Alan AtKisson

Alan AtKisson has been working to advance strategy, leadership, innovation, knowledge, communication, organization, and tools for accelerating transformative change, in service of sustainable development, for over 30 years. He has served as Assistant Director-General and Director of the Department for Partnership and Innovation since 2018. Alan sets overall direction for the department and sits on Sida’s overall leadership group as well as its development committee, chairs the work on Sida’s Lab, and drives innovation within the agency. In his role as Assistant Director-General, he represents Sida and Sweden in international fora such as UN, EU, and World Bank meetings, as well as in bilateral government relationships. Alan reports directly to Sida’s Director-General.

Prior to joining Sida, Alan worked principally as an independent advisor to the UN and other inter-governmental initiatives, and as president of the AtKisson Group, a global network of sustainability consultants and training professionals with affiliates in a dozen countries. He worked with leaders in business, national governments, international agencies, and officials in the United Nations system. At the UN, he worked internally on strategy related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and other agreements. Alan also provided guidance and material support on sustainability-related strategy to global companies (such as Levi Strauss) and global NGOs (such as WWF). Alan's books on sustainability and change have been translated into several languages, and the tools and methods he has developed for sustainability teaching and organizational planning have been used around the world. He is also known for his long career as an inspiring keynote speaker and as a singer-songwriter.