Desmond has over 25 years of experience in education and international development and has held education leadership positions with the World Bank, Save the Children, the Department for International Development (DFID) and, most recently, as Chief Executive Officer for the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) in the UK.



He is also currently a non-executive director and chair of the Education and Learning Committee for the Chartered Insurance Institute and chair of the Independent Technical Advisory Panel for the Global Partnership for Education. 

Desmond has a degree in English Literature from St John’s College, Oxford; master’s degrees in education and global development management; and a doctorate in international education policy.