THE STEERING COMMITTEE
The Steering Committee is a global council of artists, cultural leaders, strategists, and social visionaries from across the globe. Together, they guide the mission and vision of Global Artivism. Their experiences span movements, sectors, and regions.
ADAMA SANNEH
ALISON TICKELL
AMALEN SATHANANTHAR
ANIS BARNAT
AYREEN KHAN
DAVES GUZHA
FAVIANNA RODRIGUEZ
HAYA FATIMA IQBAL
HELENA NASSIF
HOPE AZEDA
INÉS SANGUINETTI
ISLAM ELBEITI
JAHMAN OLADEJO ANIKULAPO
JEN RAE
JOE MOEONO-KOLIO
KUMI NAIDOO
LOUISA ZONDO
MELISSA MALZKUHN
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MIKE FLEISCH
MOHSIN MOHI UD DIN
MUNDANO
OMAID SHARIFI
ROSS PATEL
SANA MUSTAFA
SHILO SHIV SULEMAN
STEVEN LIU
GUNJAN NANDA
Adama brings a unique hybrid background in management and cultural studies to his work designing and leading creative institutions focused on generating a more equal, just, and free society. Under his leadership as CEO, the Moleskine Foundation built a unique network of creative changemakers worldwide focused on solving some of the pressing global issues through creativity, arts, and culture. Adama graduated from the University of Milan and started his career in East Africa, working on rural development, then moving to Geneva to focus on social innovation with the United Nations. He obtained a Master in Public Management from the Bocconi School of Management and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Geneva. He is a curator of cultural programming, public speaker, and writer covering creative leadership, racial equity, and education. His efforts lie in exploring and leveraging the intersection of creativity, culture, and social change.
Alison Tickell founded Julie’s Bicycle in 2007 as a non-profit dedicated to mobilising arts and culture to take action on the climate crisis, initially in the UK music industry and now across culture internationally. Trained as a cellist, she worked for 15 years with mentor, jazz improviser and teacher John Stevens whose dedication to music in community activism created the foundational values that inspired JB. She is a dedicated and passionate advocate for culture as climate action with creative climate activism wherever it is, from international and national bodies to artivists on the ground.
Amalen is The Artivist Network's Asian Coordinator and a founding member. Amalen, who is based in Malaysia, works with grassroots organizations all around Asia, primarily in South East Asia, with an emphasis on community development and movements related to climate justice. He has been instrumental in the founding of numerous youth-led organizations in Malaysia as well as within the global youth climate movement. Amalen, who has experience in climate policy but uses artivism to communicate his ideas, has aided in bridging the divide between grassroots activists and artists and climate lobbyists. Amalen also represents a new kind of urban farmer, collaborating with Malaysian communities to disrupt conventional food chain cycles and foster hyperlocal food systems.
French born from Tunisian and Danish roots, now living in Greece, Anis has experienced as a child the transformative power of the arts at a provincial school of music where he balanced artistic excellence and community belonging. He co-founded El Sistema Greece, a free music education programme for children from refugee, migrant and local backgrounds, all united by the universal language of music. He works at the Community Arts Network, a global network of artful changemakers, to make our world more connected, more humane and a better place.
Ayreen is a visual artist, writer, and researcher whose work blends spiritual inquiry with socio-political engagement. Drawing from traditions like Sufism, Indian and Islamic mythology, and sacred art forms such as Tibetan Thanka and mandalas, her vivid imagery explores mystical states and questions of existence. With a background in international relations and development studies, she applies art-based research to address issues like climate change, extremism, migration, and human rights across South Asia. Fluent in eight languages, Ayreen has worked with diverse communities through community art, activism, and education. Her artwork has been exhibited internationally, including at the WOW Festival in Bangladesh and the UK. Her practice—described as healing, layered, and spiritually resonant—resides at the intersection of form and formlessness, story and silence, constantly seeking the space where we begin again.
Daves is a Zimbabwean Producer, Artist, and Cultural Administrator with over 30 years of experience in the creative and cultural industries. He is the founder of Theatre in the Park, Harare’s first theater built since 1960. Daves has played a pivotal role in cultural initiatives across Africa, Europe, and Latin America, including designing the SADC Artists AIDs Festival (2007-2009) and managing the cultural program for the SADC region during the 2010 World Cup. He also established the *Artists Trust of Southern Africa* to strengthen the relationship between artists and regional leadership. Recognized for his contributions, Daves received the *Legends @ 40* award from the Zimbabwean government. His work consistently champions African stories and the Pan-African spirit.
