Saba Al Mubaslat

Regional Director, Ford Foundation, Middle East and North Africa Office

Saba Almubaslat is the Regional Director of the Ford Foundation Middle East and North Africa office. She has more than 25 years of experience in international development and humanitarian response with a special focus on youth, women, and civil society, particularly in the Global South. Prior to joining Ford, AlMubaslat was chief executive officer of the Asfari Foundation, where she provided grants to strengthen civil society organizations in the Middle East, as well as created incubators and accelerators for youth innovation and entrepreneurship in the region. She previously served as the chief executive officer of the Humanitarian Leadership Academy, a subsidiary of Save the Children UK, where she oversaw the establishment of six regional hubs in the Global South, focusing on the design and documentation of Indigenous learning and knowledge at the local level, positioning local partners and connecting them to global decision - makers as well as democratizing access to contextualized knowledge. Before that, AlMubaslat was with Save the Children International for 15 years. Her last position here was the country director in Jordan, leading the Syria crisis response and leading a consortium of international nonprofits to ensure coordination and responsiveness to affected populations, both from refugees and host communities. Saba AlMubaslat has a master’s degree in education from Framingham University, an MBA in executive leadership, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Jordan University.