Ms. Pauline Tamesis of the Philippines has more than 20 years of experience in senior leadership positions driving transformational change for sustainable development. She assumed her new position as the UN Resident Coordinator in the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on 18 June 2022.
Before coming to Viet Nam, Pauline served as the UN Resident Coordinator in Cambodia. In this capacity, Ms. Tamesis positioned the United Nations as a development innovations and solutions provider for inclusive, sustainable and equitable recovery from COVID-19 pandemic and for accelerating SDG achievement.
Prior to these roles, she was appointed as Chief of UNDP Country Office Support and Quality Assurance in the Asia Pacific Regional Hub (2016-2018) where she oversaw UNDP operations in 24 offices. As Chief of Country Office Support, she led design of new business models for growth and providing “out-of-the-box” solutions to implementation bottlenecks.
Her passion for innovation was sparked in Bangladesh as UNDP Country Director, where she led the office from 2013-2016 to build a future-facing $500m portfolio for urban poverty reduction, social protection, renewable energy, sustainable cities and climate adaptation.
A policy adviser at heart and she brings thematic expertise in democratic governance, anti-corruption, gender equality and women’s political empowerment. She served as Democratic Governance Practice Leader in the UNDP Asia Pacific Regional Center from 2008 to 2013. Pauline was previously Democratic Governance Practice Manager from 2006 to 2008 and Anti-Corruption Adviser from 1998 to 2006 in the UNDP Bureau for Development Policy.
Pauline is a proven leader, with strong track record in steering UN development system in complex environments, as well as designing for transformation. She possesses strong communications and interpersonal skills: bringing high energy, innovation mindset, and commitment to collaborative leadership. While a lifelong learner, she obtained an MBA from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a bachelor’s degree in Management Economics from Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, where she graduated with honors. Pauline has completed specialized courses at European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD in France), Aresty Institute of Executive Education of Wharton School (USA) and Lee Kwan Yu School of Public Policy (Singapore).
Pauline is married to Anthony Dimayuga and has two teenage sons, Lucas Dimayuga and Thomas Dimayuga.