11. Jun, 2026

World NGO Day Appoints 8 Leaders as Executive Advisors to Its Global Council

World NGO Day, the international awareness day observed annually on February 27 across more than 145 countries and endorsed by the European Union, UNESCO, UNDP, and the Council of Europe, has announced the appointment of seven Executive Advisors to its newly established Global Council.

 

The Global Council serves as the strategic advisory body for World NGO Day, uniting senior international leaders to advance the recognition of civil society, amplify the day’s global message, and preserve its long-term legacy. Together, the seven advisors bring complementary expertise from across five countries and multiple sectors — representing decades of leadership in nonprofit management, digital engagement, cultural stewardship, strategic communications, humanitarian innovation, and grassroots mobilization.

Princess Olatorera Majekodunmi-Oniru

Princess Olatorera Majekodunmi-Oniru is a Nigerian executive, entrepreneur, and civic leader with over two decades of experience spanning finance, technology, global trade, and pan-African development. Her career has taken her from General Electric and Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York, to the Central Bank of Nigeria, to Ericsson, where she served as Head of Sales Governance. She subsequently founded Olatorera Consultancy Limited and Dressmeoutlet.com, widely recognised as one of Africa's pioneering e-commerce platforms. She holds an MBA from Emory University, executive certifications from Harvard Kennedy School, Stockholm School of Economics, and IMD Switzerland, and is completing a Doctorate at New York University. In 2016, she was recognised in Forbes' Top 30 Under 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa. Her honours include the World Leadership Congress Award and the Commonwealth Leadership Award.

What excites me most is the opportunity to help amplify the extraordinary work of civil society organizations that are transforming lives every day, often without recognition. World NGO Day is more than a celebration; it is a global reminder that compassion, innovation, and service remain some of the world's greatest catalysts for progress. Preserving and elevating this legacy ensures that the impact of NGOs continues to inspire future generations across every continent.”

Laura Herrera

Laura Herrera is a strategic communications and cultural institution leader with more than 15 years of experience advancing mission-driven organizations through storytelling, public engagement, and institutional transformation. She currently serves as Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago — one of the world's largest science museums — overseeing enterprise marketing, communications, earned revenue strategy, digital engagement, and public affairs. Throughout her career, Laura has led nationally recognized brand and visibility campaigns, executive communications initiatives, and community-centered engagement strategies across the cultural and nonprofit sectors. She also advises nonprofits and cultural organizations on strategic communications, institutional positioning, and audience engagement.

Throughout my career, I've seen how mission-driven organizations help communities navigate change, foster understanding, and create opportunities for people to connect with something larger than themselves. What drew me to World NGO Day is its ability to bring visibility to the countless organizations working every day to strengthen civil society, often quietly and without recognition. At a time when trust, dialogue, and community engagement are more important than ever, I'm honored to contribute to a global effort that celebrates their impact and helps ensure their stories are seen, shared, and sustained for future generations.”

Vivian Zavataro

Vivian Zavataro is Executive and Creative Director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, where she has launched major initiatives including the Ulrich Co-Lab — a multi-year curatorial experiment in shared authorship — and the Adopt-a-Sculpture: Art Matters Campaign. Previously Director and Chief Curator of the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno, her broader career includes roles at documenta in Kassel, the Nevada Museum of Art, SFMOMA, and the J. Paul Getty Foundation. Her exhibitions have been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Terra Foundation for American Art. In 2026, she was honoured with the American Alliance of Museums Mid-Career Professional Award. She holds master's degrees from the University of Amsterdam and the Zurich University of the Arts, and is pursuing her PhD at the University of Reading, United Kingdom.

I joined because I believe deeply in the intersection of culture, civic life, and global solidarity, and because the Council offered an opportunity to bring my expertise in museology and cultural engagement to a context where those skills are not typically applied. The potential I see in World NGO Day is immense: it already connects people across 145 countries, across languages, across vastly different civic landscapes. What it needs now is a framework for capturing, sharing, and building on that collective energy, which I can help with.”

Joseph Galliano-Doig MBE

Joseph Galliano-Doig MBE is the founder, former CEO and now Director Emeritus of Queer Britain, the UK's national LGBTQ+ Museum. Before founding Queer Britain, Joseph was the editor of Gay Times magazine, International Ambassador Manager for the animal welfare charity, World Animal Protection and Major Donor Lead for Help Musicians. His commitment to mentoring and resilient individuals led to the creation of Dear Me: A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self, a book series that has raised significant funds for charities such as the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Doctors Without Borders. In recognition of his contributions to heritage, charity, and diversity, he was awarded an MBE in the 2024 New Year’s Honours List. He received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from London South Bank University in 2022. Under his leadership, Queer Britain evolved from a concept into a popular national museum, opening its doors in London’s King’s Cross in May 2022.

