Dr. Gillian Marcelle, Principal Consultant at Technology for Development (TfDev), is an international development specialist with over 15 years experience. She is a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago who currently lives in Southern Africa after spending many years in Europe and the United States.

TfDev provides strategic advice, policy research, international relations and resource mobilisation services on matters relating to development with clients including private sector companies, national governments, international organisations such as UN-DESA, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNIFEM, UN-ECA, ITU and UNU-INTECH and NGOs. Her recent consulting projects include serving as the Special Adviser to the Vice Minister of Science and Technology in the Republic of Angola, Hon. Prof. Pedro Teta where she designed a creative programme to accelerate computer literacy in Angola, which is one of the government’s top priorities as it seeks to achieve social integration and rehabilitation of former freedom fighters and displaced people. She has also advised the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on a regional ICT and development strategy for 14 Caribbean islands, including flagship projects to use ICT for delivering legacy benefits from hosting mega events and in disaster management. 

Prior to taking on fulltime management of TfDev, Dr Marcelle held other professional positions including a senior management post in the UK’s telecoms regulatory body (Oftel); providing policy advice as a strategic consultant (Analysys); staff positions in the business development department of the UK’s largest telecommunication firms (BT), and equity and capital markets experience with a global investment bank (JP Morgan Chase). These professional positions have been complemented by service on a number of international advisory bodies including the UN ICT Task Force, which provides advice to the Secretary General on the United Nations mandate and objective to use ICTs to promote sustainable human development, as well as active involvement with civic and non governmental organisations, such as the WSIS Gender Caucus. 

Gillian Marcelle has also held full time teaching and research positions in the United Kingdom as well as serving as Course Director for a masters level programme on telecommunications regulation and policy at the University of the West Indies where she was responsible for course development of Telecommunications Sector Planning a capstone course, which is delivered on a fully on-line platform to mid and senior telecommunication regulators, policy makers and executives. She is a member of a global network of scholars (Globelics) who apply the concept of 'Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building System' (Lics) as their analytical framework and has an excellent publications record including eight articles in peer reviewed journals, book chapters and a recent book Technological Learning: A Strategic Imperative for Firms in Developing Countries published by Edward Elgar in December 2004. She completed her DPhil in Science and Technology Policy at Sussex University in the UK, where her research focused on technology capability building processes in firms, using empirical findings from the African telecommunications industry. She has also trained as an economist at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, and obtained an MBA from George Washington University.