Amy Pope began her five-year term as the eleventh Director General (DG) of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on 1 October 2023. She is the first woman Director General of IOM.

Pope is a dynamic leader with demonstrated experience in addressing complex migration issues and bringing transformative change across organisations.

Before her historic election, Pope was IOM’s Deputy Director General for Management and Reform. During her tenure, she implemented a series of budgetary, management and administrative reforms to optimise IOM’s field delivery and risk management, enhance internal justice outcomes and operational results, and strengthen coordination with the United Nations system.

Before joining IOM, she served as the senior advisor on migration to US President Joe Biden and served as the Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to US President Barack Obama (Nobel Peace Prize 2009).

While working at the White House, she 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.

She has promoted dialogue on global migration challenges and opportunities through her academic writing and work with Chatham House. She has also occupied positions at the US Department of Justice and US Senate and was a partner in the London-based law firm, Schillings.

Pope graduated magna cum laude from Duke University School of Law with a Juris Doctor and has a BA in Political Science from Haverford College in Pennsylvania.