International Council

The International Council is a group of independent experts that advise the Transparency International movement on specific activities and objectives. They support the work of the movement with diverse experience and expertise of Council Members; promote the exchange of knowledge with external individuals and institutions; and represent Transparency International at external events and conferences. Further information can be found in the Terms of Reference.

Please see below the current members of the International Council. If you have any questions please contact [email protected]

Professor Paul Heywood holds the Sir Francis Hill Chair of Politics at the University of Nottingham, UK and is also a Visiting Professor at the Centre for the Study of Corruption (CSC), University of Sussex. His research focuses on political corruption, institutional design and state capacity. He is the author, co-author, or editor of twenty books and over eighty journal articles and book chapters. Heywood currently leads the Governance and Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence (GI ACE) programme, funded by FCDO and based at CSC. The programme is designed to identify new initiatives that can help developing countries tackle the scourge of corruption. He served as the European Commission's UK expert on corruption (2012-16) and has also advised several UK and overseas government departments. Heywood is co-founder, with Mark Pyman, of CurbingCorruption.com, a resource that supports sector-based practical anti-corruption interventions, and he serves on the Advisory Board of the Interdisciplinary Consortium for Research on Corruption (ICRN). He was a Trustee of TI-UK from 2015 to 2024, where he chaired the Research Committee.

Christel Adamou is an international executive specialising in ethics and integrity frameworks, organisational accountability, people management, and ethical leadership across Europe, Africa, Asia‑Pacific, the Caribbean, and the United States. She has established and led ethics, compliance, and dispute‑resolution functions; advised on HR and legal strategy; and driven culture‑change and transformation initiatives in complex international public sector institutions.

Her career includes serving as an independent ethics expert for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, leading the first independent ethics office of the Asian Development Bank and contributing to the establishment of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal. She is also a published author on strategic HR and business continuity management.

Christel is a Financial Times–certified Non‑Executive Director, certified mediator, and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She holds an MBA from Durham University and degrees in law and humanities from the University of Paris‑Sorbonne.

Daron Acemoğlu is an Institute Professor at MIT and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Econometric Society, and the Society of Labour Economists. His academic work covers a wide range of areas, including political economy, economic development, economic growth, inequality, labour economics, and economics of networks. He is the author of five books, including Why Nations Fail: Power, Prosperity, and Poverty and The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty (both with James A. Robinson). Acemoglu has received numerous awards and prizes, including the Carnegie Fellowship in 2017, the Jean-Jacques Laffont Prize in 2018, and the Global Economy Prize in 2019. He was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal in 2005, the Erwin Plein Nemmers Prize in 2012, and the 2016 BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award. In 2024, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

Azeddine Akesbi is a Professor of Economics at the Center of Education Planning (COPE), Rabat. He was the Secretary General of Transparency Morocco between 2004 and 2008. He has been involved in piloting a number of anti-corruption projects; has published articles on economic and social issues, and has supervised publications on education and anti-corruption awareness. He has been a member of the Board of the Moroccan Association of Economists (AMSE). Azeddine was in charge of the Open Budget Initiative and Index Survey in Morocco (2006, 2008, 2010, 2015). Azeddine has a PhD from the Institute of Education, London and a doctorate in Economics. His work as a consultant has been with various institutions, including UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, the Conseil Supérieur de l’Enseignement, ministerial departments and NGOs.

Nicola Bonucci is a French-Italian lawyer. After five years at the Food and Agriculture Organisation, he joined the OECD Legal Directorate, where he worked for 26 years, including 14 as General Counsel.

He then joined Paul Hastings as a partner in Paris, in the Global Trade and Investigations & White-Collar Defence practice. He is now an independent consultant. Nicola is currently Vice President of the French Society of International Law and Associate Professor of International Law at the University of Paris Cité. He is a part-time Legal Advisor at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). He was recently appointed chair of the Advisory Board of the ESA, in charge of staff matters. He is also a member of the Board of the Basel Institute on Governance and of the Coalition for Integrity.

Nicola has been working on corruption, integrity and responsible business conduct issues for three decades and recently co-authored a report for the Council of Europe on Business and Human Rights.

