Shamil Idriss

Shamil Idriss is CEO of Search for Common Ground (Search), an international non-profit organisation committed to transforming the way the world deals with conflict, away from adversarial approaches toward cooperative solutions. With 500+ staff working in 30 countries, Search is the largest dedicated peacebuilding organisation and was nominated by the Quakers for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize.

During his tenure at Search for Common Ground, Idriss has presided over the organisation’s growth in reach, impact, and influence, including leading merger processes with Soliya and Preemptive Love Coalition and strategic partnerships with global public and private sector entities, including the Office of the UN Undersecretary for Humanitarian Affairs and Meta.

Prior to his current role, Idriss was the CEO of Soliya where he led a public-private sector coalition to establish the field of virtual exchanges. In 2005, he was appointed by then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as Deputy Director of the UN Alliance of Civilizations. He served on the Steering Committee of the World Economic Forum’s Council of 100 Leaders and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders and recipient of the 2015 Open Society Foundation New Executive Award. He serves on the Boards of Giving Tuesday, Ploughshares Fund, and Soliya.