About us
Global Girls Foundation aims to mobilise partnerships and resources to tackle gender inequality by empowering girls worldwide.
Meet the team
Susanna Tornyay
Managing Director
Susanna brings a global career spanning European law, private banking, and international business development. She is now focused on philanthropy and social impact. As Managing Director of the Global Girls Foundation, she leads initiatives that advance gender equality, empower girls, and create measurable change through Plan International’s work in over 80 countries worldwide.
Susanna has extensive experience in high-level partnerships. She managed key client relationships at Deutsche Bank Switzerland and spent 8 years strengthening philanthropy and legacy giving at Oxfam Germany. A certified philanthropy advisor and foundation manager, she combines technical expertise with a commitment to practical, results-driven philanthropy.
She holds an Austrian law degree and speaks 6 languages.
“In my work with young girls, I listen to so many ambitious ideas to shape the world in a positive way and to keep learning and developing further!”
Maureen McKenna
Senior Philanthropy Advisor
Maureen builds and leads private-sector partnerships for global health and humanitarian organisations, supporting vulnerable communities worldwide. She specialises in philanthropic partnerships, innovative finance, communications, and branding, and has mobilised more than $100 million in private-sector funding to strengthen humanitarian response.
With over 15 years of experience at the American Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), she has developed long-term global partnerships that help companies contribute funding, expertise, and resources to achieve clear social results.
Maureen holds a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and advocates for the rights of girls, youth with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ youth, with a focus on equal access to education.
Daniela Zelaya Raudales
Team Coordinator
Daniela supports strategic partnerships, governance, and youth-centred initiatives that advance the Foundation’s mission to accelerate equality for girls worldwide.
She brings more than 15 years of experience in communications, programme coordination, and social impact. She has led global initiatives on gender equality, youth leadership, and advocacy, including roles at the Plan International Liaison Office at the UN in Geneva and the World YWCA.
Daniela specialises in strategic communication, storytelling, and cross-cultural engagement. She is committed to amplifying the voices and leadership of girls and young women. Fluent in English, Spanish, and French, she is passionate about creating spaces where young people can thrive, influence decisions, and drive lasting change.
Our ambassadors
Our ambassadors are all committed advocates helping us raise the visibility of girls’ rights issues, broaden our networks, mobilise resources and work with our partners to make lasting change happen.
Global Girls Foundation appoints Dr. Phaedria Marie St. Hilaire as Global Ambassador
The Global Girls Foundation is honoured to welcome Dr. Phaedria Marie St. Hilaire as a Global Ambassador. A transformational leader with more than 25 years in life sciences and a lifelong commitment to girls’ rights, Dr. St. Hilaire champions diversity, inclusion, and equitable access to STEM opportunities worldwide.
“Empowering girls, especially in STEM, is one of the most powerful investments we can make for our collective future. I am honoured to work with the Global Girls Foundation and use my experience to help amplify girls’ voices, expand access to opportunity, and support the next generation of global leaders”
Anna Volpel de Borja
In 1998 Anna founded Jugueton – the largest toy store in El-Salvador and in 2011 she expanded her activities by founding Bebe Mundo.
Since 2010, Anna has supported Plan International’s work, including key campaigns such as Because I am a Girl and Girls Get Equal and has donated $92,959 through Jugueton.
Anna is currently an active member of Plan International El-Salvador’s Advisory Board, joined the Global Girls Foundation’s activities in Peru in 2022 and has since become an ambassador for us.
“Our greatest desire is that girls have the tools and the surroundings to achieve their goals, grow up free from all forms of violence and lead their own destinies. We want to make a collective call, which reaches all corners of the world, so that we can come together with the aim that those who are girls today, can be women leaders with a voice in decision-making tomorrow.”
Related pages