Alma Balcazar is a lawyer, specialising in Corporate Law and studies in Business Ethics and Compliance from the Ethics Resource Center Institute in Washington DC. She was manager of Corporate Integrity at Millicom International Cellular and director of the private sector area of Transparency International Colombia from where she led research studies and publications; and she is a founding partner and current director of GRCOMPLIANCE SAS - a firm specialised in assisting public and private organizations in the prevention of bribery, corruption, fraud and money laundering.

She has worked as a consultant working on initiatives for the Colombian government and models of reference at the regional level across Latin America; has designed a mechanism for the private sector in Honduras under the OAS Anti-Corruption Mission; and was part of the consulting team for an initiative led by Transparency International in the United Kingdom: "Principles of Transparency for the Pharmaceutical Sector in Latin America".

Robert Barrington is Professor of Anti-Corruption Practice at the Centre for the Study of Corruption at the University of Sussex. He was formerly head of TI-UK, where he led campaigns to secure the Bribery Act, a national Anti-Corruption Strategy, and the introduction of Unexplained Wealth Orders. His previous roles include Director of Governance & Sustainable Investment at F&C Asset Management and CEO (Europe) of the environmental research group Earthwatch Institute. Robert is a member of the ICAEW’s Corporate Governance Committee. His UK government advisory roles have included the Ministry of Justice’s expert group drafting official guidance on the Bribery Act, the BEIS Export Guarantees Advisory Committee, and the Cabinet Office’s post-Brexit Procurement Transformation Advisory Panel.

His publications include ‘How to Bribe’, ‘Adequate Procedures – Guidance to the UK Bribery Act’, ‘Fair Play’, ‘Countering Small Bribes’, and ‘Corruption in the UK’. He holds a degree from Oxford University and a PhD from the European University Institute. He was a member of the International Board of Directors of Transparency International from 2017 to 2019.

Alan is a governance strategist with extensive experience supporting public integrity, oversight systems, and institutional reform across the Pacific and Asia. He has advised the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank for many years, specialising in governance architecture, public financial management, and health financing across South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. He recently served as independent Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee for the 27-country Pacific Community (SPC). He also contributes to global oversight and accountability mechanisms through roles on the Global Fund Technical Review Panel and collaborations with the Forum of Federations in Canada. His work focuses on strengthening public accountability, improving financial governance in complex environments, and supporting institutions to deliver transparent, citizen-centred outcomes.

Alan brings a regional perspective grounded in Asia-Pacific governance and a professional background shaped by the traditions of his home country New Zealand and his Pacific neighbourhood. He is well published in public financial management, governance reform, and institutional analysis across the Pacific and Asia. He holds an MSc from SOAS University of London and is a Chartered Accountant (CAANZ).

Cynthia Gabriel is an accomplished legal advocate, anti-corruption campaigner, governance expert, and versatile trainer.

With a rare combination of science, law, and nearly 20 years of training experience, Cynthia has led multiple platforms to advance the rule of law, campaign against corruption, build the capacity of both the public and private sectors in legal compliance and anti-corruption advocacy, and deliver expert advice on governance matters.

She was an instrumental leader in setting up the recently formed Southeast Asia Anti-Corruption Network with help from UNODC. This network brings together more than 30 civil society groups to work on corruption across the region. She was elected board member of the UNCAC Coalition for two consecutive terms and served as Vice President in her second term (2017-2021).

For the past 30 years, Brian Cooksey has focused on addressing grand corruption in Tanzania through journalism, lobbying, and academic writing. His current interests include climate change governance, where he notes that "corrupt practices if not constrained will contribute significantly to the end of human life on earth." Brian has also participated in a research project examining the social and economic impact of COVID-19 in East Africa.

Gypsy Guillén Kaiser is a senior strategist working to defend human rights, ensure public accountability and secure social and economic justice. As Chief Global Affairs Officer at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Gypsy leads a team engaged in legislative, policy, legal and diplomatic advocacy to protect journalists and promote press freedom globally. Prior to joining CPJ, she advanced gender equality with UN Women, led communications at the International Women’s Health Coalition and at Eisenhower Fellowships, after fighting corruption with Transparency International.

Gypsy holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from New York University and a master’s degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. A native of the Dominican Republic who grew up in New York City, Gypsy is fluent in Spanish, English and German.

