Shamil Idriss
Search for Common Ground
Chief Executive Officer
Shamil Idriss is CEO of Search for Common Ground (Opens in a new tab), an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict, away from adversarial approaches toward cooperative solutions.
With 800+ staff working in 35 countries, Search is the largest dedicated peacebuilding organization and was nominated by the Quakers for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. As CEO, Idriss has presided over Search’s growth in reach, impact, and influence, including leading multiple merger processes and forging strategic partnerships with UN agencies and global NGOs and corporations.
In 2005, Idriss was appointed by then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as Deputy Director of the UN Alliance of Civilizations. He served on the Steering Committee of the World Economic Forum's Council of 100 Leaders and was a recipient of the 2015 Open Society Foundation New Executive Award. He serves on the boards of Giving Tuesday (Opens in a new tab), Ploughshares Fund (Opens in a new tab), and Soliya (Opens in a new tab).