Dear Colleagues,

After 16 glorious years at CREA – the last four years as Senior Director, Programs and Innovation – I am transitioning out of the organization, as of 30 November 2022. My immediate plan is to pursue my personal interests before embarking on my next chapter.

My journey began in 2006 as a Program Coordinator at this bold and radical organization that pushes boundaries, not only with the work that it does, but also what it wants to be as an organization. The vision of working globally while based in the global south and trying to influence the world from a global south perspective is what drew me to CREA. This vision was most pronounced for me in my ten years of advocacy work at the UN Human Rights Council, in more ways than one. During my early days, I couldn’t help but notice that on the flight from Zurich or Frankfurt to Geneva, I was one of the few – if not the only – women of color or persons from South Asia. This was reflected at the Council – I was one of the few South Asian women who consistently attended. I am thankful to CREA for trusting me in influencing such an important space.

I am grateful for the opportunities CREA has provided me to learn, grow and contribute to the organization’s growth, vision, and mission. I have truly learnt that nothing is too big or too small. Leading consortiums has constantly pushed me to analyze at a macro level while balancing it with the micro. Working with partners has reminded me of ground-level realities. Being a part of the management/leadership team has challenged me to be a better leader and has provided me with the honor to work with fantastic colleagues throughout the organization – from whom I have learnt and with whom I have laughed, danced, strategized, debated, and disagreed. CREA has taught me to dance on the edge – something that I never thought I could do.

This has not been an easy decision, but it is one that I have been carefully considering for some time. It has been a joint decision that has emerged out of internal discussions. Although it feels bittersweet to be leaving CREA, I have known it to be agile and adaptive which is why I feel confident in my decision to leave. CREA is constantly innovating about models of leadership and through this transition process, we are exploring alternate ways of running an organisation. I hope to meet many of you in my next avatar and on my journey forward. Thank you once again for being such fantastic colleagues!

Sunita