A lawyer by training, Lilian Ekeanyanwu is the head of the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR), a Nigerian government institution mandated to provide coordinated data through empirical research and facilitate inter-agency coordination. Lilian has done significant work in anti-corruption research and programming, including coordinating a country-specific methodology for conducting Corruption Risk Assessments in Nigeria and the country’s response to treaty obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). This includes the UNCAC review of Nigeria and Nigeria’s review of other countries. As Head of TUGAR, Lilian coordinated the development of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy on the platform of the Inter Agency Task Team (IATT). She is also coordinating the monitoring and evaluation of the NACS, for which TUGAR is the secretariat.

Onyi Ough is an international development practitioner with over 17 years of experience specialising in anti-corruption. In 2018, she established the Nigerian non-government organisation Step Up for Social Development and Empowerment (Step Up Nigeria). She also launched the Catch Them Young Initiative to promote anti-corruption education in primary schools. Catch Them Young has reached almost 20,000 children across Nigeria. She is the author of four anti-corruption children's storybooks that teach kids about the impact of corruption. Her books have been approved for use in three Nigerian states. She has co-produced two animated films for kids on anti-corruption. Onyi has worked in Zambia, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom on projects related to anti-corruption and service delivery. She holds a master’s degree in Development Studies from the London School of Oriental and African Studies.

Karen Hussmann is a public policy expert with extensive experience in governance, anti-corruption, health-sector integrity, and work in fragile states. She has served as director of an EU-financed anti-corruption programme in Colombia, senior consultant for the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre and the EUROsociAL II Programme in Latin America, and accountability expert with UNDP in Afghanistan. Since 1995, she has held various roles with Transparency International. Currently, she is an independent consultant, supporting partners in policy development, anti-corruption standards implementation, applied policy research, and training.

Geo-Sung Kim became an anti-corruption advocate after 12 years in the human rights and democratization movement. He was the founding Secretary General (1999-2004), Vice-Chair (2004-2007), and Chairperson (2007-2014) of TI-Korea (South). He served two terms as a board member of the TI movement (2004-2010). He was the standing Executive Officer of the Council for the Korean Pact on Anti-Corruption and Transparency, a coalition of sectors (2005-2009). In recognition of his achievements and contribution to the anti-corruption movement in Korea, he was awarded the Order of Civil Merit (Moran Medal) by the Korean government in 2006. He studied theology and sociology and received his PhD in theology at Yonsei University (2009). He has taught as an adjunct professor and lecturer at several universities. He has held various positions in the Korean government, including Commissioner of the Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption (2005-2008), Inspector General of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education (2014-2018), and most recently Senior Secretary to the President of the Republic of Korea for civic and social agenda (2019-2020).

Huguette Labelle served for 19 years as Deputy Minister in various Canadian Government departments, including the Secretary of State, Transport Canada, the Public Service Commission, and the Canadian International Development Agency. She is a former Chancellor of the University of Ottawa, former Chair of Transparency International, and former Board member of the UN Global Compact. She has also served on several other boards. Currently, she is Chair of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments and Chair of the IACC Council. She is Vice-Chair of the Rideau Hall Foundation Board and Vice-Chair of the International Senior Advisory Board of the International Anti-Corruption Academy. She is a member of the Advisory Group to the OECD Secretary-General on Anti-Corruption and Integrity, a member of the Board of the Global Centre for Pluralism,a Board member of Global Financial Integrity, and a member of the Board of the Aga Khan Museum. She also serves on the IIRC Governance and Nominations Committee and the Advisory Board of RESOLVE, and chairs the Selection Committee for Master's Scholarships in Sustainable Energy Development.

Pascal Lamy holds an MBA from HEC and studied at Sciences Po and ENA. From 2005 to 2013, he served as Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). He began his career as a civil servant in the French Inspection Générale des Finances and the Treasury, later advising Finance Minister Jacques Delors and Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy. From 1984 to 1994 in Brussels, he was Head of Cabinet to European Commission President Jacques Delors and served as G7 Sherpa. In November 1994, he joined the team managing the rescue of Credit Lyonnais and later became CEO of the bank under Jean Peyrelevade. From 1999 to 2004, he was EU Trade Commissioner under Commission President Romano Prodi. He is President Emeritus of the Jacques Delors Institute.

