Dhivya O’Connor joins as CEO
Bringing a wealth of expertise and a passion for gender equality, Dhivya will lead our organisation to new heights as we deliver our ambitious new organisational strategy.
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dhivya O’Connor as our permanent Chief Executive Officer. Dhivya brings an impressive track record in charity leadership and a deep commitment to empowering women globally.
Dhivya will join us as CEO in November. With her wealth of experience in the non-profit and for-profit sectors – most recently leading The Girls’ Network – she is poised to lead our organisation to new heights of success and impact as we deliver our ambitious new organisational strategy.
It is truly a privilege to join the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women at this pivotal moment for women’s rights across the world. As a passionate supporter of gender equality, I am excited to build on the Foundation’s impactful work, advancing global economic gender justice and empowering more women entrepreneurs in the Global South to reach their potential and drive global prosperity.
Dhivya is an inspiring leader known for her dynamic approach to fostering collaboration and driving positive change. She brings a unique blend of strategic vision, operational excellence and a strong passion for gender equality, and embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship that is at the heart of the Foundation’s work, having created the hugely popular The Charity CEO Podcast.
I am very much looking forward to working with Dhivya to take our vital services to even more women entrepreneurs and to challenge the systems that are holding women back from economic gender equality.
Under Dhivya’s guidance, we aim to build further on the Foundation’s successful 2019-2022 strategic period that saw us reach over 100,000 women in 90 in countries with the skills, resources and support they need to build successful businesses.
Dhivya O’Connor’s appointment comes at an exciting time, following the Foundation’s recent launch of our pioneering new organisational strategy, Ready for Business’. Under Dhivya’s leadership, the strategy will see us significantly scale up our work to revolutionise business opportunities for one million more women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries by 2030—the end point of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—and rapidly accelerate progress for women across the world.
I am confident with Dhivya leading us we will achieve our strategy's goal and continue to grow our impact and influence and bring women entrepreneurs further into the heart of our work.
