Our Advisory Council act as ambassadors for GIWL, providing strategic guidance and supporting the institute’s funding and philanthropic goals.
Lina AbiRafeh
Lina is a global women’s rights expert, author, and speaker. She served for over 20 years as a humanitarian aid worker in contexts such as Afghanistan, Haiti, Central African Republic, Papua New Guinea, and others. Lina now works independently and advises several organisations and companies at a senior level. She serves as the Senior Advisor for Global Women’s Rights at the Arab Institute for Women at the Lebanese American University, where she served as Executive Director for seven years.
Lina speaks and publishes frequently on a range of gender issues, and has appeared on global stages including TEDx, Women Deliver PowerTalk, Swedish International Development Agency annual meeting, amongst others.
Lina completed her doctoral work from the London School of Economics and published “Gender and International Aid in Afghanistan” in 2009, based on her PhD research. Her second book “Freedom on the Frontlines” was released in February 2022. Her next book outlines fifty years of Arab feminism and will be published in spring 2023.
Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen
Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen has been CEO of Plan International since September 2015. Prior to this she was United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director for Management at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
A renowned leader in development and gender equality, Anne-Birgitte has worked for over 25 years in international development, human rights, change management and diplomacy and has been listed as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Gender Equality by Apolitical.
Iris Bohnet
Iris Bohnet is the Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government and Academic Dean of Harvard Kennedy School. She is a behavioral economist, combining insights from economics and psychology to improve decision-making, often with a gender or cross-cultural perspective. She is the author of the award-winning book What Works: Gender Equality by Design, and advises organisations on the topic around the world.
Professor Bohnet is the co-director of the Women and Public Policy Program, and the faculty co-chair of the “Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century” program for the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders. She serves on the boards, advisory boards or as a patron of Credit Suisse Group, Applied, Edge, TaketheLeadWomen, We Shape Tech, Women in Banking and Finance, and the UK Government’s Equalities Office as well as numerous academic journals.
She was named one of Apolitical's Most Influential People in Gender Policy in 2018 and 2019, a Leading Thinker of Victoria, Australia, 2016-2019, and has received an honorary degree from the University of Lucerne.
Juliet Bourke
Juliet Bourke leads Deloitte Australia's Diversity and Inclusion Consulting practice. She has over 25 years' experience in human capital, management and law. Known for her evidence driven approach to designing D&I strategies and coaching leaders, Juliet works with global executives and organisations to improve workplace performance through cultural change and leadership.
She is the author of various books, including her latest title: Which two heads are better than one?: How diverse teams create breakthrough ideas and make smarter decisions, now in its third edition.
Juliet is a member of Deloitte Australia’s Diversity Council and sits on a number of boards and award panels, such as Harvard’s Women’s Leadership Board, Macquarie University’s Global MBA Board and the Navy Diversity Council. Juliet has a number of awards including from the Women Lawyers Association, University of New South Wales and the Australian Centre for Leadership for Women. Juliet has also presented at hundreds of global conferences, including TEDx. She holds a BA, LLB, LLM (Hons) and is a PhD candidate at Brunel University London.
Elizabeth Broderick
As Australia’s longest serving Sex Discrimination Commissioner (2007-2015), Elizabeth worked tirelessly to break down structural and social barriers faced by women and men, and to promote gender equality. She is a globally acknowledged leader, social innovator and advocate.
She founded and convenes the ‘Male Champions of Change’ strategy activating influential men to take action on gender equality. She has led 13 major cultural reviews in Australia’s leading national institutions including the Australian Defence Force.
In 2017, Elizabeth was appointed by the United Nations in Geneva as a Special Rapporteur and Independent Expert. She is currently Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls.
In 2016, Elizabeth was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia and was named 2016 NSW Australian of the Year.
She is an Adjunct Professor at The University of Sydney, an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, holds Honorary Doctorates of Law from the University of Sydney, University of New South Wales and University of Technology and Honorary Doctorates from Deakin, Edith Cowan and Griffith Universities.
Ann Cairns
Ann Cairns is the Executive Vice Chairman of Mastercard, where she plays the role of senior ambassador and executive leader and sits as part of the company’s global management committee. Prior to this, Ann was President of International Markets responsible for the management of all Mastercard customer-related activities in over 200 countries.
Ann has more than 20 years’ experience working in senior management positions across Europe and the US. She was head of the Financial Services Group with Alvarez & Marsal, CEO of Transaction Banking at ABN-AMRO and held senior positions at Citigroup.
Ann is currently chair of ICE Clear Europe, owned by the Fortune 500 company Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). She is also global co-chair of the 30% Club, the chair of the Financial Alliance for Women and serves as a member of the UK government’s AI Council and the IBDE advisory board.
