Simon Alexis Finley (Australia) is an ex-UNDP staff member with 20 years of experience in shaping large-scale governance and conflict-prevention portfolios across the Asia-Pacific, Small Island Developing States, and fragile settings. He has translated political analysis into impactful policy and programme solutions for governments, multilateral institutions, and the United Nations.
At UNDP, Simon led transformational work on democratic resilience and emerging threats. He established UNDP's first programmes on information integrity to counter the impact of misinformation on democratic systems, and directed the UNDP’s response to preventing violent extremism across five regions spanning 49 countries. He built a team that produced over 20 policy briefs and research reports, enabling more than 30 countries to identify evidence-based responses to democratic erosion. His communications strategy reached 30,000 people monthly through podcasts, video, and digital platforms, translating complex policy research into actionable insights.
Earlier, Simon led UNDP's regional governance and peacebuilding portfolio across Asia-Pacific, scaling a single-staff operation to a USD 20 million programme serving 25 country offices. He authored over 50 project documents securing USD 500 million in funding; produced over 100 policy papers on political transitions and emerging governance challenges; and worked across 20 countries to build consensus on gender and violent extremism prevention between governments, civil society, and regional bodies, including ASEAN.
His technical depth spans electoral assistance, parliamentary development, decentralization, local governance, women's political participation, civil society engagement, and digital governance. He has conducted political risk assessments in fragile and conflict-affected settings, including post-Easter bombing assessments in Sri Lanka and transitional governance support in Afghanistan and Timor-Leste. Recent work at ADB includes directing a portfolio review of fragile and conflict-affected states and authoring country fragility and resilience assessments across Asia and the Pacific.
Simon holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the Australian National University, where he also taught courses on conflict, security, peacebuilding, and governance. He brings sound judgment in high-pressure, ambiguous environments and a commitment to evidence-driven policy rooted in rigorous research.