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 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 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 UK expert on corruption (2012-16) and has also advised several government departments in the UK and overseas. 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.

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 Labor Economists. His academic work covers a wide range of areas, including political economy, economic development, economic growth, inequality, labor 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.

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 economical 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 Intiative 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 different institutions including UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, Conseil Supérieur de l’Enseignement, ministerial departments and also NGOs.

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 intiatives for the Colombian government and models of reference at 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 in the University of Sussex. He was formerly the head of TI-UK, where he led the campaigns to secure the Bribery Act, a national Anti-Corruption Strategy and the introduction of Unexplained Wealth Orders. 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, and UK government advisory roles have included the Ministry of Justice’s expert group drafting the official guidance on the Bribery Act, the BEIS Export Guarantees Advisory Committee and the Cabinet Office’s post-Brexit Procurement Transformation Advisory Panel. 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 2017-19.

Brian Cooksey's anti-corruption work has focused on grand corruption in Tanzania for the last 30 years and taken the form of journalism, lobbying, presentations and more or less academic writings. Brian's current interest lies in climate change governance, where he quotes "corrupt practices if not constrained will contribute significantly to the end of human life on earth". Brian has been involved in a research project on the social and economic impact of COVID-19 in East Africa.

A lawyer by training, Lilian Ekeanyanwu is the head of the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR), a government of Nigeria institution with the mandate 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 relating to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), including UNCAC review of Nigeria and Nigeria’s review of other countries. As the Head of TUGAR, Lilian has coordinated the development of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy on the platform of the Inter Agency Task Team (IATT) and 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-based non-government organization Step Up for Social Development and Empowerment (Step Up Nigeria) and launched the Catch Them Young Initiative which is aimed at promoting anti-corruption education in primary schools. Catch Them Young has already reached almost 20,000 children across Nigeria. She is the author of four anti-corruption storybooks for children that aim to teach kids about the impact of corruption. Her books have been approved for use in three Nigerian states. She has also co-produced two animated films for kids on anti-corruption. Onyi has worked in Zambia, Nigeria and United Kingdom on a range of projects related to anti-corruption and service delivery. She has 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 issues, health-sector integrity, and fragile states. Her experience includes having been the 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. She has also worked and collaborated with Transparency International in different roles since 1995. She is currently an independent consultant working with partners on policy development, implementation of anti-corruption standards, applied policy research and anti-corruption training.

Geo-Sung Kim became an anti-corruption advocate after 12 years of his activities in 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 in 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/lecturer in several universities and has held various positions at the Korean government including as a Commissioner of the Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption (2005-2008), the Inspector General of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education (2014-2018), and most recently as the Senior Secretary to the President of the Republic of Korea for civic and social agenda (2019-2020).

Huguette Labelle has served for a period of nineteen years as Deputy Minister of different Canadian Government departments including Secretary of State, Transport Canada, the Public Service Commission and the Canadian International Development Agency. 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 additional boards. She is currently Chair of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, Chair of the IACC Council, Vice-Chair of the Rideau Hall Foundation Board, Vice-Chair of the International Senior Advisory Board of the International Anti-Corruption Academy, member of the Advisory Group to the OECD Secretary General on Anti-Corruption and Integrity, member of the Board of the Global Centre for Pluralism, Board member of Global Financial Integrity, Board member of the Aga Khan Museum, member of the IIRC Governance and Nominations Committee, member Advisory Board RESOLVE and Chair of the Selection Committee for Master's Scholarships on Sustainable Energy Development.

Pascal Lamy holds an MBA from HEC, and also studied at Sciences Po, and ENA. Between 2005 and 2013 he was the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). He began his career as a civil servant in the French Inspection générale des finances and in the Treasury. He subsequently became an advisor to the Finance Minister Jacques Delors, and then to Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy. In Brussels from 1984 to 1994, he was Head of Cabinet to the President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, including the role of G7 Sherpa. In November 1994, he joined the team responsible for the rescue of Credit Lyonnais, and later became CEO of the bank, led at the time by Jean Peyrelevade. From 1999 to 2004 Pascal Lamy was EU Trade Commissioner in under Commission President Romano Prodi. He is the 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 and worked in USA and Malaysia and held various posts as the Company Secretary, Tax Department Manager and finally as the Financial Controller of the ExxonMobil group of companies in Malaysia. Upon retirement he was involved with the Malaysian Chapter of Transparency International (TI) and held various positions including president. Chong San was elected to the International Board of Directors of TI in 2007; was the Chair of the Board Audit Committee and eventually chaired the Board Finance Committee. Chong San was appointed as a Senior Advisor and was an individual member for numerous terms.

Trevor Munroe is a political scientist by training and profession, 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 as a political scientist spanned over forty years of teaching, research and publications. As a Professor at the University of the West Indies, Trevor served in the Leadership of the University’s Administration, won many scholarly awards from the UWI, and was granted Visiting Fellowships to Harvard University, other Universities in North America and Europe. As a Civil Society Advocate, Trevor has been a Leader in Jamaica’s Trade Union Movement, in Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (Jamaica’s official Election Observation Body), and advocated successfully for anti-corruption legislation while serving for ten years as a member of Jamaica’s Senate.

