United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Robert van der Zee of the Netherlands as his Representative for the investment of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF).  He succeeds Pedro Antonio Guazo Alonso of Spain, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his service.

The Secretary-General also wishes to extend his appreciation to Toru Shindo, Chief Investment Officer in the Office of Investment Management, UNJSPF, who served as Acting Representative of the Secretary-General from 16 July to 15 August 2025.

Currently Acting Representative of the Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of UNJSPF since 16 August 2025, Mr. van der Zee served as Chief Financial Officer at the World Food Programme (WFP) in Italy (2024-2025), bringing 30 years of experience across various financial management roles.  He possesses extensive and in-depth organizational and financial knowledge and expertise along with a strong track record of senior leadership in both the financial services industry and in international organizations.

Mr. van der Zee joined WFP in 2005 as Global Treasurer, having served since then as Director, Corporate Finance Division (2018-2024), and Deputy Director, Finance and Treasury Division (2013-2018).  He started his career in financial services at ABN AMRO Bank (1995-2005), including assignments in the Netherlands, Ireland, Hungary, Greece and Spain, with a primary focus on financial institutions and public sector clients, debt capital markets, structured finance and transaction services solutions.

Mr. van der Zee holds a Master of Science in business and finance from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands (1989-1995), and an International Executive MBA from IE Business School in Madrid (2003-2004). In addition to his native Dutch, he is fluent in English, Spanish and Italian.

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* This supersedes Press Release SG/A/2367 of 15 August 2025.