Russam is pleased to announce that Ali Forder has been appointed as Interim Chief Executive Officer at Global Witness. Ali’s appointment was made following a successful introduction and placement by Russam.

This interim appointment ensures strong leadership continuity at a pivotal moment, while recruitment for a permanent CEO is underway.

Ali is a highly experienced senior leader with more than 15 years’ experience across the charity and public sectors. She has held senior roles at Save the Children UK and within the UK Government’s former Department for International Development, bringing deep expertise in international development, organisational leadership and global operations.

Her career has also included time living and working across Kosovo, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Uganda, giving her a broad international perspective and a strong understanding of complex global systems and stakeholder environments.

In her role as Interim CEO, Ali will lead Global Witness through this transition period, supporting the organisation’s strategic priorities, providing leadership stability and ensuring continued focus on its mission-driven work.

Ali commented on her appointment:
“I feel privileged to be joining the incredibly talented team at Global Witness as Interim CEO and am excited to work with them over the next few months. As wealth and power become more concentrated with those who are enabling the climate crisis, the investigative and campaigning work of Global Witness and its partners is more urgent and important than ever.”

Who are Global Witness?

Global Witness is an international investigative campaigning organisation working to expose environmental and human rights abuses driven by the exploitation of natural resources. Their work focuses on holding power to account and addressing the systems driving climate breakdown and inequality.

Why interim CEOs are essential during leadership transition

Organisations frequently appoint interim CEOs when immediate, experienced leadership is required to maintain stability during periods of change.

An interim CEO provides:

• Continuity of leadership during transition
• Strategic clarity at pace
• Stability for teams and stakeholders
• Support for ongoing transformation or recruitment processes
• Immediate executive-level decision making

This enables organisations to remain focused on mission delivery while ensuring a smooth transition to permanent leadership.

Russam Interim Management

At Russam, we specialise in placing highly experienced interim executives into critical leadership roles where they can deliver immediate impact.

Our network includes interim CEOs, transformation directors and senior leaders across the charity, public and private sectors, supporting organisations through periods of change, growth and complexity.

If your organisation requires experienced leadership during transition, Russam provides rapid access to proven interim executives who can deliver from day one.

Learn more about:
Russam Interim Management Services
Interim to Permanent solutions
Executive Search

Congratulations to Ali Forder on her appointment at Global Witness.

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