Arjan de Wagt

Deputy Representative

South Delhi, Delhi, India

About

Senior manager and empowering team leader with a history of working in UNICEF, international NGOs and Government in programme areas including health, nutrition, HIV, ECD, child protection, most vulnerable children and social & behavior change communication. I get my inspiration and daily dosage of energy from linking and working with diverse partners and individuals to address political, systems, technical and social bottlenecks and to mobilise motivation, inspiration, creativity, leadership, human and financial resources to bring high impact solutions to scale. A realist and a dreamer. We all are change-makers, let's together be the change and better the world...

Experience

  • Deputy Representative at UNICEF Ethiopia
    Jul 2026 - Present · 1 mo

  • UNICEF India (9 yrs 5 mos)
    • Deputy Representative UNICEF India
      Jan 2024 - Jul 2026 · 2 yrs 7 mos

      Coordinating and managing all phases of the UNICFE India Country Office Programme, from formulation to delivery of results for children in accordance with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework, ethics, and integrity. Strengthen partnerships with government, donors, NGOs and the private sector to deliver better impact for children.

    • Chief Nutrition Section
      Mar 2017 - Jan 2024 · 6 yrs 11 mos

      Lead the UNICEF India Nutrition Team in supporting Government with developing, managing and monitoring Maternal and Child Nutrition Responses.

  • UNICEF Nigeria (6 yrs 9 mos)
    • Chief Nutrition Section
      Jun 2015 - Mar 2017 · 1 yr 10 mos

      Leading a team of 50 to implement UNICEF Nigeria's nutrition program, providing CMAM services for 500K severely malnourished children, counseling for infant/young child feeding, and supporting policy development and advocacy. Also coordinating nutrition emergency response in north-east Nigeria affected by Boko Haram insurgency to strengthen partnership and overall coordination of nutrition response.

    • Chief HIV&AIDS
      Aug 2013 - May 2015 · 1 yr 10 mos

      Leading a team of 9 people responsible for UNICEF Nigeria HIV Programme with specific focus on PMTCT, pediatric HIV and HIV prevention among adolescents. Member of the GFATM CCM, CCM Executive Committee. Co-chair of working group responsible for developing the National Operational Plan for the Elimination of MTCT. For four months OIC Child Protection Section.

    • HIV&AIDS Coordinator
      Jul 2010 - Jul 2013 · 3 yrs 1 mo

      Led the team in coordinating all Country Office actions related to children and HIV, with a special focus on PMTCT and prevention efforts for young people. Also member of the national HIV prevention technical advisory group and represented UNICEF at the National Executive AIDS Committee, GFATM-CCM, and PEPFAR Namibia. Additionally, I supported the development and implementation of UNICEF's Nutrition strategies with a focus on HIV and infant feeding and coordination support to Namibian Alliance for Improved Nutrition and Namibia as SUN country.

  • Nutrition Programme Manager (Consultant) at UNICEF Madagascar
    Apr 2010 - Jul 2010 · 4 mos

    Support coordinating and overseeing implementation of the country office nutrition project; Provide leadership for nutrition emergency response and the nutrition emergency cluster; Support the development of the Special Initiative for Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition.

  • Team Leader East and Southern Africa; Sector Health and Well-being at Cordaid
    Sep 2008 - May 2010 · 1 yr 9 mos

    Cordaid is the Netherlands’ largest development NGO working in the area of global health promotion. I coordinated a team of 12 people on financing and supporting programmes related to health, HIV/AIDS and support to most vulnerable groups in East and Southern Africa;