Binaifer Nowrojee

Binaifer Nowrojee is the President of the 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, Nowrojee 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. Nowrojee brings deep expertise in Africa and Asia, where she has spearheaded advocacy initiatives to promote social justice and equality.

Previously, Nowrojee held key positions within the Open Society Foundations, including the vice president of Programs on the Executive Leadership Team, East Africa Foundation director, regional director for Asia Pacific, and vice president for Organizational Transformation.

Prior to her tenure at OSF, Nowrojee served as legal counsel at Human Rights Watch and as a staff attorney at the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. She has worked extensively on prosecuting sexual violence under international law and testified as an expert witness at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Nowrojee’s commitment to advancing justice extends to academia, where she has served as a lecturer at Harvard Law School and was awarded a Carr Center fellowship.

Nowrojee holds a JD from Columbia Law School and an LLM degree from Harvard Law School.