Mario G. Picon is a thought leader in governance, evidence-informed policy, and international cooperation, with a start-up approach to develop and manage initiatives tackling wicked development challenges. Currently, he is director of the new Governance Action Hub, a global initiative at Results for Development to explore the frontier of what is possible in governance reforms through collective action, systems approaches and development entrepreneurship.
Mario has accumulated 20 years of cross-sectoral experience in international development, particularly leading policy dialogue and stakeholder engagement. His sectors of expertise include governance, rural development, education, peacebuilding, and more, working with the FAO, the World Bank, the IDB, 3ie, in public sector, and with civil society organizations.
For the last five years, Mario was the director of LTRC, Brookings Institution and Results for Development initiative focused on knowledge brokerage and strategy-building platforms to overcome corruption risks in the extractive sector around the world. Before this, Mario worked as Senior Specialist for Advancement and Impact Evaluation Services at the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) Washington, DC office. In this role, he led the emerging consulting practice of the organization; led the discussion on how to adapt evidence use in line ministries across Latin America, and managed 3ie’s global public goods and professional services, including data and evaluation repositories.
Mario also worked at the World Bank as Program Coordinator for Poverty and Social Impact Analysis in South Asia to fund the analysis of positive and potentially negative impact before the implementation of World Bank programs. He also co-developed the Gender Innovation Lab South Asia, and was advisor to the World Bank Country Director’s office in Pakistan on issues related to social accountability and impact evaluation for initiatives to reduce petty corruption and to promote the appropriate use of public funds.