Photo by Christa Holka
Farrah Nazir is a Senior Director at Strategy for Humanity. She brings vast experience as a leader and strategic advisor at philanthropic institutions and research funders. Farrah specializes in guiding organizations to redesign funding models, governance processes, and decision-making systems to strengthen impact, improve institutional performance, and deliver long-term public value. Farrah works closely with funders to help them innovate – especially during a climate of constraints – and to move from transactional grant-making toward partnership models that drive systemic change.
Prior to joining Strategy for Humanity, Farrah held senior positions at The Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation that supports discovery research into life, health, and wellbeing, with an emphasis on three themes representing worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease, and climate and health. During her time with the Trust, Farrah designed multi-million-pound funding and innovation initiatives, built cross-sector partnerships, and pioneered approaches to bring scientific knowledge directly into the settings and communities where it could do the most good. In this capacity, she developed public engagement infrastructure and designed models that incorporate non-specialist voices into funding decision and that support ways for research to translate into real-world impact.
Farrah supports leaders to clarify purpose, redesign funding models, integrate public perspectives into governance, and rethink how organizations relate to the communities they serve. She has recently advised the Medical Research Foundation on embedding lived experience and public engagement practitioners into funding decisions, strengthening peer review processes and learning frameworks in the process. In this capacity, Farrah works closely with staff and leadership teams to improve alignment during periods of change, recognizing that sustainable transformation depends on internal trust as much as strategic clarity. Her approach combines evidence-informed judgement with relationship-centered practice.
Farrah is a member of The Relationships Collective in the United Kingdom, a cross-sector network advancing relationship-centered approaches to social change. She also is cofounder of New Fables Collective, bringing together leaders of color driving change across UK civil society. In addition, Farrah serves on the Board of Directors of several funder, science, and global advocacy organizations. She was awarded a Master’s in Science - Honors from Durham University, a Bachelor’s in Science - Honors from Newcastle University, and certificates from the London School of Economics & Political Science and The Futures School. Farrah is based in London, England.
Prior to joining Strategy for Humanity, Farrah held senior positions at The Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation that supports discovery research into life, health, and wellbeing, with an emphasis on three themes representing worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease, and climate and health. During her time with the Trust, Farrah designed multi-million-pound funding and innovation initiatives, built cross-sector partnerships, and pioneered approaches to bring scientific knowledge directly into the settings and communities where it could do the most good. In this capacity, she developed public engagement infrastructure and designed models that incorporate non-specialist voices into funding decision and that support ways for research to translate into real-world impact.
Farrah supports leaders to clarify purpose, redesign funding models, integrate public perspectives into governance, and rethink how organizations relate to the communities they serve. She has recently advised the Medical Research Foundation on embedding lived experience and public engagement practitioners into funding decisions, strengthening peer review processes and learning frameworks in the process. In this capacity, Farrah works closely with staff and leadership teams to improve alignment during periods of change, recognizing that sustainable transformation depends on internal trust as much as strategic clarity. Her approach combines evidence-informed judgement with relationship-centered practice.
Farrah is a member of The Relationships Collective in the United Kingdom, a cross-sector network advancing relationship-centered approaches to social change. She also is cofounder of New Fables Collective, bringing together leaders of color driving change across UK civil society. In addition, Farrah serves on the Board of Directors of several funder, science, and global advocacy organizations. She was awarded a Master’s in Science - Honors from Durham University, a Bachelor’s in Science - Honors from Newcastle University, and certificates from the London School of Economics & Political Science and The Futures School. Farrah is based in London, England.
