Gillian Mackay
About Gillian Mackay
Gillian Mackay serves as the Social Inclusion Monitoring, Evidence and Learning Manager at Sightsavers, where she has worked since 2019. With over 18 years of experience in urban development and social inclusion, she has held various managerial roles in South Africa and has a strong academic background in public management and development studies.
Work at Sightsavers
Gillian Mackay has served as the Social Inclusion Monitoring, Evidence and Learning Manager at Sightsavers since 2019. In this role, she manages two large-scale, multi-country consortium partner programs. These programs focus on disability inclusion across various sectors, including health, economic empowerment, and education. Her responsibilities include designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation systems to assess the effectiveness of these initiatives.
Previous Experience
Before joining Sightsavers, Gillian Mackay held multiple positions at the Social Housing Regulatory Authority. She worked as a Strategy, Research and Policy Manager from 2017 to 2018 and as a Programme Manager from 2014 to 2016. Additionally, she served as a Project Manager at the same organization from 2013 to 2014. Earlier in her career, she worked as a Project Manager at NMA Effective Social Strategists from 2004 to 2007 and as a Project Consultant at Neo Africa from 2007 to 2013.
Education and Expertise
Gillian Mackay holds a Master of Public Management from Regenesys, which she completed between 2015 and 2018. She also earned a BSc Honours in Development Studies from the University of East Anglia, studying from 1997 to 2000. With over 18 years of experience in developing countries, her expertise encompasses urban development, housing, social and disability inclusion, economic empowerment, and public health.
Monitoring and Evaluation Experience
Gillian Mackay possesses over 10 years of experience in designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation systems for development programs. This expertise is crucial for assessing program effectiveness and ensuring that initiatives meet their intended goals, particularly in the areas of social inclusion and disability.