She has a Pure Mathematics degree and honorary doctorate from Sheffield University and an MSc. with research into medical statistics and honorary doctorate from Newcastle University.
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
Professor Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is an international authority in business psychology, talent management, leadership development, and people analytics. He is the Chief Talent Scientist at ManpowerGroup, Professor of Business Psychology at both University College London, and Columbia University, and co-founder of Deeper Signals and Metaprofiling. He has previously held academic positions at New York University and the London School of Economics, and frequently lectures at Harvard Business School, Stanford Business School, London Business School, Johns Hopkins, IMD, and INSEAD.
Tomas has published 10 books and over 150 scientific papers, making him one of the most prolific social scientists of his generation. He is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Forbes, and the Guardian, and a keynote speaker for the Institute of Economic Affairs. His latest book, Why do so many incompetent men become leaders (and how to fix it), is published by Harvard Business Review Press.
Betsy Cohen
Betsy Cohen is the President of Teneo Ventures. She has 20 years’ experience in executive operating roles, financial management, and investment in high-growth companies. Prior to joining Teneo, Betsy was CFO and CAO of Merchantry, which was acquired by Tradeshift.
Previously, Betsy was co-founder and CFO of a marketing intelligence company bought by the Nielsen Company. She also served as EVP of DialogBank Russia, where Betsy launched and ran various divisions of the commercial bank division of Troika Dialog, bought by Sberbank. She also previously worked in the private equity group at Oaktree Capital and the corporate finance division of J.P. Morgan.
Betsy is a former economics fellow and current member at the Council on Foreign Relations. She also serves on the board of Student Sponsor Partners.
Betsy has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Harvard University in Russian language and Slavic studies.
Judy Dlamini
Dr Judy Dlamini a medical & academic doctor, business woman, author, and philanthropist; has worked in different sectors of the economy.
She is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Mbekani Group that has been in business for 20 years, Wits University Chancellor, co-founder, sponsor and trustee of Mkhiwa Trust, her family’s PBO used for social upliftment, focusing in rural development, health and education; founder and Chairman of Female Academic Leaders Fellowship NPC, a PBO for developing a pipeline of black women leaders in academia.
She chairs the board of WDGMC, GBVF Response Fund and is a director of SA SME Fund. Her Doctoral thesis investigated the intersection of race, gender and social class in women CEOs’ career progression and strategies for gender transformation at leadership level. She is the former Chairman of Aspen Pharmacare Limited.
She is a published author of Equal but Different, The Other Story and Grow to be Great.
Fiona Hathorn
Fiona Hathorn is the CEO of Women on Boards UK, a Non-Executive Director of the gender pay gap company Spktral, an advisor to mid-cap stockbroker Peel Hunt, and Chair of the nominations committee for Hanx, a new FMCG sexual health start-up. She is an expert in the areas of governance, regulation and talent management. Fiona is also a Patron of Fight for Sight (a medical research charity) and was formerly a director for Hill Samuel Asset Management, running the Emerging Markets Desk. Additionally Fiona is a Judge for the Non-Executive Director Awards, sponsored by The Sunday Times.
Katja Iversen
Katja Iversen is an author, advocate and executive adviser on purpose-driven leadership, sustainability, global health and gender equality. She is a sought keynote speaker and moderator, holds various board and advisory positions, writes and advises world executives in both the public and private sector.
Ms. Iversen has a background as a leader in civil society, the United Nations and as a cross-cultural leadership trainer of Fortune 500 executives. She recently concluded 7 years as CEO of the global advocacy organisation, Women Deliver. As a high-level adviser to private sector executives and institutions such as the G7, the World Economic Forum, United Nations, Kings College, Unilever, 4LifeSoluitons and Women Political Leaders, Katja Iversen helps drive worldwide change.
Katja Iversen has received several awards and was included in Apolitical’s Top 20 of The World’s 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy in 2019. She has been named Dane of the Year and appointed an official Copenhagen Goodwill Ambassador, and in 2021 she was named a United Nations Food Champion. In 2018 her book on women and networking came out.
Katja Iversen holds a MSc in Communications, a BA in Policy & Public Administration, Certificates in Strategic Communications, International Development, Negotiations and Conflict Resolution, as well as a Management and Leadership degree from Columbia University’s Business School. She has worked, lived or traveled in almost 100 countries, and today splits her time between New York, Rome, and the road. Twitter handle: @Katja_Iversen
Jude Kelly
Jude Kelly is the founder of the WOW Foundation - Women of the World Festival to celebrate the achievements of women and girls and confront gender injustice across the globe. Starting in London in 2010, the Festival now takes place in 25 countries across five continents.
Prior to this, she was the Artistic Director of Southbank Centre for 12 years. She has founded a range of arts institutions, has directed over 100 stage productions and has commissioned and supported the work of hundreds of female artists across all genres.
