Dan Mtonga
Regional Director of Programme Quality and Impact, East Asia
Dan Mtonga is the Regional Director for Programme Quality and Impact for World Vision East Asia, where he leads regional strategy on programme effectiveness, evidence, and organisational learning across multiple countries. With more than 19 years of experience in international humanitarian and development contexts, he has held senior leadership roles spanning Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
Dan’s work focuses on advancing data-informed decision-making, research partnerships, and adaptive programming, helping organisations move beyond activity-driven delivery toward evidence-led development that delivers lasting outcomes for children and communities. In East Asia, he has been instrumental in establishing and strengthening the region’s research and evidence capability, positioning analysis and learning as key tools for programme improvement, policy dialogue, and external influence.
He has led and contributed to major regional research and publications in collaboration with global institutions, including Climate Change, Vulnerability and Migration: Impacts on Children and Youth in East Asia, developed with the Stockholm Environment Institute, and Behind the Averages: Uncovering Child Vulnerability in East Asia, produced with the Institute for Economics & Peace. These studies have helped deepen regional understanding of structural risks affecting children and have informed policy discussions on climate vulnerability, inequality, and development priorities.
Alongside advancing the region’s research and evidence agenda, Dan has also delivered strong results in resource mobilisation and organisational strengthening. During his leadership supporting World Vision Vietnam, the office secured USD 22.5 million in grant Life-of-Award funding between 2017 and early 2024, despite a tightening donor environment as Vietnam transitioned to lower-middle-income status. He also helped build a pipeline of nearly USD 10 million in additional institutional grants, including major proposals to European donors and climate funding mechanisms. Beyond funding growth, Dan established and strengthened the grant acquisition, compliance, and donor engagement systems within the Vietnam office, introducing clearer proposal development protocols, quality assurance mechanisms, and internal capacity-building processes. These reforms enabled the office to move toward fewer but larger and more strategic institutional grants, strengthening long-term programme sustainability and impact.
His leadership experience spans diverse roles including Regional Director for Programme Quality and Impact in East Asia, Programme Quality and Resource Development Director in Vietnam, Acting National Director for World Vision Vietnam, and Country Portfolio Manager at World Vision New Zealand, supporting multi-country operations. Earlier in his career, he served in programme and leadership roles with World Vision Malawi, contributing to national-level programme delivery and organisational strengthening. Dan has also served as Board Member and Chair of the Risk and Audit Committee for a Microfinance Programme in Vietnam, providing governance oversight and strategic guidance.
He holds a Master of Science in Strategic Management from the University of Derby in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences from the University of Malawi. Dan is particularly passionate about child participation, evidence-based development, faith-driven leadership, and strengthening systems that enable sustainable change for children and communities. His work consistently focuses on bridging research, policy, and practice, ensuring that evidence informs decisions and that development efforts remain both credible and transformative.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Programme quality, Impact, and Adaptive Management
Research, Evidence, Data-driven Decision Making
Strategic Leadership in Humanitarian & Development System