Favianna Rodriguez is an award-winning artist, cultural strategist, and President of The Center for Cultural Power, a national organization igniting change at the intersection of art, culture, and social justice. She collaborates with social movements around the world to co-create narrative and cultural strategies that are resilient and transformative. Favianna is regarded as one of the leading thinkers and personalities uniting art, culture, and social impact. She is a nationally-celebrated artist and recipient of numerous awards.
Documentary filmmaker and organizer amplifying Pakistani voices, whose work has been featured on platforms like HBO, BBC, Al Jazeera, and National Geographic. She co-founded the Documentary Association of Pakistan to support and organize local filmmakers and build global solidarity. Haya has co-produced acclaimed films such as A Girl in the River, which influenced Pakistan’s honor killing laws, and Armed With Faith, which spotlighted bomb disposal squads in conflict zones. Her directorial work, The Sky is Far, the Earth is Tough, addresses climate trauma in mountain communities and led to the safe relocation of over 100 displaced households. A Fulbright scholar, she is also an Assistant Professor of Practice at Habib University.
Helena Nassif is a multi-disciplinary researcher of culture. She is currently the Director of Culture Resource (Al Mawred Al Thaqafy), a non-profit cultural organization working on supporting the arts and culture across the Arab region and with its diaspora. Helena received her PhD in Media Studies from the University of Westminster in 2015. Her career extends culture and media research to years in the non-governmental sector, the development industry, program design and evaluation, grants management, adult training, and television and documentary film production.
Hope Azeda is a playwright, director and founder of mashirika performing arts media company . She is a pioneer in using art as a tool for peace building and is a celebrated leader of the Rwandan and the African continent’s arts sector. She is the founder of the acclaimed Ubumuntu Arts Festival which provides a platform for artists from around the world to present performances dealing with aspects of societal violence and human nature, from police brutality, to mass incarceration, to civil war and genocide. She uses art to promote values of humanity and healing, a unique approach that centers storytelling to help communities around the world to deal with their own traumas and to triumph over adversity. Hope was recently honored as a Laureate of the John. P. McNulty prize 2018, Awarded a lifetime award by MAAFA and also the winner of the continental award in the category of arts and culture 2018/19 honored by ceo global . 2021 Segal Centre honoree for civic engagement in the arts.
Inés Sanguinetti is a dancer, choreographer, and cultural innovator committed to transforming education and fostering well-being through the arts. As President and Artistic Director of the Crear vale la pena Foundation, she developed the Creative Environments methodology—recognized across Latin America and certified by the University of San Isidro—which has reached nearly 2,000 professionals and 120,000 young people. Her work has been endorsed by institutions like the World Bank and OAS, and she has held leadership roles in national and regional arts networks. Currently, she focuses on integrating creative, playful methodologies into education, mental health, and social programs across Argentina and Latin America.
Islam Elbeiti is one of only a few female bassists from Sudan. From early in life she has lived in many countries, experiencing cultures that by contrast reveal the deep-rooted prejudice against female musicians in her motherland. “Life is tough for a female musician in this country,” she tells us breezily. We asked where she gets her strength to thrive as she does.
Jahman Oladejo Anikulapo is a renowned Nigerian artist, culture curator, and advocate who has championed artistic freedom and cultural rights for over three decades. He worked as the Arts, Literary, and later Sunday Editor at The Guardian newspaper from 1987 to 2013. He chairs the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) and founded the Culture Advocates Caucus (CAC), both of which use the arts to promote democratic engagement and youth empowerment. He also leads Unchained Vibes Africa and directs major cultural events such as the Lagos Book & Art Festival and the iREP Documentary Film Festival. A former regional representative and chair with Arterial Africa, Jahman was named a 2024 UNESCO Defender of Cultural Rights.
Dr Jen Rae (she/they) is an award-winning artist-researcher of Canadian-Métis (Indigenous) descent based in Australia, internationally recognised for pioneering work at the intersections of art, climate change, and disaster resilience. For over two decades, Jen has collaborated and led transdisciplinary projects that fuse artistic excellence with cultural leadership, embedding Indigenous pedagogies and creative methodologies into urgent and complex terrains. Their work has been commissioned, presented and/or published by leading institutions nationally and internationally. Drawing on participatory, speculative, and relational methods, Jen mobilises the arts as catalysts for climate action, cross-sector collaboration and social transformation. Throughout their career, Jen has amplified equity-denied voices, engaged communities in collective imagining, and influenced cultural policy—positioning culture as central to climate action. As Co-director of the Centre for Reworlding, Jen has led nationally significant initiatives in creative resilience and futures-thinking and is a co-founder of Creative Climate, Australia’s peak body for art and climate. They are also co-creator of BILYA, an innovative relational mapping platform grounded in Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property principles, connecting arts, culture, and climate justice sectors.
Joe is a climate justice advocate from Samoa and New Zealand. Over the past decade, he has worked in both Government and in Civil Society spaces as a policy advisor, analyst, strategist and climate campaigner and has worked at the nexus of climate change and politics in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the Indo-Pacific since 2015. He currently works as Chief Advisor (Pacific) for the global Secretariat of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative. His work has led to a growing coalition of governments and civil society organisations around the world calling for a global mechanism to phase out the use of fossil fuels in order to keep the Paris 1.5 threshold alive. In early 2024, he established the creative arts project “This Is Our Home: Pacific Artists for Climate Justice”, bringing together gifted Pacific artists to advocate for climate justice. Joe’s recent work has been centred on using arts and culture to shift narratives on climate action and influence popular culture, using traditional knowledge, modern communications mediums and powerful artistic presentations make the climate crisis understable to a mass audience.
Kumi Naidoo is a South African human rights and environmental justice activist, who currently is the Payne Distinguished Lecturer at Stanford University. He is the former Secretary-General of Amnesty International (2018-2020) and also the first person from the Global South to lead Greenpeace International (2009-2015). He is an advisor for the Community Arts Network. He serves as a global ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity. His family has started the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism to build on the positive legacies left by popular South African rapper Rikhado “Riky Rick” Makhado through his music and life’s work. Kumi is the author of award-winning Letters To My Mother: The Makings of a Troublemaker. Kumi is also the host of the podcast Power, People and Planet.
Louisa Zondo is a co-founder of the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism, Chairperson of the Barloworld Empowerment Foundation and former Chairperson of Oxfam South Africa. A lawyer and social activist, she served as Deputy Executive Director of the Constitutional Assembly during South Africa's transition from apartheid, going on to become Chief Executive of the South African Human Rights Commission in 1996. Along with other members of her family, Louisa is currently involved in the work of the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism established in memory of her son Rikhado 'Riky Rick' Makhado, a well-loved music artist and creative who died in February 2022 from suicide. The efforts of the Foundation focus on mental health and wellbeing; energising artivism; fellowships supporting young creatives; and community engagement. In 2023 she published 'Dearest MaRiky: A Mother's Journey Through Grief, Trauma and Healing' a memoir reflecting on life and her late son.
Melissa is a pioneering Deaf creator, social innovator, and global advocate for language equity, particularly for the 97% of deaf children without access to sign language education. A third-generation Deaf activist, she is the founder of Motion Light Lab at Gallaudet University, where she creates immersive, sign-centric learning experiences and storytelling media that elevate Deaf representation. Melissa has led innovations such as the world’s first bilingual ASL/English storybook apps, 3D signing avatars, and the first Deaf Club in the Metaverse. As Co-Director of the VL2 Center and co-founder of key initiatives like the ASL App and CREST Network, she is transforming visual language learning and accessible technology. Her work has earned her global recognition, including fellowships from Obama and Ashoka, and major grants like the LEGO Foundation Prize.
