17 April 2026
After seven years of service, Girls Not Brides’ Chief Executive Officer, Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell, has announced she will be stepping down in Summer 2026.
Girls Not Brides exists to end child marriage – a goal that requires sustained partnership, political courage, and the leadership of girls and grassroots organisations. Over the past seven years, the partnership has grown in reach, voice, and influence, even as the global landscape for girls’ rights has become more contested. Faith has led the Secretariat through this period with commitment, vision, and care.
Faith has led Girls Not Brides since 2019 and has guided the organisation through a period of significant growth and transformation. During her tenure, Girls Not Brides delivered its 2022–2025 strategy and evolved into a global secretariat with stronger presence across regions. The partnership deepened its engagement across civil society, governments and multilateral institutions, while keeping girls and grassroots organisations at the centre. Under Faith’s leadership, the organisation also secured significant new resources for the work, including a landmark philanthropic gift from MacKenzie Scott that is enabling catalytic investment in the countries where child marriage is most prevalent.
Due to Faith’s values-driven leadership Girls Not Brides now enters its next chapter from a position of strength. The 2026–2030 strategy and refreshed brand launch this April, and together with strengthened financial health and renewed Board leadership, they set the foundation for the partnership’s most ambitious decade yet.
Leading Girls Not Brides has been an incredible privilege. I am proud of what we have achieved together, and I will always be a champion for ending child marriage.
Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell, Chief Executive Officer
Ending child marriage is generational work, and Faith has carried it with care and conviction for seven years. On behalf of the Board, I thank her, and I know she will remain a lifelong ambassador for this movement. Girls Not Brides enters this next chapter with a clear strategy, a strong partnership, and the same conviction that has always defined this movement — that every girl, everywhere, deserves to choose her own future.
Dr Alaa Murabit, Chair of the Board
The Board of Trustees will begin the process of recruiting a new CEO. Faith will continue in her role during the transition period to ensure continuity and support the launch of the new strategy and brand.
Girls Not Brides remains fully committed to its mission to end child marriage, and to the partners, girls, and communities driving this work forward around the world.