Chong San Lee started work in the public sector after graduating from the University of Malaya. He joined the oil & gas industry, working in the USA and Malaysia. He held various posts, including Company Secretary, Tax Department Manager, and, finally, Financial Controller of the ExxonMobil group of companies in Malaysia. After retirement, he was involved with the Malaysian Chapter of Transparency International and held various positions including president. Chong San was elected to the International Board of Directors of TI in 2007. He was Chair of the Board Audit Committee and later chaired the Board Finance Committee. He was appointed Senior Advisor and served as an individual member for numerous terms.

Erika Saravia is a Director at FTI Consulting in the Risk & Investigations practiceShe is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Public Accountant with over 12 years of experience across multiple industries. Erika specialises in implementing and overseeing complex regulatory frameworks and has designed, executed, and monitored corporate ethics and integrity programs.She has led comprehensive regulatory compliance assessments in highly regulated sectors throughout Latin America.

Erika has managed multijurisdictional fraud and corruption investigations and has extensive experience supporting matters involving the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) and Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), with a focus on FCPA-related compliance reviews and remediation initiatives for different industries. She has also served as a speaker at training events for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and the Society for Corporate Ethics and Compliance (SCCE).

Francis Nyarai Ndende is a globally recognised legal, anti-corruption, and governance expert, a Malawian national based in Johannesburg, South Africa. With over 15 years of experience in Africa and internationally, he is a leading voice in advancing institutional integrity, accountability, and ethical governance.

He serves as Chief Executive Officer of Corporate and Institutional Integrity Africa (CII-Africa). He currently works as a Technical Specialist under a European Union-funded Enhancing Accountability programme, supporting high-level institutional reforms and capacity-building initiatives. Francis is also an Expert Member of the African Business Integrity Network and serves on the roster of experts for the Adaptation Benefits Mechanism of the African Development Bank, contributing to global efforts on climate governance and results-based finance.

Trevor Munroe is a political scientist with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Government from the University of the West Indies and a Doctorate in Political Science from Oxford University. His career spans over forty years of teaching, research, and publication. As a Professor at the University of the West Indies, Trevor held leadership roles in the university’s administration, received numerous scholarly awards, and was awarded visiting fellowships at Harvard University and other institutions in North America and Europe. As a civil society advocate, Trevor has led Jamaica’s Trade Union Movement and Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections, the country’s official election observation body. He also successfully advocated for anti-corruption legislation during his ten years as a member of Jamaica’s Senate.

Kumi Naidoo is a South African human rights and environmental activist. He served as International Executive Director of Greenpeace International from 2009 to 2016 and as Secretary General of Amnesty International from 2018 to 2020. He is the first Global Ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace & Dignity and is a Professor of Practice at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. Kumi is also a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford and an Honorary Fellow at Magdalen College.

Donal O'Leary has volunteered with Transparency International (TI) for over 15 years, specialising in the water sector and public procurement. He is a founder of the Water Integrity Network (WIN), which began within the Transparency International Secretariat (TI) and now operates independently. For the past 8 years, he has represented TI on the Steering Committee of the OECD Water Governance Initiative. Donal is also a member of the Partnership in Transparency Fund (PTF) in Washington, D.C.

Before joining TI, he spent more than 23 years as a technical specialist at the World Bank, preparing and implementing energy and water projects across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as B.E. and M.Eng. Sc. degrees in chemical engineering from the National University of Ireland.

Natalia Soebagjo began her career with an Indonesian conglomerate before focusing on the capital market, where she served on several industry bodies during the revival of the securities sector following the 1988 financial market deregulation. After the 1998/99 Asian financial crisis, she transitioned to consultancy. She is currently an Independent Commissioner at PT AIG Indonesia and PT Hero Supermarket Tbk. Natalia has served on key committees, including the Independent Team for National Bureaucracy Reform under the Vice-President of Indonesia, the 2015 Selection Committee for the Commissioners of the Corruption Eradication Commission, and the National Committee for Governance Policy. She also sits on the boards of civil society organisations such as WWF Indonesia, IDH Indonesia (The Sustainable Trade Initiative), and the Centre for Strategic & International Studies in Jakarta.

From 2011 to 2017, she chaired the Executive Board of Transparency International Indonesia and recently completed two terms on the International Board of Transparency International.

