The transformation of the Open Society Foundations appears to be nearing the end. In big news last week, OSF President Mark Malloch-Brown announced that he’d be stepping down, having overseen a massive restructuring of the organization that he described as “largely completed” in an email to partners. It comes a little over a year after Alex Soros, son of founder George, was elected chair, and caps off a disruptive period for the foundation which has seen a lot of staffing changes.
Binaifer Nowrojee, who is currently vice president of programs and is apparently well-respected within the organization, will step into Malloch-Brown’s role, becoming the first woman and first person from the global south to lead OSF.
It might not be an easy ride at the top, though. Staff morale is low, which Nowrojee nodded to in a note to staff, referencing “a prolonged period of disruption” that “has not come without pain and loss.” And among the flood of congratulatory posts in response to the announcement on social media were others referencing the conspiracy theories that have long plagued the organization and its founder — and which are sure to ramp up in the lead-up to the U.S. election.