NEW YORK—The Open Society Foundations announced today that Leela Ramdhani will be joining the organization as its new chief operating officer, beginning June 1, 2026.
Ramdhani brings 25 years of experience leading diverse teams across the nonprofit, corporate, and entrepreneurial worlds. Ramdhani will serve on the executive leadership team and oversee Open Society’s finance, people and culture, global operations, grants management, information technology, real estate, and risk and security departments.
“Leela Ramdhani’s leadership will help ensure that the organization’s operational backbone is as strong, principled, and people centered as the mission it supports,” said Binaifer Nowrojee, president of the Open Society Foundations. “Her ability to balance people, values, and impact in complex environments make her the ideal leader to head our global operations in support of our human rights partners and movements around the world.”
Ramdhani joins Open Society from Oxfam International, where she is currently chief operating officer and, earlier, led operations and institutional development for Oxfam South Africa.
“I am honored to join the Open Society Foundations at this pivotal moment,” Ramdhani said. “Throughout my career, I have seen how strong and efficient operations can unlock the full power of mission-driven work. I’m inspired by Open Society’s commitment to human rights, equity, and justice—and I look forward to working with colleagues across the globe to build systems and cultures that help communities pursue lasting change.”
Ramdhani has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Pretoria and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Ramdhani will be based in Open Society’s Johannesburg office.
Open Society’s work to advance human rights, equity, and justice is carried out by teams rooted in communities across Africa, Asia and Central Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and the United States. With Ramdhani’s leadership, Open Society will continue strengthening the operational systems that allow this work to flourish.