Mark Malloch-Brown, the president of George Soros’ $25 billion Open Society Foundations (OSF), is stepping down, marking the latest shift since the billionaire’s son, Alex Soros, assumed leadership of the charity.
In an email to OSF employees obtained by Bloomberg News, Malloch-Brown expressed his intention to serve as a bridge between George Soros’s OSF and that of Alex Soros. He stated, “Now that Alex has fully taken over as chair and we have largely completed a restructuring of OSF, it seemed the right time, after more than three years, to step down and let him put in place his own team.”
Binaifer Nowrojee, the current vice president of programs, will succeed Malloch-Brown, assuming the role on June 1. Alex Soros informed the staff via email that Nowrojee’s appointment was unanimously approved by the board. He expressed gratitude to Malloch-Brown for navigating the Foundations through challenging times.
Alex Soros, 38, took over as chair in December 2022 and was officially designated as the successor to the charity in June of the same year. His tenure has been marked by significant changes, including mass layoffs and an operational overhaul that temporarily paused new donations for five months, although existing grants continued during that period.
A spokesperson for OSF stated that new granting will gradually resume as they implement the new model.
Malloch-Brown’s association with George Soros and OSF spans over 15 years, with his involvement dating back to the early 1990s. His diverse background includes serving as a former UN Deputy Secretary-General, British diplomat, journalist, and holding various roles with institutions such as the World Bank, Oxford University, and the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.
Nowrojee, Malloch-Brown’s successor, brings extensive experience to her new role, having previously served as Open Society’s East Africa foundation director and regional director for Asia Pacific. Her background also includes positions as legal counsel at Human Rights Watch and a staff attorney at the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.
In a statement, Nowrojee expressed her commitment to leading OSF, stating that heading the world’s largest funder of human rights at a time when justice and compassion are under siege is the biggest challenge she has ever faced.
