Marking 35 years of International Development at LSE, this special alumni panel brings together graduates who are shaping change across sectors and continents.
Drawing on their experiences studying at LSE and engaging critically with today’s global challenges, our panelists will offer reflections on the evolving landscape of international development. From shifting power dynamics and climate justice to innovation, activism and locally driven solutions, this conversation will explore the future of the field through the lens of practice, policy and possibility. Join us for a forward-looking discussion that celebrates the legacy of LSE International Development and considers what comes next.
The event will be followed by a drinks reception.
About the panel:
Noble Kofi Nazzah (MSc African Development, 2019) is the founding editor of The Gourd Magazine, a Ghanaian creative writing and cultural analysis magazine. Noble is a PhD student in History at the University of Manchester, where he is writing a history of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has a master's degree in African Development from the London School of Economics (LSE), and a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Ghana. He is also a documentary filmmaker and was the Associate Producer for Talking Black in America: Roots, a documentary which explored the African roots of African American English and which received a Southeast Emmy nomination in 2023 for the category of “Best Historical Documentary”.
Nikki Philline C. de la Rosa (MSc Development Studies, 2009) is Senior Adviser at Climate Conflict Action Asia (CCAA), with three decades of experience in politico-economic research, program development and management, and strategic advocacy. She co-founded CCAA and serves on its Board of Trustees, having previously served as Country Director of International Alert Philippines. Her work bridges conflict monitoring, identity violence, conflict-sensitive economic governance, and the intersection of climate change, particularly energy and water, with conflict. Nikki co-authored award-winning and internationally published works on violent conflict and holds a BA from the University of the Philippines and an MSc in Development Studies (with distinction) from the London School of Economics.
Mia Fraser (MSc Health and International Development, 2022) is a Philanthropy Executive at Amnesty International UK. She is dedicated to health and development, working in both the implementation of programs and managing funding for them. Over the past six years, her fieldwork across Latin America and the Caribbean has focused on Child Health and Educational Development, where she has gathered and analysed regional data to bridge the gap between local needs and strategic research design. Inspired to connect frontline experience with policy, she has built her expertise in research design and implementation at the London School of Economics. Currently, at Amnesty International UK, she manages funding for crucial human rights projects in the UK and in global crisis settings. Having navigated both the field worker and donor relations sides of program delivery, she's passionate about making program management accessible and effective, ensuring positive change.
Isabelle Carboni (MSc Development Management, 2007) is an expert consultant in digital and financial inclusion, with 25 years of experience in international development. At GSMA’s Mobile for Development, she led an ambitious fund to catalyse and scale solutions to address the gender digital divide. She delivered flagship reports for the mobile industry, including the Mobile Gender Gap and State of Mobile Internet Connectivity series, and influential research on building digital skills with underserved groups and creating better fit digital financial services for women micro-entrepreneurs. Prior to GSMA, Isabelle led data-for-policy work in Rwanda to analyse mobile money data to track trends in usage before, during and after COVID. Earlier in her career, Isabelle pioneered a global measurement system for World Vision International, flexible enough to be used across 63 country offices, to roll up into global reporting on child wellbeing. Isabelle holds an MSc in Development Management from LSE and a certification in Inclusive AI. She is a member of Business Fights Poverty and the IMAGINE community for global impact. She started her journey into international development as a volunteer in Niger, and has lived or worked in over 30 countries during her extensive international development career.
Arbie Baguios (MSc International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies, 2018) has over a decade of experience within the humanitarian and development sector. He is the Director and founder of Aid Re-imagined, a research and advocacy consultancy focused on aid ethics, effectiveness and justice. He has previously worked for humanitarian organizations including ActionAid, Save the Children, the Red Cross and UNICEF. Arbie is also currently a doctoral researcher at the London School of Economics, where he looks at the political economy of refugee economies, market systems in refugee camps, and refugees' everyday resistance.
About the chair:
James Putzel is Professor of Development Studies and served as the Director of the Crisis States Research Centre. He headed the Centre's research programme on Crisis States, which was funded by the Department for International Development of the UK government. From 1996 to 1999, Professor Putzel was a member of the British Academy's Southeast Asia Committee, a Managing Editor of the Journal of Development Studies from September 1999 until January 2001 and remains a member of the editorial board. He was a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Latin American Studies of the University of London between 1999 and 2002. Professor Putzel was Director of D (previously the Development Studies Institute) from January 1999 until August 2001. Before that, he directed the Institute's PhD programme.
LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of The London School of Economics and Political Science.
LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of the London School of Economics and Political Science.