Shanthi Gunesekera and Janaki Mahadevan will be stepping down as Birthrights co-CEOs from July 2025.
Having joined in January 2023, a decade since the charity began, Shanthi and Janaki have laid the groundwork for Birthrights to continue to protect human rights in childbirth for the next ten years. Birthrights’ new 10-year strategic framework will support long-term, systemic change in maternity care, centring on anti-oppression and the most marginalised communities. Shanthi and Janaki’s contributions have strengthened our organisational foundations, achieved real impact for women and birthing people and established an exciting pipeline of critical activity in support of our mission.
Krystal, interim Chair of the Board of Trustees at Birthrights said:
“Shanthi and Janaki’s leadership has been truly transformative, leading the organisation through a period of significant growth and change. Under their guidance, Birthrights has strengthened its foundations, developed a clear and ambitious strategic framework, secured critical multi-year funding, and driven forward important legislative campaigns. These achievements will have a lasting impact on the organisation and the communities we serve.
The Board of Trustees and I extend our deepest gratitude to Shanthi and Janaki for their dedication, vision, and leadership setting Birthrights on a path to successfully create real and lasting change in the coming decade.”
Shanthi and Janaki said:
“We are deeply honoured to have been able to be a part of the movement for birth justice and reproductive justice, as CEOs of Birthrights. The work towards meaningful, systemic change in maternity care is long-term, generational work, and we leave Birthrights in a stronger position than ever to champion and protect the rights of women and birthing people during pregnancy and childbirth. The charity has in place an incredibly talented and dedicated staff team and Board of Trustees; strengthened organisational foundations; and multi-year support from funders committed to systemic change for the most marginalised communities.
And we are confident in Birthrights’ powerful pipeline activity: campaigning for new legislation rooted in community-led visioning; supporting community power-building through training and resource development; strategic litigation; training to healthcare professionals; and our ongoing information service for women and birthing people.
With all this in place, now is a great time for a new leader to join Birthrights’ and lead this important work, moving us closer to a world where all women and birthing people can access safe rights-respecting maternity care, free from coercion, discrimination and violence.
We have learned so much as CEOs of Birthrights and are so grateful that Birthrights has supported us to lead the organisation together. ”
Birthrights’ trustees have now started recruitment for a new CEO/s.
