Thais Corral’s global leadership journey has covered a broad spectrum of experiences, particularly in the field of global equity and sustainable development. She holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and a post-graduate degree in International Development from the United Nations University.

As a leader of the Women’s Global Movement, she led the process of women’s participation at the UN Earth Summit in 1992. Together with American former Congress representative Bella Abzug, and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Wangari Mathaai, she founded WEDO (Women, Environment and Development Organization), which played a major role at UN Global Conferences throughout the 1990s. WEDO continues to be an important women’s global advocacy organization. In 2006, it received the Champion of the Earth Award by the United Nations Environment Program.

Since 1992, Thais has been implementing global and local initiatives geared to increase sustainability and gender awareness. Network of Human Development, the organization that Thais founded and directs in Brazil, has pioneered several initiatives to consolidate the agenda of sustainable development. In this regard, several Local Agenda 21s were created in municipalities; a major national multi- stakeholder consultation for the development of Brazilian Agenda 21 was carried out; the International Conference on Indicators for Quality of Life, which connected

major leaders of the public, business and civil society sectors, was coordinated; a project to empower women in water management in the Northeastern Brazil was designed, and received an award as a Best Practice at the World Water Forum in Kyoto (Japan) in 2003.

As a social entrepreneur, Thais conceived and implemented a women’s radio network, which links 400 women’s radio programs and their communities throughout Brazil. The network was built over 15 years through dialogue and innovative projects, which nurtured collaboration and shared results. Today some of these community radio stations use digital technology, and the project is considered a reference and best practice worldwide.

For her leadership of the Global Women’s Movement, she has received the “100 Heroines Award.” In Brazil, she was recognized with the Abril Mulher award, “The Woman of the Year,” in 2001 by Brazilian National Council of Women, and the Rio Mulher Award by the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. In 2005, she was awarded with the prestigious Tech Award, a Silicon Valley recognition for projects that promote an innovative use of technology that benefits humanity.

Thais is also the director of capacity-building of a major global initiative to mitigate climate change and reduce poverty. SouthSouthNorth is established in six countries and is considered a pioneer initiative in the field.

Thais serves on the board of LEAD International, and is part of the core leadership team of the Global Leadership Network and Generative Dialogue Project.