Nalucha Bernadette Nganga‑Ziba is a Zambian national and the Country Director for WWF Zambia, with over 20 years of senior leadership experience in public policy, governance, environmental management, and international development across sub‑Saharan Africa. She has worked extensively with governments, civil society, and international organisations and is committed to advancing accountable governance, gender equality, and sustainable development.

Nalucha currently serves as a Commissioner for the Anti‑Corruption Commission of Zambia, contributing to national efforts to strengthen integrity, accountability, and good governance.

She is a published author on governance, taxation, and democracy, with work covering national and regional governance assessments. Nalucha holds advanced degrees in Constitutional and Administrative Law and International Development Policy from the University of Cape Town, and a degree in History and English and an LLB from the University of Zambia.

José Ugaz is a lawyer from the Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), a Professor of Criminal Law there, and a senior partner of Benites, Vargas & Ugaz law firm. He is a former Special State Attorney for the Fujimori/Montesinos case, former Chair of Proética, the Peruvian Chapter of Transparency International (TI), former TIl Individual Member, Board member, and Chair of the International Board. He is also a member of Proética and a Board member of both TI Brazil and TI Ukraine.

Inès Panou is a financial and risk governance expert with nearly 20 years of experience advising organisations in the corporate, nonprofit, and international development sectors. As a Certified Fraud Examiner and Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education alumna, she founded and leads the ACFE Chapter in the Democratic Republic of Congo, promoting anti-fraud practices and ethical governance. Ms Panou is an international speaker and advisor on integrity, accountability, and risk management in complex environments. At Veritas International, she helps institutions strengthen governance and protect public and donor resources. An American born and raised in Niger, she offers a global perspective shaped by her work across Africa and the United States.

For more than ten years, Maria Fernanda has been a journalist leading and participating in award-winning teams that uncovered corruption locally and internationally. She holds a Master’s degree in Corruption and Governance from the University of Sussex, where she graduated with distinction.

Since returning to Costa Rica, Maria Fernanda has served as Executive Director of The Voice of Guanacaste, a local investigative news outlet covering urgent issues in Latin America such as climate change, corruption, and local politics. The newspaper is building alliances with media outlets worldwide to fight disinformation and fake news. Maria Fernanda believes transparency is the best way to achieve a more egalitarian society.

Claudia Escobar Mejía is a former judge of the Guatemalan Court of Appeals and is internationally recognised as a corruption fighter. She is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Shar Schar School of Policy and Government and a researcher at the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Centre at George Mason University. Claudia is also the Executive Director of the organisation Be Just and a member of the Board of Directors at Integrity Initiatives International and Integrity Sanctuary. She collaborates closely with other human rights organisations.

Manzoor Hasan currently serves as the Executive Director of the South Asian Institute of Advanced Legal and Human Rights Studies (SAILS) and Chair of the UN Convention against Corruption Coalition (UNCAC) since June 2014. He is also a member of the Advisory Council of the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development at BRAC University in Bangladesh. Previously, he was Deputy Executive Director of BRAC. Manzoor also served as Regional Director (Asia-Pacific) of Transparency International in Berlin and was the founding Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh from 1996 to 2003. He was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his work on transparency.

Ezra Limiri Mbogori’s working life spans over 30 years in human rights, civil society, and social justice activism, with a particular interest in hastening the coalescing of African countries towards a Pan-African vision. Ezra graduated from Nairobi University and holds a Master of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has served on the leadership and governance structures of numerous international organisations. Ezra is a fellow at the Kellogg International Leadership Program and the Kennedy School Mason Fellows Program.

Karina Litvack serves as an independent non-Executive Director on the board of Italian oil and gas company Eni S.p.A. She is also a member of the Compensation Committee and the Sustainability and Scenarios Committee. Other boards and advisory bodies she serves on include the board of directors of Yachad, the global advisory council of Cornerstone Capital Inc., the advisory council of Bridges Ventures, the sustainable development advisory panel of SAP, and the advisory council of Transparency International.

Until December 2012, Karina ran the governance and sustainable investment activities of F&C Investments, a UK institutional investor. She acted on behalf of client portfolios collectively worth approximately GBP£160 billion, focusing on equity research, shareholder activism, and public policy engagement.

