Lesley Y. Cordero is a Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist based in Singapore, managing more than a billion dollar Disaster Risk Management program (DRM) in the Philippines. She worked on innovative policies and instruments such as recovery frameworks; emergency cash transfers and adaptive social protection measures; multi-hazard vulnerability assessment tools; resilient infrastructure program; local government catastrophe risk insurance; and contingent financing facility for disasters.
Mainstreaming the DRM agenda, Lesley is currently leading the implementation of the $500 million Fourth DRM contingent credit facility and the $500 million Third DRM Development Policy Loan to support the Government’s response and recovery efforts for recent disasters and COVID-19. She is leading the delivery of the $150 million Sustainable, Inclusive, and Resilient Tourism Project in select destinations in the Philippines. She also worked on various DRM projects in East Asia and the Pacific. On fragility, conflict and violence, Lesley co-led the technical assistance and policy advisory for the Marawi Post-Conflict Recovery and Reconstruction Program.
Prior to joining the Bank, Lesley served as an Undersecretary at the Office of the President of the Philippines. She coordinated the recovery efforts of the Philippine Government for Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and Bopha in 2012. In 2011, Lesley served as Undersecretary at the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).
Lesley has a Juris Doctor of Laws from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law and a Master’s degree in National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines. She is an Adjunct Faculty at the Asian Institute of Management for the Master’s in Disaster Risk and Crisis Management Program. She was awarded as one of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the Philippines in 2020.