Programme Officer, China, Ford Foundation | Alumna of the University of Oxford
Qing Gu is the Programme Officer at Ford Foundation, developing programmes in the fields of philanthropy and impact investment. She is responsible for connecting with Chinese foundations and philanthropy Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), exploring opportunities for mutual learning and cooperation. Before joining Ford Foundation in 2018, Qing worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China from 2009, focusing on poverty alleviation, equity and governance as Assistant Country Director. She co-developed a series of programmes together with Chinese governmental authorities, thinktanks, philanthropic communities and the private sector, to reduce poverty, promote equity, achieve good governance and rule of law, and realise sustainable development. Following the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Qing initiated UNDP’s presence in the philanthropic field and supervised three published reports on the development of China’s course of philanthropy. She was appointed by the Chinese government as a senior expert to advise the consultation committee of the SDGs Innovation Pilot Zone under China’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Prior to working for the UNDP, Qing supervised international judicial cooperation in a Chinese government department.
Qing studied in the UK as a Chevening Scholar. While receiving education there, she served as a research assistant at the Centre for Criminology at Oxford University’s Faculty of Law. She was a visiting scholar at Stanford University in the Centre on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law Department. Qing hopes that her experiences in study and work will inspire the younger generation to express themselves courageously.