David is an international development expert with over 30 years of professional experience. He is an innovative and strategic thinker, always able to find solutions under complex circumstances and multiple crises.

For the last 26 years David has held several positions with the United Nations Development Program including as Senior Adviser, Deputy Country Director, as well as Country Director and Resident Representative. His work with United Nations has taken him to 50 countries, in Europe, Central Asia, East Africa, Middle East, Caribbean and Latin America. During his assignments he has worked with government decision makers, civil society organizations and businesspeople on peace and state building, economic development and social change.

From 2017 to 2019, after years of devastating war, David was in charge of UNDP office at one of the most critical junctions in Syria, where he led early recovery efforts aiming for resilience and helping millions of people to survive and recover. David also guided his team in the special effort aimed at building foundation for SDGs in Syria. 

He has spent a few years in New York at UN Headquarters as Chief of Operations of the UN Secretary General’s appointed High-Level Panel on post 2015 Development agenda- that led to the formulation of Sustainable Development Goals -Vision 2030.

David has worked in Somalia for 4 years, starting in September 2013, right after the devastating attack on UNDP compound and has managed to reestablish UNDP presence in Mogadishu. Several new programs were launched and qualified managers attracted to lead teams that supported the National Peace and State Building Goals. David, together with the Government has initiated the first National Development Plan centered around SDGs. He has also started an initiative on social and business innovation focused on youth that currently serves as a model for solutions in crises context.

A major accomplishment for David were the successful Parliamentary elections in Afghanistan in 2010 (a large scale highly complex internationally supported effort with 100 international staff and massive operation with a budget of $150 million). Elections were recognized by UN Security Council as one of the best election operations supported by the United Nations, and UNDP received special appreciation. 

David was also decorated with most prestigious national medal “Dank” by the President of Kyrgyzstan for his work in the country.

Prior to the United Nations, between 1981-1991, David worked in R&D and published 40 articles in the field of laser physics. Part of his research was on modeling of complex systems, theory of chaos and self-organization in complex systems.

David holds an MBA from the American University in Armenia, a PHD in Laser Physics of Complex Systems and an MA in Theoretical Physics from Yerevan State University.

David will take on his role as Board member of the Insurance Foundation for Servicemen starting on April 1^st, 2021.