The governing board of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) has announced Suneeta Kaimal as the new president and chief executive officer of the independent non-profit organization.
Kaimal, currently NRGI’s interim president and CEO, joined the organization in 2009 and has previously served as its deputy director and chief operating officer.
Kaimal succeeds president emeritus Daniel Kaufmann, who served NRGI from 2013 until February 2020.
“NRGI’s trajectory requires someone who understands the resource governance field in all its dimensions and also engages with the implications of the unprecedented disruptions through which we’re living,” said Smita Singh, interim chair of NRGI’s governing board.
“After a rigorous and thorough global search that yielded numerous excellent candidates, the board decided that Suneeta offers the ideal combination of attributes: a vision for the future, interdisciplinary knowledge of the issues involved in the management of extractives in resource-rich countries, extensive external networks and a deep understanding of NRGI’s internal strengths. This uniquely qualifies her to guide NRGI through the exciting changes it needs to continue to deliver for the communities it serves. The board is unanimously confident in Suneeta’s ability to carry forward the work for which NRGI is known while also adapting to the dramatic changes we’re seeing in the world.”
Kaimal will lead NRGI’s ambitious agenda for 2021, building on the successes of a challenging 2020. NRGI program teams are working with national and international civil society organizations, multilateral bodies and governments to: facilitate the transition to more climate-friendly futures in countries dependent on fossil fuel extraction; support countries with significant mineral deposits to meet increased demand for critical minerals in ways that benefit their citizens while minimizing corruption and environmental impact; tackle resource-related debt; and defend and advance governance, environmental and social standards.
RGI’s objective is to secure a future where countries rich in oil, gas and minerals achieve sustainable, equitable and inclusive development, helping ensure that citizens receive lasting benefits from extractives and that the negative impacts associated with the sector are minimized. The organization operates in more than a dozen resource-rich countries in Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, Eurasia, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia-Pacific.
