Lunch with Amy Pope – IOM Director General : Women Leadership in Multilateralism

At a moment when the multilateral system is under acute strain, the case for women’s leadership within it has never been stronger.

Drawing on her experience as the first woman Director General of IOM, Director General Amy Pope will reflect on what effective leadership in multilateralism demands today, and why the presence of women at the decision-making table is key for institutional effectiveness.

She will share lessons from her own career on navigating complex environments, building coalitions across difference, and leading with clarity under uncertainty.

Amy Pope Biography

Amy Pope became Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on 1 October 2023, bringing a wealth of experience in addressing complex migration issues and passion for changing the global narrative about people on the move. She is the first woman to hold the post in IOM’s 73-year history.

In the early part of her five-year term, Ms. Pope put the organization on a new strategic path designed to ensure that IOM can respond to an increasingly complex migration landscape. The new direction enables IOM to help save and protect people on the move today, but also to be proactive about challenges before they become crises.

Building on reforms she began implementing as IOM’s Deputy Director General for Management and Reform, Ms. Pope has also led organizational changes that focus IOM’s structure and resources toward the work its teams do in the field.

Before joining IOM, DG Pope served as the Senior Advisor on Migration to US President Biden and served as the Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to President Obama. While at the White House, Ms. Pope developed and implemented comprehensive strategies to address migration in areas such as countering trafficking in persons, resettling refugees, and vulnerable people, and preparing communities to respond and adapt to climate-related crises.

Ms. Pope has also occupied positions at the US Department of Justice and US Senate and was a Partner in the London-based law firm, Schillings. She graduated magna cum laude from the Duke University School of Law with a Juris Doctor and has a BA in Political Science (with Honors) from Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Ms. Pope is married, with two daughters.