Effective today, October 1, 2024, Nezir Sinani will take over as Executive Director of B4Ukraine, a global coalition of over 90 civil society organizations working to defund Russia’s war of aggression. Sinani replaces Eleanor Nichol, who has led the activities of the organization for two years. We are truly grateful to Eleanor for her dedication and tireless contribution to our common goal of disarming and defunding Russia’s war. After conducting a thorough selection process, the B4Ukraine Steering Committee started the onboarding of the new executive director during the summer.
A native of Kosovo with 20 years of experience in climate, energy, and finance, Sinani brings extensive NGO management and advocacy expertise to the Coalition. As a Co-Director of Recourse, a Netherlands-based organization founded in 2015, he expanded its agenda and the annual budget to USD 2 million.
“As Ukraine nears 1,000 days since the full-scale invasion—marked by the heroic resistance of its people and defense of European peace and security—B4Ukraine’s mission to defund and disarm Russia’s war effort is more crucial than ever. Nezir Sinani’s strategic planning and international stakeholder engagement across both public and private sectors will be invaluable to the Coalition’s work during this critical phase of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” commented in the B4U steering committee.
“I am deeply honored to be appointed as the Executive Director of B4Ukraine and to join this incredible coalition at such a pivotal moment. The work B4Ukraine has done to date has been nothing short of remarkable in holding accountable those who continue to fuel Russia’s war machine. I am committed to building on this strong foundation and will dedicate myself fully to advancing our collective mission. Together with our coalition partners, I am confident we can drive meaningful change and help bring peace and justice to the people of Ukraine,” said Nezir Sinani.
Since March 2022 a small informal group of founding members evolved into a global coalition of over 90 civil society organizations committed to promoting responsible business conduct and cutting off the financial and material support for Russia’s invasion. B4Ukraine’s members include experts in business and human rights, activism, government relations, communications, strategic litigation, academia, open-source investigations, data science, energy, weapons, corruption, and sanctions.
“It’s been a huge honor to collaborate with so many brave and talented Ukrainian and international advocates to advance corporate accountability in Russia’s war on Ukraine and I am delighted to now pass the baton to Nezir. He brings a remarkable set of skills and a proven track record in impactful campaigning. I have complete confidence that, under his leadership, the Coalition will thrive and continue its vital work,” said Eleanor Nichol.
Over the past 2.5 years, B4Ukraine has emerged as a global thought leader, focusing on three critical sources of war funding: 1) Russia’s fossil fuel trade, 2) Western technology supporting Russia’s military, and 3) the role of unsanctioned foreign companies in financing Russia’s militarized budget. It will continue to play a critical role in investigating and highlighting corporate complicity in Russian war crimes against Ukraine as well as helping companies to get on the right side of history.