Board Chair Rotation Announcement

As we start 2023, Orchid Project are pleased to announce that Delphine Rive and Joseph Ssentongo will be stepping up as Co-Chairs of the Board of Trustees as of the 1st January, with our current Chair of the Board, Cécile Belaman, standing down from the role she has held for six years to become an Orchid Project Ambassador.

Delphine spent 25 years at Accenture, working as a Managing Director on a Global Basis, has been a Trustee of Orchid Project for three years as well as Orchid Project’s Interim CEO for seven months in 2022 and shares her professional time between consultancy work and Orchid Project.

Joseph has spent over 15 years in international development and is Senior Vice President, Impact at the Global Innovation Fund (GIF) where he oversees their grant-making work. He has worked with various organisations across Europe and Africa including the Gender Equity division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). He joined the Orchid Project Board in 2020.

Cécile has been a very active and committed Board Chair. The old adage of  ‘if you want something done, ask a busy person’ certainly applies to Cécile, as despite a demanding role as Partner at Bain Capital, she has always seemed accessible to the Orchid Project Team. Cécile managed to combine her strategic, global view and management expertise with an obvious passion for Orchid Project’s mission to help end female genital cutting worldwide.

All of us at Orchid Project are extremely grateful for the time and dedication Cécile has always shown in her role as Chair of the Board of Trustees. She has a deep understanding not only of Orchid Project as an organisation but of Orchid Project’s non-judgmental, grassroots led approach to ending female genital cutting. We will miss her advice and counsel as a Chair but know that she will continue to be connected and interested in Orchid Project as an Ambassador and as part of the Orchid Project family. 

Asenath Mwithgah
Orchid Project CEO