Peter Williams 2021 Speaker

President

International Institute of Rural Reconstruction

Biography

Peter is President of IIRR, one of the world’s largest rural development organizations. Previously, he worked for the World Bank as an Expert Advisor before which he founded and led ARCHIVE Global – an NGO using design solutions to improve health.

For almost 20 years, Peter has delivered projects on 5 continents and has taught at several universities around the world. He has also served as an advisor on programs for the Gates Foundation, UN agencies, and the EU. He has delivered talks on systems thinking and sustainable development at over 200 events/venues around the world, while his work has been featured in outlets including the BBC, CBS, ABC, NPR, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and in many leading publications.

Peter holds Masters degrees from the University of Oxford and Columbia University and has received numerous recognitions for social innovation including being cited by Forbes Magazine as having one of the 10 best sustainability ideas on the planet. Peter was named among the 22 best emerging social entrepreneurs in the world by Echoing Green and among the ‘25 visionaries who are changing the world’ by Utne Reader. He is a Devex ‘40 under 40’ international development leader and was acknowledged as leading one of the most innovative social impact companies in the world by Fast Company .