Human Rights Lawyer Binaifer Nowrojee Named President of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations
- The Kenyan of Indian descent becomes the first woman from the Global South to head the foundation.
Open Society Foundations (OSF) has named human rights lawyer Binaifer Nowrojee as its new president. The Kenyan of Indian descent becomes the first woman from the Global South to head the foundation, “ending a three-year period of restructuring for the pro-democracy organization,” the foundation announced on March 11. She will replace Mark Malloch-Brown who is stepping down in June.
Founded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros, OSF is the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights.
In a statement, Soros said Nowrojee “embodies the spirit of OSF, past and present.” He expressed confidence that she will “ably lead OSF into the challenging next phase of our work.”
Nowrojee most recently was OSF’s vice president of programs and “part of a small senior leadership team overseeing a large transition that started in 2021, according to the Associated Press. Her other roles at OSF include East Africa Foundation director, regional director for Asia Pacific, and vice president for Organizational Transformation. “She played a central role in orchestrating a significant strategic and structural realignment of Open Society, enhancing its capacity to effect change in a rapidly evolving global landscape,” OSF said.
As a lawyer, Nowrojee has spent much of her professional life focusing on pushing international courts to deliver justice to victims of sexual violence in conflict. The daughter of B veteran Kenyan lawyer and writer Pheroze Nowrojee has lived and worked in Kenya, Tanzania, Singapore, the UK, and the U.S.
In a statement to OSF staff, she said she accepted this position because it is an “inspiring” place to work. “We have endured a prolonged period of disruption, and this has not come without pain and loss, as many of you have said goodbye to colleagues and ended relationships with long-time grantees,” she said. “As we move into becoming a more integrated network, it is time for us to redouble our commitment to the important work that we are here to do, even as we support each other to restore the health and vitality of the organization,” she said.
Before joining OSF, she served as legal counsel at Human Rights Watch and as a staff attorney at the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. She has worked extensively on prosecuting sexual violence under international law and testified as an expert witness at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Her “commitment to advancing justice extends to academia,” OSF said, adding that she has served as a lecturer at Harvard Law School and was awarded a Carr Center fellowship.
She holds a JD from Columbia Law School and an LLM degree from Harvard Law School, underscoring her strong academic foundation and expertise in international law and human rights.