Laurie Adams is the Chief Executive Officer of Women for Women International (WfWI), a leading global organization dedicated to working with women survivors of war across 17 countries including Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and more. Laurie has spent over 20 years living in Senegal, Kenya, South Africa and the UK and has directly managed teams across three continents. Under her leadership since 2016, Women for Women International has expanded from serving 8 countries to 17 and has developed and implemented strategies that allow the organization to reach hundreds of thousands of women.
Throughout her career working in leadership positions in three regions of Africa with Oxfam GB and ActionAid International, through to her seven years as CEO at WfWI, Laurie has been determined to use her privilege to accumulate power and platforms for others.
She has shared her own story as a rape survivor during the #metoo movement, realizing that sometimes NOT speaking out is not an act of not taking up space, but rather of avoiding risk and shame.
Laurie holds a Master's degree in Public Policy Management from the University of London, a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Women's Rights from Dartmouth College, and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
With her unwavering commitment, visionary leadership, and extensive expertise, Laurie continues to drive the transformation of Women for Women International and the development and philanthropy sectors more broadly, to put women, and their own choices, first.