Rachel Scott

Rachel Scott brings 30 years of experience in crises, fragility, financing, and locally led action, combining deep operational expertise in conflict and disaster zones with a strong track record in high-level strategy, evaluation, and system reform. She has recently led influential work on crisis evaluations, donor policy, and localisation strategies for major multilateral organisations including ICAI, OCHA, UNICEF, and IOM.

Her career spans senior roles with the OECD, UNDP, OCHA, UNICEF, and international NGOs, where she has shaped crisis financing, modernised donor policy, and championed new ways of working in fragile contexts. Rachel led the OECD’s work on crises and fragility, supporting INCAF donors and the broader multilateral system on peacekeeping transitions, crisis financing, and donor standards, while also overseeing flagship research such as States of Fragility.

Rachel is known for her ability to connect political vision to operational change, bringing expertise in coalition building, institutional reform, and thought leadership - all critical for driving meaningful, system-wide shifts. Her career includes over a decade on the ground in crises across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, giving her a unique perspective on how to bridge global policy ambitions with local realities.

She is also a pro bono member of IFIT’s Transition Assistance Practice Group, supporting local leaders to leverage international resources for sustainable recovery and transition. A dual French and New Zealand national, Rachel works in English and French and holds a Master of International Relations from Victoria University and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Canterbury.