International aid agency CAFOD has welcomed its new International Development Director, Geoff O'Donoghue.

He takes charge of a division consisting of 200 staff based both in the UK and overseas. The division works closely with over 500 partners in more than 50 countries delivering development programmes.

Mr Donoghue, 47, is a co-founder of Mango Communities CIC, a not-for-profit consultancy. He has a Masters in Change Management and has consulted for organisations such as Danish SCF, ECHO, and several London boroughs.

Mr Donoghue is familiar with CAFOD, he has worked with the Humanitarian Department and held a four month interim role as Darfur Emergency Response Operations Director.

CAFOD Director Chris Bain said: "I am pleased to welcome Geoff to CAFOD, his experience and commitment to development will be a real asset to the organisation.

"The international division is going through exciting changes with much of our work being decentralised and relocated to international offices. Geoff's experience in change management will be invaluable."

Mr O'Donoghue said: "I am very excited about my new role at CAFOD. I have a huge respect for the work they do and for their commitment to working with local partners in some of the poorest areas of the world.

"My main role will be to support the decentralisation of our international work and to strengthen partners' capacity for advocacy and programme delivery."

Previously Mr Donoghue worked as Country Representative in Ethiopia for HelpAge International (HAI) and before then as Refugee Programme Manager in Tanzania and Rwanda with HAI. He began his international work in 1992 as a VSO volunteer in Tanzania working with leprosy communities. In his early career he was as a field social worker in the North West of England and in Edinburgh.

Geoff appointment comes following the departure of Lesley-Anne Knight, who became the Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis, the largest Catholic and second largest global aid network.