Kath Ford is the Deputy Director of Young Lives and Head of Policy and Partnerships. She joined the Young Lives team in 2018 and is the senior lead for policy influencing and maximising impact, building long-term partnerships at the country and international level. Kath is passionate about the potential for evidence based policy to improve the lives of young people around the world and brings a wealth of expertise with over 20 years experience working in international development.

Kath previously worked as a governance advisor at the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) between 2003-2017, focusing on a broad range of policy areas across Africa and Asia, including on violence against women and girls, democracy and local accountability, security and access to justice, and public finance and taxation. Kath is also a Chartered Accountant and has lived and worked in Malawi and Namibia.