Born in Ghana, Theo Sowa has lived and worked in many countries in Africa, Europe, and North America. She was CEO at the African Women’s Development Fund for ten years and spent many years before that as an independent advisor specialising in social justice and women and children’s rights and protection issues. She has been a board member of various national and international civil society organisations and grant making foundations. Currently she is Co-Chair of the Equality Fund; and board member of the UBS Optimus Foundation; the Graça Machel Trust; Luminate; and TheirWorld. She sits on the advisory committees of The Stephen Lewis Foundation Africa Advisory group, Echidna, Co-Impact, and the Advisory Circle of the Feminist Foreign Policy Initiative.