In 2019 she co-founded Smart Purse, a financial toolkit to support women to become confident about money and protect themselves from financial vulnerability. Jude is one of the world’s foremost commentators and thought leaders on gender, creativity, diversity and inclusion. Her TED talk, on why women must tell the stories of humanity, has been viewed over 1.5 million times.
Nadira Lalji
Nadira Lalji is the founder of Inhabit, a lifestyle and wellness-focused hotel brand, and a director of Precis Advisory, a UK property portfolio of hotels and self-storage sites.
As a majority-female employer, Nadira works closely with networks such as Women Returners, which supports women in the workforce. Additionally, she champions social entrepreneurs and organisations working with vulnerable populations. This underpins an unshakeable belief that triple-bottom-line businesses foster vital and positive change in communities. Based in London, Nadira is an active member of Young Presidents’ Organization and a speaker at the International Women in Travel & Tourism Forum.
Previously, as a Rogers Family Research Fellow at Harvard University, Nadira examined international development in South Asia from a gendered perspective, and—as a Goldman Sachs’ Global Leader—inaugurated a microfinance programme in Istanbul to support aspiring Turkish-Romanian businesswomen. Later, she co-facilitated a Women’s Founders Forum for emerging female entrepreneurs at Harvard Business School’s Innovation Lab.
Nadira has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Harvard University. She was a John Eliot Scholar at Jesus College, Cambridge University.
Cindi Leive
Cindi Leive is a journalist, media leader and co-founder and CEO of The Meteor, a feminist media company which launched in 2021.
A cultural critic who appears frequently on TV and live events, she is a senior fellow at the University of Southern California!s Annenberg Center; the former editor-in-chief of both Glamour and Self magazines; the force behind barrier-breaking initiatives like Glamour Women of the Year and The Girl Project; and the author or producer of numerous books including the 2018 New York Times bestseller Together We Rise, about the making of the Women!s March.
Her awards and honors include recognition from the White House and the United Nations, as well as an Emmy and multiple National Magazine Awards.
Joni Lovenduski
Joni Lovenduski is professor emerita at Birkbeck College London. An internationally acclaimed scholar, her research focuses on gender, politics and political institutions.
Her awards include the Gender and Politics Award of the European Consortium for Political Research Standing Group on Gender and Politics (2009), the UK Political Studies Association’s Sir Isaiah Berlin prize for lifetime achievement in political studies (2013) and the European Consortium for Political Research award for outstanding achievement in political science (2017). Her book Political Recruitment: Gender, Race and Class was awarded the American Political Science Association George H. Hallett 2018 prize for a pathbreaking book that is still influential ten years after publication. She received an honorary Doctor of Science in Social Science degree from the University of Edinburgh University in 2017.
Divya Mathew
Divya Mathew leads policy and advocacy at Women Deliver, a global advocacy organization that champions gender equality and the health and rights of girls and women. As part of her responsibilities, she oversees the research portfolio for the organization.
Divya is a seasoned international development practitioner having worked for a variety of multilateral development organizations, prior to Women Deliver. These include the United Nations Development Programme (New York), Asian Development Bank (Manila), The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Paris) and The World Bank (Washington, D.C and New Delhi). Divya's focus areas included institutional strategy and policy, resource mobilization, coalition building, and development financing. She also worked on on-the-ground development programs related to gender, education, health, and governance in Asia and the Pacific.
She received her master's degree in International Relations and International Economics from The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University and her bachelor's degree in Mathematics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.
Baroness Helena Morrissey DBE
Helena has over three decades’ experience in financial services, including 15 years as CEO of Newton Investment Management, during which time AUM grew from £20bn to £50bn. She is now lead NED at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and on the board of Green Park, an executive search firm specialising in diverse appointments. She also serves as a senior adviser to Edelman, the communications consultancy.
Helena is well known for her work on inclusion and diverssity. In 2010, she founded the 30% Club, a campaign for better gender-balanced boards. Since then, the representation of women on FTSE350 boards has risen from less than 10% to over 30%. There are now seventeen 30% Clubs throughout the world. Helena chairs the Diversity Project, aimed at improving diversity across all dimensions in the investment industry.
Helena entered the House of Lords in September 2020 and was appointed a Dame in 2017. Her first book, A Good Time to be a Girl, was described by Forbes magazine as one of the five most empowering books for women in 2018. She posts daily career dressing advice on Instagram and is one of LinkedIn’s "Top Voices".
Helena is married with nine children.
Shauna Olney
Shauna Olney is the Chief of the Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch of the International Labour Organization (ILO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. Olney has worked at the ILO since 1991, promoting equality at work from a range of perspectives. She leads the ILO’s Women at Work Centenary Initiative, which has generated an important body of new research and data, supporting a transformative agenda for gender equality.
