Binaifer Nowrojee

At-a-Glance

President of Open Society Foundations, the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights.
Served as legal counsel at Human Rights Watch and staff attorney at Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.
Testified as an expert witness at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on prosecuting sexual violence under international law.
Holds a JD from Columbia Law School and an LLM from Harvard Law School.
Served as a lecturer at Harvard Law School and was awarded a Carr Center fellowship.

Biography

Binaifer Nowrojee is the President of Open Society Foundations, the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights. With over three decades of experience, she navigates politically sensitive operating environments to drive meaningful change. Her strategic leadership spans national, regional, and international levels, encompassing policy research, campaigning, grant making, litigation, and investment.