Kidist Chala has been the Head of the Advancing Decent Work and Inclusive Industrialization Programme since January 2019. Better Work is one of the key components of this comprehensive and coordinated ILO programme, which was established to promote decent work and inclusive industrialization in priority sectors in Ethiopia. Prior to this role, Kidist joined ILO CO Addis Ababa as a Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) in 2016. As a CTA, she worked on a project to improve industrial relations, working conditions, and productivity in the garment and textile industries. She was responsible for the overall management of the project deliverables, including staff management, stakeholder engagement, resource mobilization, strategic communication, and donor relations. Before this, Kidist worked with ILO CO Addis Ababa overseeing the design and implementation of the Decent Work Country programmes and UNDP.

Kidist holds a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, specialising in Development Economics. Her goal is to consolidate and use her experience to advance decent employment and influence policies through evidence-based dialogues.