She studied law at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and as a postgraduate at the University of Oxford. She began her career as a barrister and solicitor in Canada, specialising in industrial relations, labour law and human rights, and also worked at the Supreme Court of Canada. She was a Deputy member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment, and was chosen as one of Apolitical's 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy for 2019.
She has authored and co-authored a number of publications on equality and non-discrimination, including “Migrant Workers and the Right to Non-discrimination and Equality” in Migrants at Work; “A Better Future for Women at Work” (University of Oxford Human Rights Hub Journal); Equal Pay: An introductory guide (ILO); ‘The ILO, gender equality, and trade unions’ in Making globalization work for women.
Kieran Pender
Kieran Pender is an Australian lawyer, writer and academic. He is a senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre and a visiting fellow at The Australian National University College of Law. Kieran was previously a senior legal advisor at the International Bar Association (IBA), where he led the organisation's work to promote diversity and inclusion in the law. Kieran authored the landmark 2019 report Us Too? Bullying and Sexual Harassment in the Legal Profession and led the IBA's subsequent global campaign. He has served on committees and working group relating to discrimination and harassment convened by civil society, governments and international organisations. Kieran is also an award-winning journalist for The Guardian and a co-founder of Football Rising, which uses sport to empower women in marginalised and disadvantaged communities.
Carol Schwartz
Carol Schwartz is a passionate advocate for women in leadership. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours for her distinguished service to the community as a supporter of women in leadership roles, to social justice advocacy, and to business.
Carol is the Founding Chair of the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia and works closely with this initiative to catalyse and strengthen their work. She is one of the leading agitators for change of women’s representation in Australia and was the driver of the Women for Media initiative which aims to increase female representation in the media.
Together with her husband Alan and their four children, Carol established the Trawalla Foundation, which invests in exceptional individuals and organisations with a focus on strengthening gender equality, creativity, sustainability and social justice within our society.
Zamila Skingsley
Zamila Bunglawala Skingsley is a successful former Cabinet Office Director with extensive UK and global experience leading policy, strategy, trade/commercial portfolios including £25BN education portfolio, large transformation projects and EDI.
Zamila now holds a portfolio of Non-Executive Director/Advisor roles with leading organisations including UNICEF, Lord Jeremy Heywood Foundation, Department for Transport, TORUS Foundation, Julia Gillard’s Global Institute for Women Leaders at King’s College London and is Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics. Former boards include US-UK Fulbright Commission, UNESCO and Concern Worldwide, and Fellowships at the Brookings Institute and University of Manchester.
Zamila was formerly International Director at the Department for Education leading the £25BN trade portfolio, Erasmus/Turing programmes, partnering with universities and governments including in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Zamila was Deputy Head of the No.10/Cabinet Office Race Disparity Audit where she was the founding architect of the world-leading Ethnicity Facts and Figures website, a transformational data project tackling ethnic disparities. Zamila has world for the United Nations in conflict countries in Darfur Sudan and Kathmandu Nepal.
Stacy Smith
Stacy L Smith, PhD is the Founder of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (AII), the leading global think tank studying inequality in entertainment. Dr Smith’s groundbreaking research examines inclusion (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, the LGBT community, people with disabilities and mental health) across film, TV and digital platforms, the music industry, and film criticism.
Beyond research, Dr. Smith crafts compelling and innovative solutions to entertainment inequality. Recently, in partnership with TIME’S UP, Tessa Thompson, and others, she launched the #4percentchallenge. She has authored over 100 articles, book chapters, and reports, and is covered regularly in popular press outlets.
LA Weekly named Dr. Smith the most influential person in Los Angeles in 2015. Dr. Smith served on the Recording Academy Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion following the release of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s inaugural study on the music industry and is an Executive Committee Member of She Is The Music. She appeared on Billboard’s 2018 Women in Music List and was deemed one of The Hollywood Reporter’s 50 Agents of Change in 2019.
Manuela Tomei
Manuela Tomei is Director of the Conditions of Work and Equality Department, International Labour Office (ILO) since 2013. Ms Tomei has held various posts at ILO Headquarters, Geneva, and its Regional Office, Peru. She was lead coordinator of the preparatory work that culminated in the adoption of the last two ILO Conventions: C.190 on violence and harassment in the world of work (2019); and C.189 on decent work for domestic workers (2011). Ms Tomei played a key role in the establishment and launch of the ILO-UN Women-OECD-led Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) to contribute to the realization of SDG 8.5. She is presently leading preparatory work on inequalities and the world of work for discussion at the next session of the International Labour Conference. She has written and provided policy advice on a range of subjects, including gender, poverty and work, informal and non-standard forms of employment, wages and the gender pay gap.