Lakshmi Sundaram

Lakshmi is a strategic leader who nurtures global movements and builds effective partnerships between individuals, organizations and sectors coming from very different perspectives. Her work has led to tangible, sustainable and systemic changes in the fields of global health and gender equality. She has had the opportunity to lead, advocate and speak publicly on a wide range of issues – from malaria to child marriage – and to translate complicated topics into messages that resonate with community and youth activists, policy makers, donors and world leaders.

Lakshmi is currently the interim Executive Director of Open Democracy, an independent global media organization focused on human rights. As the former and first Executive Director of Girls Not Brides, she supported local civil society to organize at a national level and drive change in their communities, helping to bring global attention and millions of dollars of new funding into the field.