Karina holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from Columbia Business School and a BA in Political Economy from the University of Toronto.

Dr Oksana Nesterenko is a Ukrainian legal scholar and anti-corruption expert. She serves as Executive Director of the Anti-Corruption Research and Education Center. A former Fulbright-Kennan Institute Research Scholar, she co-founded Ukraine’s first interdisciplinary Master’s Program in anti-corruption. As a scholar, lecturer, and legal advisor, Dr Nesterenko specialises in constitutional law and anti-corruption policy, with a focus on civil society’s role in combating corruption, freedom of information, and whistleblower protection. She has published 70 works on these subjects and has managed projects to increase transparency and accountability for 17 years.

Oksana Nesterenko has contributed to drafting several Ukrainian laws on anti-corruption, access to information, and whistleblower protection. She is currently part of the working group developing a draft law on access to secret information.

Abraham Taherivand was born in Tehran in 1978 and grew up in Karlsruhe, Germany. He has lived in Berlin since 1999. He studied business informatics, information management, engineering, and design thinking. Since 2008, Abraham has been a serial FGVBH entrepreneur in technology, internet, consumer, and food and beverage industries. He has received several national and international business plan awards and has served as a strategy and innovation consultant for various organisations. From 2012 to 2021, he worked full-time at Wikimedia Germany, first as a project manager and, from 2016, as Managing Director of Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. He co-founded Wikidata, the first global free structured knowledge database, for which he and his teams received the Open Data Award from Tim Berners-Lee. Since 2021, he has worked as an executive coach and entrepreneur for ventures, companies, and organisations.

Pelin Ünker has worked as an investigative journalist for Deutsche Welle in Turkey since 2018. She was a business reporter and financial editor at Cumhuriyet newspaper from 2008 to 2018. She is a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and has led the Turkish part of ICIJ's Big Data and leak reporting projects, including the Panama Papers, Paradise Papers, Pandora Papers, Shadow Diplomats, and Deforestation Inc.

Her research covers macroeconomic data on the Turkish economy, privatisations, public procurement, and cases of corruption, tax avoidance, and evasion. Following a lawsuit filed by former Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and his sons over the Paradise Papers, Ünker was sentenced to one year, one month, and 15 days in prison. Her sentence was overturned by the Court of Appeal. During this time, she was awarded the Don Bolles Medal by Investigative Reporters and Editors. She has also received other awards, including the Transparency Award from Transparency International Turkey.

Dr Leena Hoffmann is an anti-corruption researcher and transparency advocate. Born and raised in Nigeria, she became a Luxembourger by choice in 2020 after living in Luxembourg since 2013. She is cofounder and President of Luxembourg for Transparency (L4T), a nonprofit organisation, an Associate Fellow at Chatham House, and an Honorary Senior Fellow of the Global Evergreening Alliance. She was formerly a Marie Curie Research Fellow at the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) and technical advisor to the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) in Ouagadougou.

Leena began her career as an investigator at Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, handling high-level cases involving politically exposed persons. With over 15 years of experience as a research consultant, she advances accountable governance by producing rigorous research, analysis, and evidence supporting anti-corruption efforts. Her work focuses on how social norms and networks shape corruption dynamics and on translating public disapproval into effective anti-corruption action. Her commitment to combating corruption is rooted in a personal understanding of the real harms it inflicts on people and institutions. That conviction drives her practical, research-led approach to strengthening transparency and protecting people’s dignity.

Yasmin Batliwala is the CEO of Advocates for International Development (A4ID), which provides pro bono legal and technical assistance to organisations predominantly in the Global South. Focusing on the Rule of Law and Access to Justice, the UN Sustainable Development Goals are at the heart of their work.

A binational French-Ecuadorian political scientist with a career spanning roles as employee, consultant, manager, and director across Latin America. Extensive expertise in open government, anti-corruption strategies, good governance, conflict resolution, environmental conservation, civil society empowerment, political group strengthening, local government development, and constitutional reform. Proven ability to engage proactively with women, youth, and indigenous communities in polarised societies.

