Shaila Manyam is the COO and Executive Director of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA), a global trade association that represents the direct selling industry, working with over 60 national Direct Selling Associations and multinational companies whose combined sales exceed $167 billion. Shaila was previously Executive Vice-President and Managing Director at Burson, leading global client teams for multinational corporations, C-level executives and world leaders on public affairs, crisis communications, media, thought leadership, and high-level engagements at global fora including the UN General Assembly and the World Economic Forum.

Prior to joining Burson, Shaila was a Foreign Service Officer, serving as a national security official and spokesperson in Haiti, Israel, France and Iraq, and Washington, D.C. as the spokesperson for the Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan/Pakistan Affairs and then Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs for multilateral issues. She received multiple awards for service, including five Superior Honor Awards from the U.S. Department of State, and from the Smithsonian Institution for disaster
recovery efforts in Haiti.

Shaila graduated with honors from Smith College, and has a Master’s of Science from the London School of Economics. She speaks six languages, including French, Arabic and Spanish. Shaila serves on the Board of Directors for PartnersGlobal, the advisory board for Concordia, and is an adjunct faculty member for the Meridian International Center. A frequent speaker on strategic communications and foreign policy, her media appearances include Bloomberg TV, Politico and Foreign Policy.