Keston Perry

Originally from the Caribbean islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Keston is keen on gaining global insights and experiences through research, travel and social change platforms. He is presently a doctoral researcher at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London in Development Studies. He is researching the political and economic dimensions of structural change, agency and inequality in small island economies, given global technological change. Prior to this, Keston completed his MSc. in Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship at Newcastle University, UK.

In 2013, he was one of the winners of the International Telecommunications Union's (ITU) Young Innovators' competition for his project KUMBAConnect and travelled to Bangkok, Thailand as a result of the win. In 2012, Keston pioneered and managed an entrepreneurship development initiative in his home country, on behalf of the government.

He has also had professional stints at United Nations offices in the Caribbean, namely the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), United Nations Joint Programme on HIV & AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Propulation Fund (UNFPA), UN-Women. He had had a number of voluntary, internship and leadership experiences at non-profit and international organisations, such as Youth of the United Nations Group- Trinidad and Tobago (YOUNG-TT), Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

He has traveled to 4 continents as a youth delegate at various international meetings and global youth events, including the Global Model United Nations in Malaysia, Global Development Network in Colombia and United Nations Alliance of Civilisations in Qatar. He is keen observer of international affairs, interested in global development, and passionate about innovation and social change.