Dr John Toye was Chair of the Advisory Council of the Department of International Development at Oxford University. He had an undergraduate degree from Cambridge University and postgraduate qualifications from the University of London. He directed research institutes at the University of Wales, Sussex, and Oxford working on development studies. He also had experiences of the public sector, the private sector, and international organisations including the British Treasury, a consultancy specialising in commodity prices in the private sector, and was the director of the UN Committee on Trade and Development. He authored seven books and many articles in academic journals.