UN Foundation Taps Marcos Troyjo, Hans Vestberg for Board of Directors

The United Nations Foundation today announced the appointment of Marcos Troyjo of Brazil and Hans Vestberg of Sweden to its Board of Directors. Both leaders bring strategic acumen and deep expertise to the UN Foundation at a pivotal moment for the UN and the international system.

“We are proud to welcome Marcos Troyjo and Hans Vestberg to the UN Foundation’s Board of Directors,” said UN Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner. “With outstanding track records of creative problem-solving and shared commitment to making the world a better place for everyone, they embody the values at the heart of our mission.”

“At this time of great change in the international system, Marcos and Hans bring exactly the strategic vision and leadership this moment demands,” added Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO of the UN Foundation. “Their track record of driving change and being at the forefront of institutional innovation will be invaluable as we seek to reinvent global cooperation for the future.”

Marcos Troyjo has played key leadership roles in multilateral finance, government, business, academia, and economic development. He served as President of the New Development Bank from 2020 to 2023, the first Brazilian to head a multilateral development bank. Prior to that, he served as Brazil’s Special Secretary for Foreign Trade and International Affairs. During that time, he was one of the lead negotiators of the European Union-Mercosur Agreement, the biggest treaty between economic blocs in world trade history.

He is a Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD, a Global Leadership Fellow at Cornell University, and a former Transformational Leadership Fellow at the University of Oxford.

“I’m honored to join the UN Foundation’s Board of Directors,” said Troyjo. “At this critical juncture, I look forward to working with my fellow Board members to reinvigorate multilateral cooperation and build partnerships for a more peaceful, prosperous, and fair world.”

Hans Vestberg is a visionary tech and telecom leader with a life-long commitment to international development and social change. Serving as CEO of Verizon from 2018 to 2025 and Chairman for most of that time, Hans was the architect of Verizon’s 5G network strategy. Under his leadership, Verizon was the first in the world to launch 5G and 5G Mobile Edge Compute. As CEO, he was responsible for a business generating over $130 billion in annual revenue and serving more than 145 million customer connections.

Prior to Verizon, Hans led the successful transformation of Ericsson from a hardware-focused manufacturer to a software and services company. He currently serves as a Senior Operating Advisor at Consello, and on the Board of Directors of BlackRock. Previously, Hans was Co-Chair of the New Jersey CEO Council and Chair of the World Economic Forum’s EDISON Alliance, a collaborative initiative to foster digital inclusion. He returns to the UN Foundation’s Board, having previously served from 2015 to 2025.

“I’m pleased to return to the UN Foundation’s Board of Directors at an important moment for global cooperation,” said Vestberg. “Advancing progress will require strong partnerships across sectors and borders, along with a continued focus on practical, scalable solutions. I look forward to working alongside fellow Board members to support the Foundation’s efforts and help drive meaningful, lasting impact.”

The UN Foundation Board of Directors includes the following global leaders with a range of expertise:

• Ted Turner (USA) — Founder and Chair of the Board, UN Foundation; Chairman, Turner Enterprises; Founder, CNN
• Sigrid Kaag (Netherlands) — Co-chair of the Board; Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Netherlands
• Elizabeth Cousens (USA) — President & CEO, UN Foundation
• Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah (Jordan) — Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Chair, Jordan River Foundation
• Valerie Amos (UK) — Master, University College Oxford
• Kathy Calvin (USA) — Former President and CEO, UN Foundation
• Julio Frenk (Mexico) — Chancellor, University of California, Los Angeles
• Chad Holliday (USA) — Chair, Global Federation of Councils on Competitiveness
• Naoko Ishii (Japan) — Special Presidential Envoy for Global Commons; Professor and Director of the Center for Global Commons, University of Tokyo
• Frannie Léautier (Tanzania) — Senior Partner and CEO, Southbridge Group
• Susana Malcorra (Argentina) — President and Co-Founder, GWL Voices
• Mark Malloch-Brown (UK) — Former Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations
• Laura Turner Seydel (USA) — Co-Chair, Turner Foundation
• Marti G. Subrahmanyam (India) — Charles E. Merrill Professor of Finance and Economics, Stern School of Business at New York University; Global Network Professor of Finance at NYU Shanghai
• Timothy E. Wirth (USA) — Former United States Senator; Founding President, UN Foundation

About The UN Foundation
The United Nations Foundation has built novel innovations and partnerships to support the United Nations and help solve global problems at scale for over 25 years. As an independent charitable organization, the Foundation was created to work closely with the United Nations to address humanity’s greatest challenges and drive global progress. Learn more at www.unfoundation.org.