Our Governance - Co-Impact

Co-Impact is overseen by a Board of Directors comprised of experts in gender equality, women's leadership, systems change focused on health, education, and economic opportunity, philanthropy, policy and advocacy, communications and storytelling, learning, measurement and evaluation, nonprofit management, and nonprofit finances. An Advisory Board advises on strategy for each fund.

The ambition across Co-Impact's governance structure is to create inclusive, dynamic, and participatory spaces for dialogue and thought leadership, to engender a sense of community and collaboration, in which all members have an equal voice.

Our Board and Advisory Board members are committed to advancing our mission of ensuring that the systems are more just, inclusive, and effective. They bring knowledge, experience, and understanding of the issues and sectors related to our work, and serve as global ambassadors and advocates for Co-Impact.

Nicola Forrest AO

Nicola Forrest AO is the Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Minderoo Foundation and Director of Tattarang.

Laura García

Laura García is a Mexican feminist who has advocated for human rights, social justice, and civil society throughout her career.

Maryana Iskander

Maryana Iskander is the Chief Executive Officer of the Wikimedia Foundation, the global nonprofit that supports Wikipedia and its sister free knowledge projects.

Olivia Leland, ex officio

Olivia Leland is Founder and CEO at Co-Impact, bringing to that role more than 20 years of experience in philanthropy, government, and the non-profit sector.

Saadia Madsbjerg

Saadia Madsbjerg is a Danish-American philanthropy executive and a global leader in the movement to transform philanthropy through impact investing.

Tsitsi Masiyiwa

Tsitsi Masiyiwa is an African philanthropist and social entrepreneur.

Raj Panjabi

Dr. Raj Panjabi is former White House Senior Director and globally recognized as a distinguished authority in healthcare, public policy, entrepreneurship, and technology.

Hilary Pennington

Hilary Pennington is the executive vice president of the Ford Foundation, overseeing all of Ford’s programs globally, working closely across programs and offices to ensure strategic, meaningful, and well-aligned global grantmaking.

Ingrid Srinath, Board Vice-Chair

Ingrid Srinath is the Founder Director of the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) at Ashoka University.

Patty Stonesifer, Board Chair

Patty Stonesifer served as the interim Chief Executive Officer of the Washington Post from June 2023 to January 2024.

Anita Zaidi

Dr. Anita Zaidi is President, Gender Equality and Director at the Gates Foundation.

Advisory Boards

An Advisory Board for each fund engages with the Co-Impact team on strategy for the fund, including programmatic priorities and proposed grant making. The Foundational Fund Advisory Board is comprised of a group of funders from diverse and complementary backgrounds, geographies, and philanthropic experiences. The Gender Fund Advisory Board is comprised of a diverse group of experts (including funders) in gender equality, systems change, and philanthropy.