I am thrilled to be joining the World NGO Day Advisory Board. If we are to support democracy, freedom and equality, we must shine a light on the brilliant organisations doing the tough but vital work of keeping civil society functioning and developing. We need this more urgently than ever.”

Lawrence Swiader

Lawrence Swiader has spent his career studying the intersection of technology, media, and education in service of improving people's lives. As Chief Digital Officer at the American Battlefield Trust, he oversees more than 20 apps, websites, AR and VR experiences, digital marketing, and social media. He also conceived and manages the traveling exhibition American Revolution Experience, which has toured the United States for over two years. Formerly, he created the Bedsider.org program — a digital behavior change intervention proven in a peer-reviewed study to reduce unplanned pregnancy rates among young adults. At the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, he used technology to teach Holocaust history and motivate action against contemporary genocide, partnering with Google on a landmark mapping initiative focused on Darfur and producing programs such as one about about the after-effects of the Rwandan genocide in Congo featuring Angelina Jolie, then UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.

The aspect of World NGO Day that excites me the most is the opportunity to shine a light on the work of people who work in the NGO space that the general public doesn't think about. Raising awareness to all NGOs, and even what an NGO is is a helpful reminder to all of the positive work that happens in the space.”

Chris Stevenson

Chris Stevenson is a senior marketing, communications, and creative leader with over 20 years of award-winning experience working with mission-driven organizations, cultural institutions, and global NGOs. He currently leads global communications and content strategy at the United Nations Global Compact — the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative. Previously, he served as Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Strategy at Film at Lincoln Center and Director of Communications at MaRS Discovery District, North America's largest urban tech innovation hub. He is also the founder of Mashup Creative Strategy, whose clients have included Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the United Nations Refugee Agency, Habitat for Humanity, and Compute Ontario. A triple citizen of Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, Chris is based in New York City.

As someone who has worked with a wide variety of NGOs and nonprofits across sectors, this role presents an interesting opportunity to think on a more macro level about the power and possibility of the collective contributions of these organizations.”

Leena Zittling

Leena Zittling was among the early champions who helped establish and build relationships for World NGO Day in Finland, supporting the organization of the first introductory World NGO Day event in Finland, held at the British Ambassador's residence in 2012, and assisting with advocacy efforts with the Permanent Delegation of Finland to UNESCO in Paris. She brings over 35 years of experience in senior management across the private sector and international NGOs, having served as President, board member, and member of international advisory groups within innovation-, competitiveness-, and entrepreneurship-focused organizations. She has been a keynote speaker on cluster management at European Commission events, an editor-in-chief of an international cluster magazine, and a conference director at numerous international congresses. She is currently a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Eastern Finland, focused on welfare management.

The role of NGOs, especially in fostering the holistic welfare of the population, is recognised. I am inspired to build bridges between organizations and people — to see how previously unknown people around the world find each other to share a common interest that nurtures a passion to change the world and leave a cultural legacy for future generations. That's why the World NGO Day Council. My motto is 'I stand humble so that you can lean.”

Zafar Iqbal

Zafar Iqbal was among the early figures who helped establish and build relationships for World NGO Day in Pakistan. Thanks to his active role, the day now brings together thousands of NGO leaders and supporters — from the corporate sector to government institutions — through conferences, exhibitions, fairs, awards, and panel discussions held across multiple Pakistani cities. Founder and Chairman of The NGO World Foundation, he has worked in the humanitarian and development sector since 2002. In 2009 he founded The NGO World as a pioneering social media networking platform to connect civil society organizations. His initiatives include the ZEST Education Projects for out-of-school children and Barkat for Sustainable Livelihoods. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the first Honorary Medal by the Secretariat of the global World NGO Day initiative.

I joined the World NGO Day Global Council because I strongly believe in the power of collaboration and collective action. Since 2014, I have actively promoted World NGO Day in Pakistan and witnessed how this platform can unite organizations, encourage dialogue, and amplify social impact worldwide."

About World NGO Day

World NGO Day is observed annually on February 27, founded in 2009 by Latvian-British lawyer and philanthropist Marcis Skadmanis and formally launched on February 27, 2014 in Helsinki, Finland, with the support of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and representatives of the United Nations, UNESCO, and the European Union. Celebrated in more than 145 countries across all six inhabited continents, it honors the work of more than 10 million NGOs and over one billion civil society supporters worldwide.

 

The World NGO Day Global Council: worldngoday.org/council/our-people/

 

Media Contact:  Vinícius Taddone, COO – World NGO Day Global Council  |  worldngoday.org