Board of trustees

IIED's board of trustees is legally responsible for all the activities that we undertake. The trustees are all unpaid volunteers who are responsible for ensuring that IIED abides by its charitable aims, works within the law and delivers its mission effectively by overseeing our overall policies and objectives and ensuring our work is monitored and evaluated effectively. Chaired by Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the Ibero-American Secretariat and formerly a UN Under-Secretary-General, the IIED board of trustees is presently made up of 12 representatives from nine countries around the world who serve for a three-year term, which can be renewed for a further three years.

Read the trustees' report for the year ending 31 March, 2019

Previous years

Read the trustees' report for the year ending 31 March, 2018
Read the trustees' report for the year ending 31 March, 2017

Read the trustees' report for the year ending 31 March, 2016
Read the trustees' report for the year ending 31 March, 2015
Read the trustees' report for the year ending 31 March, 2014
Read the trustees' report for the year ending 31 March, 2013

Batkhishig Baival's picture
Batkhishig Baival
Mongolia
Dr Batkhishig Baival is co-founder and board director of Nutag Action Research Institute (NAR Institute) in Mongolia. She has technical and degree qualifications in rangeland and community-based natural resource management, organisational development and biotechnology. ..read more
Les Campbell's picture
Les Campbell
UK
Les Campbell is a chartered accountant with 40 years' experience in various finance roles in the UK, most recently as finance director at the Department for International Development. He has over ten years' experience in various executive and non-executive roles, primarily focusing on finance, strategy and risk...read more
David Elston
UK
David Elston is a practicing commercial solicitor with more than 35 years' experience of working in-house in the financial service sector and engineering, and is currently the company secretary for a life and pensions business and working as a consultant in other legal and commercial roles...read more
Ahmed Galal's picture
Ahmed Galal
Egypt
Ahmed Galal is currently chair of the board of trustees of the Middle East and North Africa Health Policy Forum (MENA HPF), and is a member of the board of directors of several institutions, including the Center for International Governance and Innovation (CIGI, Canada), Zewail City, Beltone Financial Holding, Al Nidaa NGO, and Baseera. He is a columnist at Al Masry Al Youm Newspaper (Cairo)...read more
Rebeca Grynspan's picture
Rebeca Grynspan
Chair, Costa Rica
Rebeca Grynspan was appointed the secretary-general of the Ibero-American Secretariat in 2014. Formerly a UN Under-Secretary-General and associate administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, she was Vice-President of Costa Rica between 1994 and 1998..read more
Michael Horgan
Canada
With more than 36 years of experience in the public sector, Michael Horgan provides clients with strategic advice on the financial sector and on the Canadian and international economies. In addition, he has expertise on Aboriginal, energy and environmental issues...read more
Maria Mähl
Sweden
Maria is the director of Arabesque Asset Management (with offices in Stockholm and New York). Maria has worked with global leaders in non-governmental organisation, academia, business and governmental agencies to tackle the largest challenges of today; climate change and sustainable development...read more
Angela McNaught
Treasurer, UK
Angela McNaught is a certified accountant (FCCA) with more than 30 years experience working in a variety of financial roles. She holds a BSc in geography and geology...read more
Susan Parnell's picture
Susan Parnell
South Africa
Susan Parnell is a Global Challenges Professor in Urban Development at the University of Bristol. She co-founded the African Centre for Cities and continues to be an Emeritus Professor at the University of Cape Town. She has held previous academic positions at Wits University and the University of London (SOAS) and visiting research fellowships from the LSE, Oxford University, Durham University, the British Academy...read more
Sheela Patel's picture
Sheela Patel
India
Sheela is the founder and Director of the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) India, which is based in Mumbai, and works in partnership with the National Slum Dweller Federation and Mahila Milan. She is also Chair of Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI)...read more
Elizabeth Stephen
UK
Elizabeth Stephen is a leader in legal and governance in the international non-governmental organisation (INGO) sector. Most recently she served as director of organisational governance and general counsel at Save the Children, the leading global child rights INGO. She has a record of delivering strategic projects and change management, including leading on the global merger and restructuring of Save the Children, and has extensive experience working with boards, senior leaders and stakeholders in non-profit sectors and in the public sector at the BBC...read more