The Open Society Foundations (OSF), founded by George Soros in 1979 with the goal of boosting human rights and democratic institutions globally, has announced Binaifer Nowrojee as its new president.

The appointment breaks with a succession of male presidents at the helm of the progressive nonprofit.

Nowrojee, born in London to Indian parents and raised in Kenya, will be the first woman to lead the OSF.  

Unlike her predecessors, Nowrojee has a wealth of experience working inside the OSF for two decades.

She was OSF’s vice president of programs and part of a small senior leadership team overseeing a large transition that started in 2021.  

Nowrojee has held multiple senior leadership roles at OSF, including overseeing its foundation in East Africa and directing its work in Asia and the Pacific.

As a trained lawyer, Nowrojee has expertise in prosecuting crimes of sexual violence. 

‘She has a strong human rights background, which I hope lays to rest the speculation that OSF is moving away from downgrading the defense of human rights,’ Kenneth Roth, the former longtime leader of investigative advocacy nonprofit Human Rights Watch, told the Associated Press. 

The appointment is the latest development in a turbulent period at the OSF since last summer, when the OSF announced that Alex Soros, one of the five sons of George Soros, would officially take over as chair of its board.

Soon after, the OSF announced mass layoffs – of up to 40 per cent of staff – and an operational overhaul. It remains unclear as to which regional offices will see cuts.

The nonprofit has paused new grantmaking until February 2024.

According to Inside Philanthropy, Nowrojee has been a driving force pushing through recent changes while winning support.

‘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 wrote in a note to staff, according to the Associated Press. ‘As we navigate the remaining elements of change, I promise, first and foremost, to remain committed to Open Society values and to George Soros’s vision of critical thinking, local knowledge, and risk-taking.’

The OSF’s previous president, Mark Malloch-Brown stepped down from his position. 

‘I always intended to be a bridge between George Soros’s OSF and that of Alex Soros,’ Mark Malloch-Brown said Monday in an email to OSF employees seen by Bloomberg News. ‘Now that Alex has fully taken over as chair and we have largely completed a restructuring of OSF it seemed the right time, after more than three years, to step down and let him put in place his own team.’

According to tax filings, the OSF has over $25 billion in assets and made over $1.3 billion in charitable donations last year. 

Shafi Musaddique is news editor at Alliance Magazine.