Mike Fleisch is Head of Design and Operations for Earth HQ, a managing member of dpict, a member of The Value Web, and a cofounder of the Global Commons Alliance. In 2024, Mike led projects on the Planetary Health Check portal, the Earth Public Information Collaborative (EPIC), and the Global Artivism movement. Mike has supported organizations and communities across the world as a design strategist and systems facilitator for 20+ years, and has also delivered community-inciting collaborations around sustainable, equitable systems with the Kauffman Foundation and the National Science Foundation. For their work with the Global Commons Alliance, Mike and three colleagues received the Platinum IAF Impact award, the most prestigious international award for facilitation. Mike has co-authored several published papers on video games, served on multiple boards, patented a modular environment system, presented a keynote address to the directors of the world’s leading design museums, and founded a space for art and assembly in Cincinnati.
Mohsin Mohi Ud Din is an artist, activist, community-builder, and founder of the award-winning global non profit, MeWe International Inc. MeWeIntl is a global network of artists, scientists, and community-builders who design communication tools and storytelling methodologies to advance community health, equity, and social cohesion in a fragmented and polarized world. For over 15 years, Mohsin has scaled his peer to peer storytelling methodology across more than 15 countries, from the valley of Kashmir, to the Syrian refugee camps in the Middle East, to the mountains of Morocco, Honduras, and Mexico. His movement has supported more than 10,000 vulnerable youth and caregivers and dozens of community building organizations fighting violence, forced displacement, incarceration, and poverty.
Mundano is a Brazilian artivist born in São Paulo. At 38, he has spent the past 17 years using art as a tool for social transformation. A defender of environmental causes and universal human rights, he founded the NGO Pimp My Carroça, the Cataki app, and the Megafone Prize for Activism. Through his artivism, Mundano has taken the voices of waste pickers across the world, creating exhibitions, giving lectures, and participating in events and awards in areas ranging from digital innovation and public art to social entrepreneurship, circular economy, human rights, recycling, and the environment. He is a TED Fellow and a member of Ashoka’s global social entrepreneurship network. In recent years, Mundano has conducted research across Brazil, collecting waste from some of the country’s worst environmental crimes. He has developed his own pigments from toxic mud left by the Brumadinho dam collapse, ashes from forest fires, and oil spilled along Brazil’s northeast coast. These pigments have become artworks of resistance and denunciation — graffiti, sculptures, canvases, and large-scale murals. In 2020, he created his largest work to date: a 1,000m² mural honoring Brazil’s forest firefighters. Reinterpreting Cândido Portinari’s classic painting The Coffee Farmer, the piece was painted with ashes collected from four biomes: the Amazon, the Atlantic Forest, the Cerrado, and the Pantanal. This expedition became the documentary Ashes of the Forest, released in 2022. Internationally recognized in public art, digital innovation, environmental justice, social entrepreneurship, and human rights, Mundano continues to fight on the frontlines of the climate emergency.
Omaid Sharifi is an artivist and curator, as well as the President of ArtLords — a movement of self-styled artivists who utilize art for positive social transformation, supporting at-risk artists and advocating for artistic freedom worldwide.
With over 15 years of experience in the music, media, and entertainment industries, Ross is an artivist and advocate working to create a more sustainable and just world. They believe that culture has the power to drive meaningful change, work to build bridges between creative expression and social responsibility. As an Impact Consultant for LIVE Green, a trade body representing the UK's live events sector (including 4,000+ businesses and 40,000+ artists), Ross leads collaborative sustainability initiatives that bring together artists, venues, policymakers, UK Government and the United Nations. Ross's extensive industry knowledge comes from their time as CEO of Whole Entertainment and a senior manager at Grade Management, where they worked directly with artists. As a board director for the Music Managers Forum, they represented over 1,600 artist managers on matters of climate action, equity and social impact. Ross serves as Co-Chair of the Global Music Advisory Board at In Place of War, a charity that leverages music for social justice, and is Chief Strategy Officer at UMA Entertainment Group, a global benefit concert initiative focused on positive change. As a DJ and performer, Ross integrates their advocacy for social justice into their persona, using their platform to challenge perceived binaries and advocate for supporting and platforming marginalised groups within music.
