Cowan has 35 years experience in the development sector as a senior manager and consultant. He has held senior management positions in CIIR (now Progressio), Oxfam GB and Practical Action. He also led for the “Fundamental Review of Strategic Intent” of Oxfam GB in the late 1990s. He has led several complex evaluations including, most recently, the evaluation of Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) strategic partnerships with Swiss NGOs, the evaluation of the DFID Challenge Fund and the evaluation of Danish Support to Civil Society.
Cowan has authored a number of publications that are publicly available including a study on Support to Civil Society through Multi-donor Funds and a OECD/DAC Evaluation Insight on “Support to Civil Society: Emerging Evaluation Lessons”.