CW Day 3/Session 2 - Upskilling for the Future: How to Stay Marketable Inside and Beyond the UN (UNHCR, ITU)

Betty Almonte is an accomplished Talent Management and Career Specialist with over 15 years of demonstrated success across both the private and public sectors. With a strong foundation in Human Resources and Learning & Development, she has partnered with global organizations to design and implement impactful strategies that foster individual growth and drive organizational excellence.

Her career spans key areas including Human Resources, Organizational Development, Coaching, Mentoring, Change Management, Recruitment, and Onboarding. Betty brings a results-driven approach to every initiative, consistently delivering value across complex and multicultural environments.

In her roles with the United Nations, Betty has made significant contributions to talent development and performance management. As a Career Development Experience Analyst with UNDP in New York and Copenhagen, and currently as a Talent Management and Performance Officer at UNHCR in Budapest, she has played a pivotal role in advancing growth-oriented career pathways and promoting continuous learning for staff worldwide. Her work supports the Sustainable Development Goals by championing a culture of lifelong learning and professional development.

Fluent in both English and Spanish, Betty is passionate about empowering individuals and organizations to realize their full potential. Her global perspective, technical expertise, and unwavering commitment to excellence make her a trusted leader in the field of talent management.

As general manager for Microsoft Elevate, Naria leads Microsoft’s global capacity building solutions team, shaping education and workforce systems as they transition to the AI economy. Focused on expanding access to digital and AI skills, her team partners with governments, industry, educational institutions, and civil society worldwide so learners, educators, nonprofits, and workforce leaders can succeed in a rapidly changing world.  Prior to joining Microsoft, Naria served as executive director of the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS), a unique public-private partnership helping to build the next generation of scientists, engineers, technology specialists, mathematicians, and health care professionals in Washington state through scholarships and support services for low- and middle-income college students. Under Naria’s leadership, WSOS raised over $200M in public-private support for scholarships and supports and to support 20,000+ students - the majority of whom are women, students of color and/or first in their families to go to college.  Naria has also served as executive director of the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, a juvenile and education law and social work organization in Illinois and the director of LAW Fund and the Endowment for Equal Justice at the Legal Foundation of Washington. Naria currently serves on (and was formerly the Co-Chair of) the World Bank’s Solutions for Youth Employment steering committee within the Jobs Group. She also serves on the Board of Seattle Arts and Lectures, where she is the Chair of the Development, as well as the Board of Taproot Foundation, a national organization with the mission of driving social change by leading, mobilizing, and engaging professionals in pro bono service.  Naria is a graduate of the Law School and the College at the University of Chicago. 

Rathan Kinhal is a Senior Manager at EY Switzerland and a global transformation leader specializing in digital, AI, and leading large-scale transformation across international development. He has worked with leading institutions including World Health Organization, The Global Fund, and International Committee of the Red Cross, driving large-scale digital transformation, ERP modernization, and innovation programs across Europe, Asia, and Africa.
An Executive MBA graduate from IMD Business School and a Stanford-certified project manager, Rathan brings a distinctive blend of strategy, technology, and human-centered design to build future-ready organizations. His work focuses on unlocking institutional potential through digital public infrastructure, AI adoption, and operational excellence. Rathan is also a published thought leader, contributing to platforms such as Harvard Business Publishing and the International Telecommunication Union, where he explores the intersection of digital innovation, technology, skills, and global development.