Andrea Poelling is Director of Operations at the Basel Institute on Governance and Secretary to its Foundation Board. 

As Director of Operations, Andrea is responsible for managing the Institute’s day-to-day business operations and processes. In this role since 2009, she oversees the Institute’s finances, HR, central administration & IT, and communications with a view to optimising operational efficiency and managing resources effectively. She also contributes to the Institute’s strategic development as a member of the Core Management Team. 

She joined the Institute in 2006 with the launch of the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR), where she played an instrumental role as Special Assistant to the Director in the setup of this niche competence centre for asset recovery. 

Before returning home to Basel in 2006, Andrea spent 15 years abroad in the USA, Central and South America, and Africa. She commenced her professional career with the Washington Times as international project coordinator, deployed to various countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and East Africa to write and produce special reports on these countries for the Washingtonian audience with focus on economic investment opportunities.

Later, in 2001, she joined the United Nations Department for Peacekeeping Operations, initially at headquarters in New York as Special Assistant to the Director/External Relations Officer of the Mine Action Service, and thereafter as Programme Officer at the Mine Action Coordination Centre in Eritrea and Ethiopia. In these positions, she was primarily involved in programme management and coordination, donor and public relations, as well as resource mobilisation. 

Previously - during her studies – she also conducted work for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Washington DC, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in New York and the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.

Andrea holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs with a specialisation in human rights and humanitarian affairs (international public law).

Andrea speaks German, English, French and Spanish. She’s an avid tennis player, skier (downhill and cross country), runner and yoga practitioner. She loves live music.