Runa Khan is the Founder and Executive Director of Friendship, a social purpose organisation bringing systemic changes in service delivery, empowerment, and livelihood to over 7.5 million climate migrants annually, with the promise of saving lives, climate adaptation, poverty alleviation and empowerment. She is an Ashoka Fellow (1994), Rolex Laureate (2006), recipient of IDB Award for Women’s Contribution to Development (2008), Schwab Foundation’s Social Entrepreneur Award (2012), and recipient of several other national and international awards.
Established in 2002, Friendship has served over 75 million people, providing integrated services in health, education, sustainable economic development, climate adaptation, inclusive citizenship, and cultural preservation. Friendship has also been active in the Rohingya crisis response in Bangladesh since 2017, being the largest health delivery organisation and among the top three education delivery organisations in the camp.
Khan is also the Founder of Friendship International, a global team, which operates in Luxembourg, France, Netherlands, UK and Belgium, working for raising needed funds, building relationships and partners, working towards changing the dynamics of how aid is viewed and given to local organisations, and carrying the methodology and modalities of Friendship’s work, internationally.
She is a Board Member of Global Dignity, Advisory Board Member of BIC Corporate Foundation, School of Business – Independent University Bangladesh, British Asian Trust and Duke of Edinburgh Trust Bangladesh. She is the Honorary President of the One Sustainable Health Forum in France and Honorary Patron of the Green Office of the University of Liege.
Khan is an acknowledged speaker at national and international events as well as universities such as INSEAD, University of Munich, and Collège de France, on social entrepreneurship, leadership, value-based management and development. She is a published author with eight books to her credit, six on pedagogy and two children’s storybooks.
Her work is based on simple logic, empathy, respect, a deep sense of justice and innovation.
