By Tory Clarke
In 2025 the international development sector underwent a profound shift. With it, the profile of the leaders who will guide its future has also evolved.
For decades, much of the sector’s leadership pipeline was seeded from the largest government-funded institutions, where global scale and compliant programmatic delivery defined organizational success – and the path to leadership was clearly marked by career stints that balanced a valued combination of in-country and programmatic chops, with head-office credibility.
Many organizations that are able to thrive and continue driving impact in today’s world look different, including being bolstered by a more diverse funding. For many that includes private capital and philanthropic partnerships; for some revenue-generating programs and services; for all, the funding is underpinned by a focus on innovation and a deep desire to somehow continue to lift the world’s most vulnerable.
A forced-hand sector evolution has already begun reshaping what leadership in the sector looks like, and potentially where those leaders come from….
An Evolving Leadership Profile
As Bridge Partners has supported leadership searches for global mission-driven organizations over the course of 2025, there has been a marked increase in clients intentionally recruiting from outside the traditional international development ecosystem, in some cases from outside the nonprofit sector entirely. Clients seek leaders with deep experience in technology, finance, strategy and operational efficiency who can bring additive, fresh approaches to entrenched global challenges.
For those who came up in the “traditional” international development sector, this may feel like a lot of bad news (like they need more of that…) but we truly believe that the two leadership profiles will coexist and that, ultimately, the whole will be greater than the sum of the two parts.
Case Studies
Two of our recent placements illustrate these parallel paths, where institutional and sector knowledge and disruptive innovation each provide a necessary ingredient.
At Mercy for Animals, Arash Yomtobian was appointed President, bringing a passion for mission combined with experience in technology, finance, and entrepreneurship gained at companies that include Meta, TikTok and Google.
“I’m thrilled that Mercy For Animals has attracted someone of Arash’s caliber to help us achieve the goals of our ambitious new strategic plan…With his years of building teams at major tech companies, combined with his deep personal commitment to ending factory farming, Arash is uniquely positioned to enable optimal growth and progress. Partnering with him to lead Mercy For Animals will help transform the organization and take our impact to the next level.”
- Leah Garcés, CEO Mercy For Animals
At Vital Strategies, we supported the appointment of Dr. Timothy Mah as SVP Global Planning, Operations & Strategic Initiatives. Tim brings a deep passion for the public health mission but, by contrast to Arash’s private sector background, joins with over two decades of global health leadership at USAID, most recently directing operations for a $2.5 billion global health portfolio across 55+ countries. Now, in a nimble environment that includes Bloomberg Philanthropies as a key partner, Tim is tasked with supporting a CEO, who joined from Merck 15 months ago, and her senior leadership team in shaping global operational strategy and optimizing organizational effectiveness.
“Tim brings more than two decades of global health leadership experience, operational expertise, and a strong commitment to public service—values that deeply resonate with our mission and those we serve…. I can’t wait to work with Tim as we reach for impact, inclusively collaborate, stay fit-for-purpose, [and] ensure resiliency in this next phase of Vital’s growth and evolution.”
- Mary-Ann Etiebet, CEO Vital Strategies
Sector-Wide Shifts
Of course, the story is bigger than these anecdotes. The OECD projects that net official development assistance (ODA) has dropped by 9-17% in 2025 (OECD), so competition for these funds is high and much activity is frozen. In an attempt to “fill the gap” private philanthropy and social/impact investment are swiftly expanding and the implications for leadership are clear:
- Cross-sector agility is essential. Leaders who can bring lessons from the technology, finance, and entrepreneurial spaces are increasingly prized, especially in organizations where speed, data-driven strategy, and partnership-building are central.
- Diversification is survival. Reliance on a single or narrow donor stream leaves organizations exposed. Leaders who can build resilient relationships and compelling data-backed narratives across a variety of funding models are key.
- Operational sophistication matters. Global institutions must efficiently manage complex, multi-country footprints, with decreased budgets. The ability to align financial, cultural, and strategic priorities, finding efficiencies and synergies across regions and programs, is now as critical as program expertise.
- Mission-driven innovation. The most effective leaders are those who can sustain commitment to social impact while embracing new models and technologies.
Looking Ahead:
In uncertain times, international development organizations require leaders who are not only strong stewards, but visionaries—capable of building coalitions, innovating funding models, driving operating efficiencies and translating cross-sector expertise into global impact.
Leaders like Arash Yomtobian at Mercy for Animals and Dr. Timothy Mah at Vital Strategies reflect the emergence of a new archetype of international development leader: global in outlook, entrepreneurial in execution, and unafraid to bridge the worlds of public service, private enterprise, and mission-driven innovation.
At Bridge Partners, we are proud to play a role in shaping this next generation of leadership. The challenges ahead are great, but so is the opportunity to redefine what’s possible in international development.