Experienced advocate with a solid history of working in the non-profit and public sectors. Skilled diplomat and negotiator. Strong cross-sector partnership builder. Entrepreneur mindset. Post-grads in Political Science and Development from Universidad Pompeu Fabra and the London School for Economics and bachelor (with Honours) in Political Science from the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico. Roberto started his career as a junior advisor at the Vice-Ministry for Urban Development in Mexico, and from there performed similar roles at the Mexican Senate, the Ministry for Environment, the Ministry for Agriculture, and the Ministry for Interior. During his work in the public sector, Roberto worked directly with ministers and top-ranking officials, giving him a unique learning experience. While studying the Ph.D. program in 2000 in Barcelona, he worked at the Catalan Federation of NGOs, which comprised more than 60 national and international organizations, spanning from Oxfam and Amnesty International to grassroots organizations. In 2003 he joined Transparency International (TI). He was instrumental in launching TI into a new era in communications and people engagement. In 2005 he assumed the responsibility to manage the International Anti- Corruption Conference (IACC), becoming its Director in 2013. As the lead partnership builder, agenda architect, and chief curator he is passionate about the power of people and trust-based relationships. The IACC is the world's foremost conference for all sectors and individuals working against corruption and for social justice. Roberto sees in the younger generations the solution to our pressing global challenges. Because of this, he is the founder and co-founder of a number of global initiatives like the IACC Young Journalists network (with journalists from all regions of the world) the Films for Transparency Festival, the IACC Social Entrepreneurs Initiative, as well as the Fair Play Music Competition and Festival.
Sana Mustafa is a feminist human rights activist and movement leader in the forced displacement sector, whose advocacy is shaped by her lived experience as a forcibly displaced Syrian woman. She co-founded global efforts for refugee-led representation, including the Global Refugee-led Network and the Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative. Currently Associate VP of Philanthropy at Equity Fund, she also runs a consulting practice supporting equity and movement building. Formerly CEO of Asylum Access, Sana led work to decolonize refugee advocacy and promote self-representation. A TED speaker and 2023 Elevate Prize winner, she serves on the board of Basmeh & Zeitooneh and is a founding member of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement.
Shilo Shiv Suleman is an award-winning Indian artist whose work lives and breathes at the intersection of Magical Realism, Art, Nature, Culture, Technology, and Social Justice. Her work is unapologetically embodied weaving together the sensual and sacred, past and future- through paintings, wearable sculptures, interactive installations and public art interventions.
Hailing from Monterey Park, California, Steven Liu is a Teaching Artist that uses artistry to transform the life trajectories of children and their respective communities. He has worked extensively as a leader for El Sistema inspired programs, where he founded the Allentown Symphony’s El Sistema Lehigh Valley, served as the Director of Educational Programs for the Miami Music Project, consults for Sistemang in the Phillipines, was a founding Teaching Artist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestras of Los Angeles, and a founding international teaching artist for the the National Take A Stand Festival (a joint venture between the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Aspen Music Festival and School, and Longy School of Music of Bard College.). Currently, Liu serves as a faculty member and the Director of Career Services, Outreach, and Alumni for The Tianjin Juilliard School with the goal of preparing the next generation of artist citizens.
Born & brought up in India, nestled in a small town in the Himalayas, Gunjan Nanda (she/her) is an impact-driven leader and global digital organizer with a strong background in sustainability, advocacy, design, and social impact initiatives. With extensive experience at the intersection of design, culture, climate, and community-building, Gunjan has worked across global platforms to mobilize creative industries for systemic change. As the Co-Founder of the Entertainment + Culture Pavilion and Dubai Climate Collective, Gunjan has led high-impact cultural programming at international climate summits, like that of COP28 in Dubai and COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, and has expanded E+C’s reach across multiple countries. She has successfully managed cross-sector partnerships with organizations, policymakers, and creatives to integrate cultural narratives into climate action solutions. With a background in design and fashion, Gunjan brings a deep understanding of creative industries, sustainable production, and cultural storytelling to her work. She has worked with organizations and brands such as Apple, Allbirds, Hollywood Climate Summit, and UNFCCC agencies, leveraging strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, event production, and content strategy to drive impact. She is also the creator of Chatty Changemakers, a climate card game designed to spark insightful discussions on climate action through humor and interactive learning. Having recently graduated with a Master’s in Global Governance and Sustainable Development, Gunjan remains dedicated to fostering arts, culture, and sustainability, particularly within MENA and South Asia. Her passion for cross-cultural collaboration continues to shape her work as she builds bridges between creative industries and the global climate movement.
