Connell Foley is Director of Strategy, Advocacy and Learning at Concern Worldwide.
He is responsible for the key functions of programme policy and strategy, programme quality, technical support, research, learning and innovation, and global advocacy. Concern’s international advocacy is focused primarily on hunger (especially nutrition and community resilience) and humanitarian reform.
Overseeing organisational strategy, Connell led the organisation to focus on the poorest and most vulnerable countries in the world. He also spearheaded the drive for results and evidence and led the development of an action-research portfolio of programmes. He authored case studies in the Global Hunger Index in 2013 (community resilience) and in 2015 (hunger and conflict).
Connell has also visited over 20 developing countries in Africa and Asia providing technical assistance. He has been a support manager and technical adviser specialising in issues of programme quality, livelihoods, community development, partnership, capacity building, civil society and organisational learning.
Previously, he worked for six years in Cambodia with a variety of organisations including the United Nations, the Irish Government and an American NGO.