Farah Mohamed (born 1970) is a Canadian women's rights activist, public speaker, and business leader who founded G(irls)20, an annual event to bring together women from across the world.[1] She has previously served as the CEO of the Malala Fund, a non-profit organisation that advocates for girls' education.[2] She spent almost a decade working with Canadian politicians on Parliament Hill.
She is the recipient of a Meritorious Service Medal, a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and one of the recipients of the 2014 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards presented by Canadian Immigrant Magazine.[3] In 2014, she was also recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women.[4]
She was born 1970 in Uganda. Her parents sought refuge in Canada in 1972 after Asians were expulsed from Uganda, and settled in St. Catharines, Ontario.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Queens University and a Master of Arts and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Western Ontario.[5] [6]
In 2010, she founded G(irls)20, an annual event to empower women from each of the G20 countries and Africa. Each year in advance of the G20 summit, G(irls)20 brings together women for a week of leadership training and advocacy.[7] She served as CEO of G(irls)20 for 5 years until she became CEO of the Malala Fund.