Layla Saad is passionate about social justice, participatory governance and arts and culture. For the past twenty-five years she has worked on issues of poverty, inequality, civic engagement and advocacy with a range of institutions – including the multilateral system, governments and NGOs, both in the North and the South and at the national and international level.   

Layla is the former Executive Director of the Pathy Family Foundation based in Montreal, where she provided strategic leadership to the Foundation and its grant-making programs at national and international levels.   

Layla has held several positions in the United Nations including as Regional Adviser on Social and Behaviour Change at UNICEF’s Regional Office for South Asia, Deputy Director for the UNDP’s World Centre for Sustainable Development based in Brazil, and led the Advocacy and Partnerships work of the UN MDG Achievement Fund in New York—a global fund with 130 programmes in 50 countries, spearheading work on intersecting inequalities and striking partnerships with artists, academics, media, the private sector as well as civil society and governments.