UN Foundation Welcomes New Board Members Chad Holliday, Naoko Ishii, and Eddie Ndopu

The United Nations Foundation today announced the appointment of Chad Holliday, Naoko Ishii, and Eddie Ndopu to its Board of Directors. Each has extensive experience and deep expertise in sustainable development which will help inform and guide the UN Foundation’s work at this critical time for people and planet.

“We are proud to welcome Chad Holliday, Naoko Ishii, and Eddie Ndopu to our Board of Directors,” said UN Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner. “They will be tremendous assets, and I’m excited to see how they can help the Foundation foster the ambitious and inclusive cooperation it will take to tackle our collective challenges and deliver on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Charles (Chad) O. Holliday Jr. currently chairs the Global Federation of Councils on Competitiveness and co-chairs the Mission Possible Partnership, a multi-organization alliance to push some of the highest-emitting sectors to decarbonize. He has long worked to forge consensus among diverse stakeholders – particularly corporate leaders and companies – around the need to accelerate a clean energy transition. These efforts include previously chairing the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), incubated initially at the UN Foundation, that works to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 and universal access to sustainable energy by 2030.

Mr. Holliday previously served as Chairman of the Board of Bank of America, Chairman and CEO of DuPont where he led efforts to shrink the company’s environmental footprint, and Chairman of Royal Dutch Shell. He has chaired leading business and sustainability organizations, including: U.S. Business Council, Catalyst, U.S. Council on Competitiveness, U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

“I am honored to join the UN Foundation Board,” said Mr. Chad Holliday. “I believe in the Foundation’s mission and was proud to support Sustainable Energy for All, a prime example of the kind of cross-sector partnership we need to ensure a clean energy transition. I’m looking forward to supporting the UN Foundation as it continues to bring diverse stakeholders together to unlock progress on some of our toughest challenges, including on climate.”

Naoko Ishii is a professor and Executive Vice President at the University of Tokyo. She is a leading thinker on environmental sustainability and the inaugural director for the University’s Center for Global Commons, whose mission is to catalyze systems change so that we can achieve sustainable development within planetary boundaries.

Before joining the University, Dr. Ishii was CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). She previously served as Deputy Vice Minister of Finance of Japan and represented Japan during the design of the Green Climate Fund. During her government career Dr. Ishii also served as Japan’s Director for Bilateral Development Finance and for coordination with multilateral development banks. She is a member of several prominent organizations, including: the World Economic Forum’s System Initiative on Shaping the Future of Environment and Natural Resource Security, the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the Advisory Committee of Future Earth.

“I am delighted to serve on the UN Foundation Board and support an organization that is uniquely placed to mobilize partnerships and resources in support of the global commons,” said Dr. Naoko Ishii. “I firmly believe that every one of us – whether public or private, consumer or investor – can and should play an active role in supporting the good stewardship of our shared resources on this one planet we all call home.”

Edward (Eddie) Ndopu is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed South African disabled humanitarian and activist. He is the Founder and CEO of Beyond Zero, a new platform for creating global change and seeing the possibilities that come from reduced inequalities and sustainable development. Mr. Ndopu also currently serves as the Founder and Chair of A BILLION REASONS, a groundbreaking incubator envisioned to tackle the SDGs through the lens of universal design and disability innovation.

Appointed in 2019 and in 2021 as one of the UN Secretary-General’s SDG Advocates – a group of 17 inspiring, influential people raising global awareness of the SDGs through their global platforms – Mr. Ndopu advises UN leaders on global policy. He has also advised organizations such as the World Economic Forum, UN Women, the Paralympic Games, and Amnesty International.

“We are at a crossroads. We can either reimagine global cooperation to ensure ecological harmony and social justice, or we can continue down a path of devastation and deprivation on a monstrous scale. The choice is ours, and I’m profoundly honored to join the UN Foundation Board and support the essential work of the United Nations at this moment of profound consequence for our shared future,” said Mr. Eddie Ndopu.

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

• Ted Turner (U.S.A.) – Founder and Chairman of the Board, UN Foundation
• Valerie Amos (UK) – Vice Chair, UN Foundation Board; Master, University College Oxford
• Gro Harlem Brundtland (Norway) – Vice Chair, UN Foundation Board; Former Prime Minister of Norway, Director-General Emeritus, World Health Organization
• Elizabeth Cousens (U.S.A.) – President & CEO, UN Foundation
• Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah (Jordan) – Chair, Jordan River Foundation
• Fábio Colletti Barbosa (Brazil) – Chairman of the Board, Endeavor Brazil
• Kathy Calvin (U.S.A.) – Former President & CEO, UN Foundation
• Julio Frenk (Mexico) – President, University of Miami
• Frannie Léautier (Tanzania) – Senior Partner, Southbridge Group
• Mark Malloch-Brown (UK) – President, Open Society Foundations; Former Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations
• Narayana Murthy (India) – Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Limited
• Laura Turner Seydel (U.S.A) – Chair, Captain Planet Foundation; Director, Turner Foundation
• Hans Vestberg (Sweden) – CEO, Verizon Communications
• Timothy E. Wirth (U.S.A) – former United States Senator; founding President, UN Foundation
• Muhammad Yunus (Bangladesh) – Founder, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh; Nobel Peace Prize Winner

About the United Nations Foundation
The UN Foundation is an independent charitable organization created to work closely with the United Nations to address humanity’s greatest challenges, build initiatives across sectors to solve problems at scale, and drive global progress. Learn more at www.unfoundation.org.