Simone Sultana, Nirapon Board Chair
Find out why honey, Winnie-The-Pooh, Nelson Mandela, more honey, loving a good old fashioned argument, her Ma, (even more honey!!!) and cycling like a woman ‘possessed’ are just some of the things that make our Board Chair tick!
Simone Sultana is a senior economist and strategic advisor working with global organizations. She has over three decades of experience in the sustainable development space and was formerly chair of BRAC UK for a decade.
Simone has been with Nirapon since it formed in 2019, having previously served as an Independent Director on the board of the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. She has been Nirapon’s Board Chair since 2024.
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Describe yourself in three words.
Banglish. Missionista. Argumentarian.
What inspires you to work at Nirapon?
I am inspired by a mission where purpose, compassion, evidence and high energy come together to protect workers’ lives and turn meaningful change into everyday reality. (And still being able to have a laugh with my colleagues.)
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Of the ones that can be printed: ‘Evidence based’, ‘ducks in a row’, ‘jantu-muntu’ and the other ubiquitous Bangla expression ‘eee’ when I can’t recall a word or a name.
What’s the most unusual talent or skill you have outside the office that surprises people?
I can cycle faster than most fit men, especially the ones that wear expensive Lycra.
If you could swap lives with any fictional character for a day, who would it be and why?
Winnie-the-Pooh. Because I would like the time to amble while contemplating matters small and big with a little friend by my side to listen to my emerging thoughts and, occasionally, provide me with honey.
What’s your all-time favorite book or movie that everyone should check out, and what draws you to it?
Winne-the-Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood by A. A. Milne. In the guise of a children’s book, it is both profoundly philosophical and deeply funny, and the characters are all around us.
Who’s your biggest inspiration—maybe a musician, athlete, artist or even a family member —and what do you admire most about them?
(Ma)ndela. My Ma because she is unreservedly giving. And Nelson Mandela because I had the pleasure of working under this selfless politician who thought and fought BIG and was willing to sacrifice his freedom for it. (I would urge everyone to read his 1964 Rivonia Trial speech ‘I am prepared to die’.
If you could launch one creative passion project today —with unlimited time and resources—what would it be, and why does it excite you so much?
Photographing everyone I know and don’t know and spending enough time with them to be able to capture their spirit in one portrait shot. I love the challenge of getting to know someone and being authentic enough to put them at ease – and then the challenge of capturing and framing that special moment, when they are truly themselves.
