Karen Maguire

Karen Maguire

22/04/2024

Karen Maguire
Head of Division, Local Employment and Economic Development Programme (LEED), OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities

Karen Maguire is Head of Division managing the OECD’s LEED Programme. Created in 1982, LEED provides data, policy analysis and capacity building to national and subnational governments in the areas of local economic development, employment and skills tailored to regional and local needs, entrepreneurship, the social economy, and culture, among other topics. Prior to that, she was a Senior Counsellor of the OECD’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities and served for over a decade the Regional Development Policy Division, covering a wide range of regional, urban and rural development issues. Prior to joining the OECD, she worked as an investment banker for UBS in New York, an international consultant in economic development and a research analyst for the Urban Institute in Washington, DC. She holds a BA in economics and sociology from the University of Chicago and an MPP from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.