Magan Naidoo

Magan Naidoo

Magan Naidoo is the Chief Data Officer of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), where he is leading the organization’s data and AI transformation and shaping how data is used as a strategic asset to strengthen decision-making, accelerate emergency response, optimize resources, and build more resilient food systems worldwide. As WFP’s first Chief Data Officer, he has led the development and implementation of the organization’s inaugural global data and artificial intelligence strategies, positioning WFP at the forefront of responsible, scalable AI adoption in humanitarian operations.

He brings more than two decades of international leadership experience spanning global enterprise transformation, data strategy, governance, analytics, and emerging technologies across the humanitarian, technology, financial services, consulting, manufacturing, and telecommunications sectors. Prior to WFP, he served as Country Leader for Emerging Technologies and Intelligent Platforms at Amazon Web Services (AWS), and earlier held senior executive leadership roles at Old Mutual, where he advanced enterprise data governance, executive data ownership, and strategic data enablement to support digital transformation at scale.

Earlier in his career, Magan held global leadership and advisory roles across Dimension Data, EY, SABMiller, Standard Bank, and ExxonMobil, delivering large-scale business and technology transformation initiatives across Africa, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Australia, and the United States. His work has consistently focused on aligning technology and business strategy, embedding governance at senior leadership level, and translating complex data capabilities into measurable enterprise value.

Academically, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Physics, an Honours Bachelor of Science in Information Systems, and a Master of Business Leadership focused on the alignment of IT and business strategy. This combination of technical depth, business leadership, and global operating experience underpins his ability to advise senior leaders and institutions on how to operationalize data and AI for strategic, ethical, and mission-critical impact.

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  • Organization
    United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
  • Profession
    Chief Data Officer
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