Rockefeller Foundation's Chief Operating Officer Paquin to Retire, Ashvin Dayal to Become COO
- After nearly 40 years of leadership across public, nonprofit, and corporate sectors and leaving a legacy of transforming the Foundation's operations across five continents, Natalye Paquin announced her plans to retire
- Ashvin Dayal, who has been with the Foundation since 2008, will become the Foundation's new COO
NEW YORK, May 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation announced today that Ashvin Dayal has been named Chief Operating Officer (COO). Mr. Dayal, who has been at the Foundation since 2008 and worked in development institutions, programs, and operations for decades, will succeed Natalye Paquin, who will retire on August 1, 2026. Ms. Paquin leaves a legacy of transforming the Foundation's operations, modernizing its global offices and workforce capacity, and replacing more than 20 years of established business systems, while serving as President of The Rockefeller Foundation's public charity, RF Catalytic Capital.
"Natalye leaves behind a Foundation that is more capable, more connected, and more human than the one she joined — and all of us owe her an enormous debt of gratitude for that," said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. "And I can think of no one better to build on her legacy than Ashvin. 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."
As COO, Mr. Dayal will oversee the 113-year-old philanthropic organization's Connected Leaders Program, Bellagio Center, Foundation Services, Human Resources, Information Technology, Finance, and Legal teams, as well as its workforce and offices in the United States, Africa, Asia, Colombia, and Italy. He will also serve as President of RF Catalytic Capital, which, as the charitable offshoot of The Rockefeller Foundation, has a mission to channel funding to places and people in a faster and more efficient manner, serving both investors and recipients with visionary solutions that help solve today's most urgent 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," said Mr. Dayal. "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."
As a key architect of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet — the Foundation's largest single investment in its 113-year history — Mr. Dayal helped bring the Alliance from idea to reality. He built the case, helped develop the founding partners, and oversaw the Foundation's investments as the initiative grew into a public-private-philanthropy partnership of more than 50 governments, investors, development banks, and philanthropies working to end energy poverty and accelerate green economic opportunity across more than 30 countries. Since launching in 2021, the Alliance has implemented projects that are on track to connect more than 90 million people to electricity in over 30 countries worldwide, while creating 3.1 million jobs and reducing nearly 300 million tons of carbon emissions.
Mr. Dayal joined The Rockefeller Foundation in 2008 as its Asia Managing Director, running the Foundation's regional office in Bangkok, where he led the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network — a nine-year partnership that equipped more than 50 cities across the continent to better withstand climate impacts. Building on the Foundation's emerging energy work in Asia, Mr. Dayal went on to become Senior Vice President for Power, during which, in addition to conceiving and launching the Global Energy Alliance, he:
- Built platforms to bring renewable power to last-mile communities (Smart Power India).
- Advanced solutions demonstrating the catalytic benefits of expanding access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for everyone, everywhere (universal energy abundance).
- Partnered with leading global researchers, universities, ventures, and investors to link cutting-edge products to decision-makers who can expand energy access to more communities (energy technologies).
- Spearheaded the Foundation's support for the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group's groundbreaking initiative to expand electricity to 300 million people in Africa by 2030 (Mission 300).
- Advanced innovative financing models (Power ReMade) for greater impact and more.
Before joining the Foundation, he spent more than 15 years in senior roles at Oxfam across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, including leading its largest-ever relief and recovery effort in the aftermath of the 2004 Asian Tsunami. At Oxfam, he led strategy and operations for the more than 1,000-person organization across multiple countries in Asia, including teams in high-risk and conflict situations. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economic Geography from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and a Master's degree in Economics and International Development from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
Mr. Dayal will succeed Ms. Paquin, who will transition to a special advisor role. Since joining The Rockefeller Foundation nearly four years ago, Ms. Paquin implemented a cross-cutting vision pursued in every dimension.
"It has been a privilege to work side-by-side with Raj, the leadership team, and my Rockefeller Foundation colleagues," said Ms. Paquin. "I offer immense gratitude to each of you for all you have done and will continue to do to improve the lives of humanity throughout the world."
Under her leadership, The Rockefeller Foundation modernized its global footprint, renovating offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and Bangkok, and opening a new office in Bogotá, Colombia. She also oversaw the transformation of core business systems, which replaced more than 20 years of legacy infrastructure with more efficient systems. In addition, she served as President of RF Catalytic Capital, overseeing the successful spin-off of the Global Energy Alliance and the stewardship of more than a dozen priority projects. Ms. Paquin also championed the wellbeing of all Foundation staff — investing in the whole person, not just the professional.
"Natalye has been an incredible leader, helping the Foundation see the changes coming in the world and honing and strengthening its capabilities so it can continue to pursue its long-standing mission to promote the well-being of humanity not just in 2026 but in 2056," said Admiral James Stavridis, U.S. Navy Admiral (retired) and Chair of The Rockefeller Foundation Board of Trustees. "We are grateful for her service and wish her well in her retirement."
About The Rockefeller Foundation
Investing $30 billion over the last 113 years to promote the well-being of humanity, The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on unlikely partnerships and innovative solutions that deliver measurable results for people in the United States and around the world. We leverage scientific breakthroughs, artificial intelligence, and new technologies to make big bets across energy, food, health, and finance. For more information, follow us on LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation, X @RockefellerFdn, Instagram @rockefellerfdn, and YouTube @RockefellerFdn, and sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe.
SOURCE Rockefeller Foundation
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