to the Fund. He has managed, started, and transitioned complex UN organizations and has extensive experience in global operations, large scale transaction processing, implementing change, optimization, and improvement programmes.

He was previously the Executive Officer, United Nations Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, providing support to headquarters and field activities.  Prior to this position, Mr. Penklis served as the acting Director, Field Budget and Finance Division, Department Field Support, and before that Director, Mission Support, and Head of Liquidation, United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). He also established the UN Regional Service Centre in Entebbe (Uganda) and was a Principal Officer in the Department of Management.

Mr. Penklis holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from The University of Sydney (Australia), Master of Arts in International Relations, Master of Commerce, and Bachelor of Business. He holds professional membership designations as a Certified Practicing Accountant and Certified Australian Human Resources Institute.

Ms. Maria Clarissa O’Donnell was appointed as Chief of Operations in June 2016, having served the UNJSPF for 15 years –  7 years as Chief of Pension Entitlements Section, 2 years as Chief of Client Services & Records Management and Distribution Unit, 3 years as a Benefits Officer and 3 years as Deputy Cashier.  Prior to the UNJSPF, she served 10 years in UNHCR in Geneva, Moscow and Africa mostly, in the Finance and Administration areas.  Before joining the UN System, she worked for Far East Bank and Trust Co. in the Philippines for 3 years as an accountant.

Ms. O’Donnell obtained a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in 1987 from Asia’s oldest university (University of Santo Tomas, Manila) before becoming a Certified Public Accountant.

Reporting to both Pension Administration and the Office of Investment Management

In March 2017, Mr. Karl-Ludwig Soll was appointed to the position of Chief Financial Officer. He joined UNJSPF from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva where he served as the Deputy Director (Finance) for three years. Mr. Soll previously served as the Fund’s Chief Financial Officer from 2012 to 2014 when the position had been established for the first time.

Before joining the UN System, Mr. Soll had been working for 20 years with international professional service firms in the United States and in Europe providing advice on accounting and financial reporting, and project management for clients.

Mr. Soll graduated from Freie Universitaet Berlin in 1992 as a Diplom-Kaufmann and was certified as a Certified Public Accountant in the United States (CPA) and in Germany (Wirtschaftspruefer).

In January 2017, Mr. Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio was appointed to the position of Chief Information Officer of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund.

Before joining the UNJSPF, Mr. Dell’Accio served as Chief of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Audit in the Office of Internal Oversight Services, and Information Security Officer in the ICT Service Division of the United Nations Secretariat. Previously, he served as Internal Auditor/ICT Auditor in UNICEF.

Prior to his assignments with the United Nations System, Mr. Dell’Accio worked as Internal Auditor and Business Process Analyst in the Institute for Loans and Deposits of the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Mr. Dell’Accio holds several qualifications and professional certifications in ICT Management and Security, Auditing and Accounting. He holds Master’s degrees in Internal Auditing and ICT and Telecommunications Laws.

Mr. Alan Blythe is Chief of Client Services and Outreach. Born in the U.K., Mr. Blythe completed a degree in English and French literature before qualifying as a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. He began his international career in 1988 with CERN in Geneva. He was transferred to the CERN Pension Fund at the beginning of 1992, subsequently becoming Head of CERN Pension Fund’s financial service. He began his UN career as Chief of the Financial Services Section of the UNJSPF in New York in 2002. In 2008, he was briefly Chief Operating Officer, before being asked to become Chief of the Fund Office in Geneva. Mr. Blythe acted as Secretary of the Pension Board ad interim in 2020. He is now back in Pension Administration in New York leading the Fund’s Client Services and Outreach Service.

Ms. Mapondera has been Chief of the Legal Office since October 2014. She joined the Fund in 2008 as the Senior Legal Officer. Prior to joining the Fund, Ms. Mapondera worked with the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva from 1996 until 2005, and with United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in Sudan and New York from 2005 from 2008. Before joining the United Nations, Ms. Mapondera worked in the private sector in law and business administration.

Ms. Mapondera holds bachelor's and master's degrees in law from the London School of Economics, and a Master of Business Administration from Warwick University (UK). She qualified as a barrister in the United Kingdom.

Mr. William Wilkinson is responsible for Operations and Information Systems and joined the Office of Investment Management (OIM) of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) in 2017. He is responsible for the development and implementation of the firm’s Target Operating Model which is aimed at building an end-to-end infrastructure and business applications capable of supporting the anticipated growth of the Fund over the next five to ten years.

Prior to joining the United Nations, Mr. Wilkinson was the Head of Operations and Technology for TIAA-CREF Asset Management where he was responsible for the support of all client services, investments, risk management, compliance and middle office-related systems and operational activities. Mr. Wilkinson has also held previous leadership roles in Technology & Operations at AIG’s Global Investments Group, Citigroup Asset Management, and UBS AG.

Mr. Wilkinson received a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, an M.B.A. in Business Computer Information Systems from Hofstra University, and a B.S. in Marketing from New York Institute of Technology. In addition, Mr. Wilkinson is a member of the New York Bar Association and a licensed attorney.

Mr. Toru Shindo joined UNJSPF in 2004 and currently serves as Chief Investment Officer, Director, for the Office of Investment Management.

With over 25 years of investments experience, Mr. Shindo is responsible for management of investments. He had been responsible for all of the asset classes including the Global Fixed Income and Real Assets since February 2009 until the unit was curved out in 2017. He joined the UNJSPF as Investment Officer for Asia Pacific in February 2004 and became Senior Investment Officer for Asia Pacific in Apr 2007. He was promoted to Deputy Director in February 2009 and to Chief Investment Officer in May 2021.

Prior to joining UNJSPF, Mr. Shindo was a Director at Deutsche Trust Bank in Tokyo focused on active management of international equity for the public and private pension funds. With over 25 years of experience in the industry, Mr. Shindo has been previously associated with Bankers Trust and Nikko Securities.

Mr. Shindo earned his BA in Economics from Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo and his MBA from New York University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Ms. Anastasia Rotheroe is the Director of Public Equities, overseeing the Fund’s global equity investments.

Mr. Wiryanto Sumitro (Yanto) is a national of Indonesia. His work experience in the United Nations spans over 25 years, most recently as Deputy Secretary of the Administrative and Budgetary (Fifth) Committee and the Committee for Programme and Coordination of the United Nations General Assembly from 2008 to 2022. Mr. Sumitro’s career includes working for the UNJPSF as Chief Payments (2001 – 2003) and Benefits Officer (1999 - 2001). Prior to joining the United Nations, he worked as Finance Officer at IBM Indonesia from 1989 to 1993.

Mr. Sumitro is a graduate in Business Administration (Bachelor of Economics - Sarjana Ekonomi) from Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta.

During his spare time, he treasures spending time with family and enjoys travelling (by land or by air).