Divya Bajpai to join BRAC as Executive Director in Europe

London, 16th January 2024 – BRAC is pleased to announce that Divya Bajpai will be joining the organisation on 2nd March as Executive Director, responsible for the development of our partnerships with European-based partners. 

This is a new role designed to lead BRAC’s ambitious plans to forge strategic partnerships in Europe to scale up innovative programming approaches in Africa and Asia, and to influence development and humanitarian policies in Europe, towards a shared goal of ending extreme poverty in the world. 

Divya, who is currently Interim Executive Director at Frontline AIDS, said: “I am delighted to be joining BRAC at this exciting time as we embark on ambitious plans to broaden and scale up our partnerships across Europe. As the sector works out how best to realise our ambition of empowering our southern partners, I believe BRAC has a unique role and responsibility to help shape this transition.” 

Ken Caldwell, Chair of Trustees at BRAC UK, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to appoint Divya to this new role. She brings considerable experience of developing funding and advocacy partnerships across Europe and a real passion for bringing stronger southern voices to shaping international development policies and priorities.”

Executive Director of BRAC in Bangladesh, Asif Saleh, also commented on the appointment. “We are aiming to strengthen and broaden our partnerships across Europe, in order to scale up innovative programmes in Asia and Africa focused on supporting families to escape from extreme poverty and to combat the consequences of climate change. We hope to bring the insights from this work to help key decision-makers in Europe to contribute to solving these key global challenges. I am looking forward to working closely with Divya as she leads our efforts to deliver this ambitious plan.” 

BRAC is an international development organisation founded in Bangladesh in 1972 that partners with over 100 million people living with inequality and poverty to create opportunities to realise human potential. BRAC is known for its community-led, holistic approach and delivering long-term impact at scale. BRAC works with communities in marginalised situations, hard-to-reach areas and post-disaster settings across Asia and Africa, with a particular focus on women and children. BRAC operates as a solutions ecosystem, including social development programmes, social enterprises, humanitarian response, a bank and a university. BRAC, born and proven in the south, has become a world leader in developing and implementing cost-effective, evidence-based programmes.

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Biography – Divya Bajpai

Divya Bajpai is a senior leader with more than 25 years of progressive experience in global health and international development.

Since 2016, Divya has been Director of Programmes and Partnerships for Frontline AIDS, responsible for supporting and developing a federation of southern partners focusing on sexual and reproductive health rights around the developing world. She is currently acting as their Executive Director during a period of transition. 

During her time at Frontline AIDS, Divya has developed new strategic partnerships with leading international partners to support their work around the world, and has successfully influenced the policies and priorities of international bodies on sexual and reproductive health rights. Her role has taken her to more than thirty countries around the world. 

Divya has a degree in French and Spanish, and also speaks Hindi and Urdu, and some Bengali. She also holds an MPhil from the Institute of Development Studies and an International Masters in Practising Management (IMPM).