Asvin Dayal / Image: Rockefeller Foundation

NY-based nonprofit The Rockefeller Foundation has appointed Indian-origin development leader Ashvin Dayal as its next chief operating officer, succeeding Natalye Paquin, who will retire on Aug. 1 after helping modernize the institution’s global operations.

Dayal, who joined the foundation in 2008 and has spent decades working across development, humanitarian relief, climate resilience, and energy access initiatives, will also serve as President of RF Catalytic Capital, the organization’s charitable offshoot focused on accelerating funding and innovative financing solutions for global challenges.

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Announcing the leadership transition, Rajiv J. Shah praised Dayal’s long-term vision and operational leadership during his 17 years at the foundation.

"During his 17 years at the Foundation, he has demonstrated again and again the ability to build for the long term — developing teams, forging partnerships, making big bets, and building operations that deliver real results. Now, he brings that same vision and operational discipline to ensuring The Rockefeller Foundation has the structures, systems, and talent to meet this moment," Shah said.

As COO, Dayal will oversee several major divisions of the 113-year-old philanthropic institution, including Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Information Technology, Foundation Services, the Bellagio Center, and the Connected Leaders Program. He will also manage the foundation’s workforce and offices across the United States, Africa, Asia, Colombia, and Italy.

In a statement, Dayal said he hopes to strengthen the institution’s operational systems and global partnerships to meet emerging global challenges. “The Rockefeller Foundation has a unique ability to shape the solutions, build the institutions, and mobilize the resources needed to bring opportunity and change in an ever more dynamic world,” He said.

“I’ve seen firsthand what our Foundation can do when its operational engine is firing on all cylinders. I look forward to working with Raj and the entire Rockefeller Foundation team to strengthen the systems, deepen our partnerships, and build the organizational excellence that will allow us to keep delivering on our century-long promise to improve the well-being of people around the world," he added.

A key architect behind the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet — the foundation’s largest investment initiative — Dayal played a central role in building the multi-stakeholder partnership from concept to implementation. Launched in 2021, the alliance now includes more than 50 governments, development banks, philanthropies, and private investors working to expand energy access and green economic opportunities across over 30 countries.

According to the foundation, projects under the initiative are expected to connect more than 90 million people to electricity, create 3.1 million jobs, and reduce nearly 300 million tons of carbon emissions.

Before taking on senior global energy leadership roles, Dayal served as the foundation’s Asia Managing Director based in Bangkok, where he led the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network, a nine-year initiative that helped more than 50 Asian cities strengthen climate preparedness and resilience strategies.

He also spearheaded several major energy-focused initiatives, including Smart Power India, Mission 300 in partnership with the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group, and innovative financing platforms aimed at accelerating universal energy access.

Prior to joining the Rockefeller Foundation, Dayal spent over 15 years with Oxfam in senior leadership roles across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He led Oxfam’s large-scale relief and recovery efforts following the 2004 Asian tsunami and managed operations involving more than 1,000 staff across multiple countries, including conflict and high-risk regions.

Dayal holds a bachelor’s degree in Economic Geography from the SOAS University of London and a master’s degree in Economics and International Development from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Outgoing COO Natalye Paquin will transition into a special advisor role after nearly four years at the foundation. During her tenure, she oversaw major modernization efforts, including renovations of offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and Bangkok, the opening of a new Bogotá office, and the replacement of decades-old operational infrastructure.

 

Discover more at New India Abroad.