Nejla Liias, founder and CEO of Kinaura Partners, is a strategic advisor and systems thinker who helps organizations navigate the complexity of global development and social change. She leads a multidisciplinary team that partners with foundations, nonprofits, and private‑sector organizations to build effective strategies, strengthen organizational decision‑making, and drive meaningful action across multiple levels of impact.
Under Nejla’s leadership, Kinaura has developed deep expertise across sectors including agriculture and nutrition, maternal and reproductive health, climate change, gender, and democracy. She guides her team in identifying unexpected synergies and fostering collaboration between traditionally siloed partners. This systems‑level approach enables organizations to leverage interconnections and deliver sustainable, far‑reaching outcomes.
Before establishing Kinaura, Nejla served as a consultant to the Gates Foundation on global health policy and advocacy initiatives. Her earlier career in public finance at Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan provides her with a strong understanding of market‑based approaches to development and social investment. Drawing on this diverse background, Nejla bridges perspectives across finance, philanthropy, policy, and civil society to help organizations navigate complex challenges.
Nejla’s commitment to creating systemic change extends to her local community, where she is deeply involved in local policy and advocacy, supporting local citizens and organizations to navigate elections and policy, raise their voices, and hold their elected officials to account. She serves as a strategic thought partner to Partners for Climate Action of the Hudson Valley as well as the Ulster County Workforce Development Board. Nejla also serves on the Board of the Reykjavik Global Forum (RGF). RGF brings together influential women and their allies from across the world to share ideas, spark solutions, and drive progress toward equality & increased women’s representation in leadership.
Nejla holds an MPP with a concentration in international policy and development from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and a BS from Bates College.
