Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Political) Ingrid Hayden has been appointed as the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan. 
 
Before taking up her current appointment, Hayden had been Acting Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Political) in Kabul since January. Before that she had been based in New York with the Department of Political Affairs as Head of the Afghanistan Desk, since 2014, a position she also held from 2003 to 2007.
 
Hayden has extensive experience working in the United Nations in the areas of peace and security, as well as management, with assignments including Afghanistan, Abyei, Chad, Central African Republic, the Sudan, South Sudan and Timor Leste. 

With more than 25 years of experience in the Organisation, she has held senior positions in the departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Political Affairs, as well as the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. She started her career in the United Nations in the Department of Management. She has undertaken field assignments in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Chad, Timor Leste and Darfur.
 
Prior to joining the United Nations, Hayden served with News Corporation, Price Waterhouse and Coopers Lybranth. A citizen of Australia, she graduated from the University of Queensland and is a Member of the Chartered Accountants Association.