Catalyst 2030 has announced that Gaby Arenas de Meneses and Fredrik Galtung are the new Co-Chief Facilitators guiding the next phase of the movement’s growth Catalyst 2030, the global movement of social innovators, is delighted to announce the appointment of Gaby Arenas and Fredrik Galtung as Co-Chief Facilitators to lead the next phase of the organisation’s growth.

This comes as Jeroo Billimoria, a Founder Member and Chief Facilitator since the movement’s launch in January 2020 will transition to become Chair of the Board.

Catalyst 2030 is a global movement where social entrepreneurs, social enterprises, philanthropists, donor organisations, impact investors, corporate funders, governments, multilateral entities, and innovators work together to solve the world’s most pressing social issues to achieve systemic change. Launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2020 by members of Ashoka, Echoing Green, the Schwab Foundation, and the Skoll Foundation, Catalyst 2030 drives social innovation initiatives to implement bold strategies and sustainable solutions for a brighter future.

Gaby Arenas de Meneses will serve as Co-Chief Facilitator with over 20 years of experience as a businesswoman, 16 years as a social entrepreneur and more than 10 years leading global collaborative impact projects and organisations, she brings her passion and expertise to enhance engagement, inclusion, and collective impact within the Catalyst 2030 community. As the first Latina woman to co-lead a global social innovation movement, Gaby reflects our commitment to amplifying the voices of our Global South members, who represent over 64% of our movement.

Fredrik Galtung will serve as Co-Chief Facilitator leveraging his expertise to enhance the operational capacity and strategic partnerships of the movement. With over two decades of experience as a social entrepreneur and working in international development, Fredrik has co-founded and been part of various organisations dedicated to promoting transparency, integrity, climate adaptation, and social impact worldwide. He has advised and participated in projects in more than 40 countries. He has advised five presidents and prime ministers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, several corporations, and international organisations and development finance institutions.

The community would like to thank Jeroo for her visionary leadership since Catalyst 2030’s inception in 2019. She has overseen the growth of the movement from a handful of social entrepreneurs and others wanting to create lasting change to nearly 5,000 social innovators and allies from 140 countries. 1 Under the visionary guidance of Chief Facilitator Jeroo Billimoria, the dedication, strategic leadership, and collective effort of our vibrant community, governing council, Operations and Finance Committee, working groups, collaboration members, and the secretariat, Catalyst 2030 set its sights high, aiming to:

• Achieve robust membership growth: 5,003 individual members and 3,327 member organisations spanning 140 countries and six regions, demonstrating the growing support for the movement’s mission.
• Foster engaged and active membership: 84% engagement rate across 75 chapters in six regions, with our membership representing 140 countries, showcasing the active participation and commitment of members worldwide.
• Form successful collaborations: 121 partnerships formed, exceeding projected timelines, highlighting the success of Catalyst 2030’s efforts to foster partnerships and drive collective impact.

As Catalyst 2030 achieves unprecedented growth and impact, the movement is poised to enter a new phase of accelerated progress. This next chapter is characterised by enhanced collaboration, social innovation, and deepened systemic change. With a strong foundation established, Catalyst 2030 is now positioned to amplify its influence, expand its reach, and drive even more meaningful outcomes.

This leadership transition marks a strategic inflection point, as Jeroo Billimoria, will move to become Co-Chair of the Governing Council, supporting the Global Champions of Innovation and Social Impact, focusing on high-level advocacy, partnership development, and thought leadership.

Together, Gaby and Fredrik bring a wealth of experience and a shared vision as two long-standing members of the Catalyst 2030 Governing Council to spearhead its next chapter of innovation and growth. Together, they will harness their diverse strengths to propel the movement, driving innovation, collaboration, and systemic change.

In the next era, we are excited and confident that under their leadership, Catalyst 2030 will continue to thrive and accelerate our shared goals. 

Note for the Editors

About Catalyst 

2030 Catalyst 2030 is a global movement of social entrepreneurs and social innovators from all sectors who share the common goal of creating innovative, people-centric approaches to solve the world’s most pressing social issues. Joining forces with communities, governments, businesses, and others, Catalyst 2030 members are changing systems at all levels through collective action and bold, new strategies. 2 Launched at the World Economic Forum in January 2020, Catalyst 2030 comprises more than 5,003 individual members and 3,327 member organisations that are active in over 140 countries and directly reach an estimated two billion people. We believe in collective action and that bold new strategies are needed to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

About the new Co-chiefs Facilitators

Gaby Arenas de Meneses is a Founding Member of Catalyst 2030 who has served as Co-Chair of the Latam Chapter. She is an Entrepreneur and Social Communicator with a degree from Andrés Bello Catholic University. She has specialised studies in competency-based education, journalism, and digital marketing. She holds a Master’s in Communication for Development with a focus on peacebuilding and Human Rights. As a Rotary Peace Fellow, she specialised in Peace Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. Gaby began her career in the private and academic sector, founding two companies in Public Relations Consulting and Corporate Social Responsibility and working as a professor and researcher in several universities, before transitioning to Social Development in 2016. She has led various social organisations as Executive Director, promoting peace, protecting rights, and integrating vulnerable populations. Recognized as a UN Ambassador in the “Network for Peace ” and an Ashoka Fellow, LEGO Foundation’s Re-Imagine Learning, Opportunity Collaboration, Rotary Peace and Perennial Fellow. She co-founded the TAAP Foundation, an organisation that has impacted over 4.9 million beneficiaries in 14 countries. As a Global Social Development Consultant, she has held leadership roles in Tendrel; co-founded Colombia Cares for Colombia, The Weaving Lab, and is part of the NET Edu and GELP global south ecosystems initiative.

Fredrik Galtung is a Founding Member of Catalyst 2030 who has served on the Operations and Finance Committee and the Ethics Task Force. He spent over two decades in international development while also lecturing at universities and training hundreds of social entrepreneurs and government officials in a leadership course on integrity reforms. He is the Founder and CEO of TrueFootprint, which centres community agency and governance in facilitating collaboration with project developers and food businesses for regenerative agriculture. The company combines community-driven development and accountability supported by technology, with cooperation with some of the world’s biggest brands to generate trusted consumer reviews from 100M+ consumers in 60 markets. He is also a founding member of Transparency International and co-founded Integrity Action, which delivered the largest-scale bottom-up monitoring of development for thousands of projects and over 3.4 million people in partnership with governments, companies, and development agencies. Fredrik is an Ashoka fellow.

For more information about the work of Catalyst 2030, or to arrange an interview, please contact [email protected]. Find Catalyst 2030 at www.catalyst2030.net and On Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram.