Ottawa, CANADA – Nutrition International is pleased to announce the appointments of Shaila Khan Leekha, Director of Sustainable Finance at Fitch Ratings, and Vivian Onano, social entrepreneur, to the Board of Directors.

“On behalf of Nutrition International’s global Board of Directors, we are delighted to welcome Shaila Khan Leekha and Vivian Onano. They join at an important moment in our evolution and their skills, commitment, and energy will make a major contribution as we continue to grow,” said Board Chair David de Ferranti.

Shaila Khan Leekha has spent almost 20 years in the private and public sectors, including in investment banking in New York and infrastructure investing in Washington, DC and London. She served as director of the International Finance Division of the Department for International Development in the United Kingdom, overseeing policy and funding of over £2.5 billion annually in aid to multilateral organizations, and through private sector platforms. Prior to that, she invested in European infrastructure assets at GE Capital and AMP Capital in London. She also spent four years at the International Finance Corporation, before earning an MBA from Wharton in 2004. Shaila is currently a director in the new Sustainable Finance group at Fitch Ratings, where she is helping to launch sustainable fixed income solutions for investors. Shaila is an advocate of the need for better nutrition solutions globally.

“I’m proud to be joining the Board of Nutrition International, an organization whose commitment to fighting malnutrition is matched only by its expertise,” said Shaila. “Proper nutrition is a crucial driver of the Sustainable Development Goals and Nutrition International delivers proven and low-cost nutrition interventions to millions of people around the world every year.”

A seasoned humanitarian and a social entrepreneur, Vivian Onano is strongly committed to education, women’s economic empowerment, and leadership. She is a strategic development consultant on youth, education, and women’s economic empowerment. She is also an advisor to the Global Education Monitoring Report and UNESCO, and the founder and director at the Leading Light Initiative.

“Good nutrition is foundational to healthy growth and development, and future economic empowerment,” said Vivian. “With good nutrition women and girls will have more access to education and opportunity. Nutrition International has made gender equality a priority and I’m delighted to be a part of the team.”

Nutrition International has a global, gender-balanced Board, which provides leadership to the organization as it continues to deliver on its mandate to provide low-cost, high-impact nutrition interventions in Asia and Africa, with a particular focus on women, adolescent girls and children.

“We’re honoured to welcome these two dynamic people to our Board of Directors. Both Shaila and Vivian bring substantial accomplishments and leadership experiences that will be invaluable to the Board and to Nutrition International as a whole,” said Joel Spicer, President and CEO.

For a complete list of Nutrition International Board members please visit: https://nutritionint.org/about/who-we-are/board-directors/

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