On the spotlight: Sarah Masters

Sarah’s time at Womankind Worldwide

Sarah Masters is leaving Womankind Worldwide after almost 10 years serving as Director Programmes and Learning and as an interim Co-CEO. Throughout, Sarah has been part of the Senior Management Team (SMT). She has led the strategic development, implementation, quality assurance and technical learning for Womankind’s portfolio of partnership programmes including grant making in our focus countries. 

SA: As former Interim Co-CEO and Director of Programmes and Learning, could you walk me through your time at Womankind? 

SM: I joined Womankind in July 2015 just as we were developing a new strategy (2016-21) that focused on feminist partnerships and movement strengthening. Both remain at the core of our current approach. There has been significant change in this time for both Womankind and our partners along with the global context and increased challenges around funding for women’s rights. We have and continue to navigate these together with our partners with feminist principles at the core of our approach and practice.  

 It was an honour to be appointed by the board to act as an interim Co-CEO for the organisation during the leadership transition. Having served as an Executive Director and Co-Director in previous roles before joining Womankind, this was a great opportunity to put my experience into practice. I remain grateful to colleagues and trustees for their trust and engagement throughout the period which supported and enabled the appointment of Disha and Diana as Co-CEOs to take the organisation forward. 

SA: What has been your legacy and some of the milestones you’re leaving behind? 

SM: Diversity in our feminist partnerships. This includes with organisations that are the most marginalised. It meant exploring new themes to the organisation and adopting an intersectional approach which remains. I am especially proud of the wide range of initiatives and support that we have offered including pilot projects to experiment and trial new approaches. These range from small catalytic projects through to large scale, multi-year, multi-country programmes such as AWESOME. There is also grant making including pilot initiatives on movement strengthening to evidence our approach.  

 I am grateful to SMT colleagues and trustees for walking with me as we took calculated risks in some new areas. For example, I led our bold act in 2020 to make core resilience grants to all of our partners during the Covid pandemic. This was possible thanks to a legacy donation from a long-time supporter. We greatly value our community of individual givers who have stayed the course with us as we have adapted and changed through the years. These resilience grants quite literally enabled our partners to survive at a difficult time. This experience led to the increased focus on developing our approach to flexible and core funding as part of the strategy to 2030. 

SA: Can you share a defining moment or challenge that shaped your feminist experience during your time? 

SM: Most recently, supporting Afghan women just before and during the coup in August 2021 is a reminder it is possible to take action and have a positive impact in the face of impossibility. It took constant input, feminist solidarity, collaboration, cooperation, and a range of actors from civil society to the civil service and the military to play their part. Together, we were able to help some women’s rights activists and their families to escape. It was not a straightforward process, full of hurdles and challenges and unknowns, and very fast paced at times. The situation remains dire for those who remain in Afghanistan. I am heartened that Womankind’s feminist approach ensures that we will continue to work with Afghan women and those in exile as a key women’s human rights issue. 

SA: Please share your experience on transformative feminist leadership during the previous leadership transition phase at Womankind 

SM:  As I stepped into a Co-CEO role, other colleagues in the organisation stepped into interim Director roles. It was a privilege to work with and mentor them, some of whom have gone onto be permanently appointed through internal recruitment processes. I am especially proud of the Programmes and Learning team which I co-led with Sierra Schraff Thomas during this time.  

Having insight into the role of Co-CEO whilst retaining part of my remit within the  Programmes and Learning team gave me unique insight into the challenges, successes and learning from this period. It has provided important learning for the current Co-CEOs and SMT to take forward. It is a time of rediscovery and renewal for Womankind, an exciting time for the organisation to move towards realising the strategy 2030. 

During the transition, I reflected on Womankind’s commitment to decolonising within the organisation as part of the strategy 2030. Given the importance placed on leadership having lived experience from one of our focus countries or regions, I decided to step aside as a white British woman. This felt timely as it aligned with transformation toward diverse leadership perspectives. There will be significant change in the coming years. It will require feminist and pragmatic leadership as we progress towards 2030. 

SA: What message/ advice are you leaving behind?  

SM: That there is learning from the past that will stand us all in good stead when navigating current challenges. Look back to look to the future in terms of strategies to overcome the current rollback on women’s rights. Women and male allies have successfully brought about change in the past. Some of those tactics and strategies remain fundamental to collective organising and movement building. They can apply to the digital world and ways of working. We sometimes forget this.  

We must remember that we stand on the shoulders of all of those amazing feminists and allies whether they used the term or not. We must continue to adapt and learn from their experience as we experience and learn from our own realities. My message is to never give up and find strength in solidarity and activism with others. Be kind to one another amidst your struggles. Know that pragmatism is sometimes necessary. And know and claim your rights. 

Sarah has over 30 years of varied experience spanning communications, human rights, social justice, and women, peace and security including arms control. She has held management and senior roles in organisations including Amnesty International, the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).