Mr Ovais Sarmad joined the United Nations Climate Change secretariat (UNFCCC) on 1 September 2017. Mr Sarmad advises the Executive Secretary on a range of issues relating to the intergovernmental affairs and strategic planning of the UNFCCC process. He provides oversight to the overall operations of the UNFCCC covering human and financial resources as well as organisational development. Previously, he served as Chief of Staff/Chef de Cabinet at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva. Mr Sarmad worked in several management and policy capacities at the IOM over a period of 27 years. Prior to his time at the IOM, he worked in the private and public sectors in London, where he qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). He graduated from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, as a Bachelor of Commerce.