He has collaborated with public agencies and third-sector organisations, including USAID, IDRC, NDI, DFID, UNDP, IDEA, AECID, Transparency International, and the Konrad Adenauer, Friedrich Ebert, and AVINA Foundations. He served as a Member of the Ecuadorian Constitutional Assembly (1997-1998), Executive Secretary of the Red Interamericana para la Democracia (2003), and Executive Secretary of the Iniciativa Latinoamericana de Investigación para las Políticas Públicas (2016-2018). Member of the Ecuadorian Foreign Service (2009-2011) and President of the Anti-Corruption Unit Quito Honesto (2019-2021). From 2001 to 2025, Michael has been a university professor in political science and international relations. He has also been the recipient of grants from the U.S., British, and Spanish governments in policy and governance fields.

Ryaboshapka Ruslan is a legal professional with over 25 years of experience in governance, criminal justice and anti-corruption policy. He has held top-level positions in Ukraine, including Prosecutor General, member of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, and senior roles within the Office of the President, the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers, and the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

He is widely regarded as one of the architects of Ukraine’s modern anti-corruption system and a key contributor to the country’s criminal justice and judicial reforms. He played a central role in developing core legislation, including the Law on Prevention of Corruption, the legal framework establishing the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, and successive national anti-corruption strategies. These include the design and implementation of electronic asset declaration systems, systems for identifying and managing conflicts of interest, and whistleblower protection frameworks.

His work has also focused on the structural reform of prosecutorial authorities, the judiciary and law enforcement institutions, with an emphasis on institutional independence, accountability and alignment with international standards.

He has advised foreign governments on anti-corruption policy and institutional design as an expert for the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and continues to cooperate with the OECD on governance and integrity-related matters.

In 2021, he was recognised by the United States Department of State as an Anti-Corruption Champion for his contribution to prosecutorial reform and anti-corruption efforts.

Tina Søreide is Professor of Law and Economics at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH). Her research examines how legal rules, institutions, and enforcement systems shape accountability for businesses and public authorities. She works at the intersection of law, economics, political economy, and governance. She has published extensively on corruption, bribery, corporate liability, public procurement, competition enforcement, and the design of credible compliance and deterrence systems. Søreide served as Director General of the Norwegian Competition Authority from 2022 to 2025, bringing experience from public-sector leadership and high-level regulatory decision-making to her academic work. She has also worked with international organisations including the World Bank, OECD, EU, UN, and NORAD. Her work focuses on how integrity mechanisms operate in practice: how criminal and administrative enforcement tracks interact, how discretion and legal certainty are balanced, and how institutions can be designed to sustain trust, prevent misconduct, and respond credibly when rules are breached.

Zeina Zeidan is a governance and finance professional with extensive experience in corporate governance, financial oversight, and institutional reform. She has held senior roles in audit, executive management, and board positions, including CFO and CEO roles in multi-country operations. Her work focuses on strengthening transparency, accountability, and decision-making across public institutions and private-sector organisations, especially in complex, high-growth environments. She has experience scaling regional businesses, structuring cross-border operations, and aligning governance frameworks with performance and capital strategy.

Zeina serves on boards and advisory bodies across sectors, including industrial, financial, and technology companies, and has advised boards, senior executives, and investors on governance, audit and risk oversight, and ESG integration.

She is the founder of a cross-border advisory practice and has contributed to regional and international initiatives on business integrity and public sector governance, including her previous role as Vice President of Transparency International Lebanon. She holds a Doctorate in Sciences de Gestion (PhD in Management Sciences) from Université Aix-Marseille III, France, awarded with the highest academic distinction.

Irakli Kotetishvili is an anti-corruption lawyer and public policy specialist with over 20 years of experience leading governance reforms in Eastern Europe, Central and South-East Asia, and Africa. Most recently, as Regional Policy Specialist for UNDP, he provided strategic anti-corruption and public administration support to 18 countries. He has also advised the World Bank, OSCE, and DAI.

Before his international work, Mr. Kotetishvili held executive leadership positions within the Government of Georgia. As Director of the Civil Service Bureau, he designed and implemented the Online Asset Disclosure System, a major anti-corruption initiative that received the United Nations Public Service Award in 2013. He also served in senior management at the Ministry of Justice, leading the country’s criminal justice legislation reform.

Irakli holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Oxford and an LL.M. in International Criminal Law from the University of Sussex. He is fluent in English, Georgian, French, and Russian.