Sanda Ojiambo is second woman to be appointed UN Global Compact Executive Director

Sanda Ojiambo has been appointed as the next Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative.

A statement on the UN agency website said she is the second woman to be appointed in the role and will succeed Lise Kingo of Denmark.

“Ms. Ojiambo, who assumes the role on 17 June 2020, will bring 20 years of experience to lead the UN Global Compact in its next phase to mobilize a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders and bring the full weight of the private sector to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” the statement reads.

Ms. Ojiambo is currently the Head of Sustainable Business and Social Impact at Safaricom, a role she has served in since 2010.

She was also the Senior Manager of Safaricom and MPESA Foundations, Kenya from 2008 to 2010, during which she led the implementation of several public-private partnership initiatives between Safaricom and UN organizations.

Ms. Ojiambo holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota, USA, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Development from McGill University, Canada.

Lise Kingo, who announced at the end of last year that she would be stepping down as Executive Director after five years in June, welcomed the Secretary-General’s appointment.

“I am happy to hand over the baton to such a strong woman leader from the Global South to take the UN Global Compact into its next chapter. I have immense confidence that Sanda’s global experience, deep integrity, and inspiring vision will advance the impact of the UN Global Compact and accelerate our efforts to mobilize a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to create the world we want,” she said.

Launched in July 2000, the UN Global Compact is the Secretary-General’s strategic policy and advocacy initiative calling for the alignment of business operations and strategies with ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and motivates companies to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their core business strategy and operations.

With over 10,000 corporate and 3,000 non-business participants from over 160 countries engaged through 68 Local Networks, it is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world.