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

Donal O'Leary has worked as a volunteer for Transparency International (TI) for more than 15 years, in the water sector and public procurement. He is also one of the founders of the Water Integrity Network (WIN), which was 'incubated' in the TI Secretariat and is now an independent organization. Over the last 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) which is based in Washington DC. Prior to joining TI, Donal worked as a technical specialist with the World Bank for more than 23 years, focusing on the preparation and implementation of projects in the energy and water sectors in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Donal has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.E. and M.Eng. Sc. in chemical engineering from the National University of Ireland.

Natalia Soebagjo's professional experience began with an Indonesian conglomerate and went on to focus on the capital market, serving on capital market related bodies during the early years of the revival of the securities industry after the government deregulated the financial market in 1988. She left the industry after the 1998/99 Asian financial crisis to engage in consultancy work. Currently she is Independent Commissioner at PT AIG Indonesia and publicly-listed PT Hero Supermarket Tbk. She has served on various bodies and committees such as the Independent Team for National Bureaucracy Reform under the Vice-President of Indonesia, the 2015 Selection Committee for the Commissioners of the Corrruption Eradication Commission established by the President of Indonesia and the National Committee for Governance Policy appointed by the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs. Natalia sits on the board of various civil society organizations, including WWF Indonesia, IDH Indonesia (The Sustainable Trade Initiative) and the Centre for Strategic & International Studies in Jakarta. She chaired the Executive Board of Transparency International Indonesia (2011-2017) and most recently served two terms on the International Board of Transparency International.

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

For more than ten years, Maria Fernanda has been a journalist leading and participating in award-winning teams that have uncovered corruption at the local and international levels. She has 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 the Executive Director of The Voice of Guanacaste, a local investigative news outlet covering urgent issues for the Latin American region such as climate change, corruption and local politics. The newspaper is fostering alliances with media outlets around the world to fight against 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 recognised internationally 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 Center 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 organizations.

Manzoor Hasan is currently serving as the Executive Director of the South Asian Institute of Advanced Legal and Human Rights Studies (SAILS), and the 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, BRAC University, in Bangladesh. Previously, he worked as the Deputy Executive Director of BRAC. Manzoor was also the Regional Director (Asia-Pacific) of Transparency International in Berlin and the founding Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh from 1996 to 2003. He has been awarded the Officer of Order of the British Empire for his work on transparency.

Ezra Limiri Mbogori’s working life spans over 30 years in the field of human rights, civil society and social justice activism - with a particular interest in efforts to hasten the coalescing of African countries towards a Pan-African vision of the African continent. Ezra graduated from Nairobi University and has a Master’s 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 at 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., where she is also a member of the Compensation Committee and the Sustainability and Scenarios Committee. Other boards and advisory bodies she’s 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, where 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, expert, and anti-corruption activist. Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Anti-Corruption Research and Education Center. Oksana Nesterenko is a former Fulbright-Kennan Institute Research Scholar and was the co-founder of the first interdisciplinary Master’s Program in anti-corruption in Ukraine. As a scholar, lecturer and legal advisor, Oksana focuses on issues in constitutional law and anti-corruption public policy, particularly, the role of civil society in fighting corruption, freedom of information, whistleblower protection, etc. She has authored 70 publications on these topics. She has also been managing numerous projects designed for increasing transparency and accountability for the past 17 years.

Oksana Nesterenko participated in drafting several laws in Ukraine pertaining to anti-corruption, access to information and whistleblower protection. She is currently a member of the working group developing the draft law on access to secret information.

Abraham Taherivand was born in Tehran in 1978. He grew up in Karlsruhe in Germany but has been a Berliner by choice since 1999. Abraham Taherivand studied business informatics, information management and engineering, and design thinking. Abraham has won several awards at national and international business plan competitions, has been a serial FGVBHentrepreneur in the technology, Internet & consumer and food & beverage industries since 2008 and has worked in a wide variety of roles and responsibilities for corporations and organizations as a strategy and innovation consultant. From 2012-2021 he worked full-time for Wikimedia Germany, first as a project manager, and since 2016 as Managing Director of Wikimedia Deutschland e. V.. He is co-founder of Wikidata, the first worldwide free structured knowledge database, and for this, he and his teams received the Open Data Award from Tim Berners-Lee. Since 2021 he has acted as an executive coach and an entrepreneur for ventures, companies and organisations.

Pelin Ünker has been working as an investigative journalist for Deutsche Welle in Turkey since 2018. She worked as a business reporter and financial editor at Cumhuriyet newspaper (2008-2018). 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. In her research, she deals not only with macroeconomic data on the state of the Turkish economy, privatisations and public procurement but also cases of corruption, tax avoidance and evasion. In connection with the 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. Ünker, whose sentence was overturned by the Court of Appeal, was awarded the Don Bolles Medal by Investigative Reporters and Editors during this time. She has received other awards for her work, including the Transparency Award from Transparency International Turkey.

Dr. Leena Hoffmann is an anticorruption 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 anticorruption agency, handling high-level cases involving politically exposed persons. With more than 15 years as a research consultant, she advances accountable governance by producing rigorous research, analysis, and evidence which support anticorruption efforts. Her work focuses on how social norms and networks shape corruption dynamics and on translating public disapproval into effective anticorruption 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.