Uma Mishra-Newbery is a global social justice and women’s rights leader, anti-racist and somatic facilitator and coach, former Executive Director of Women’s March Global, the initiator of the Racial Equity Index, a former organizational development and racial equity senior consultant with The Better Org, and the Interim Executive Director of FRIDA - The Young Feminist Fund.

Throughout her multifaceted career, Uma has dedicated her work to people and individuals first and has been a vocal champion and advocate for human rights defenders and their families, speaking boldly across platforms about systemic issues embedded in the global development and philanthropic sector, and has committed to continual learning and understanding as a somatic abolitionist the impact that race and white body supremacy has on the physical body and utilises this learning to lead in a grounded way through the difficult work that can present around race, racism, and racial equity within organizations. Uma is fluent in Hindi, English, and conversational French and is a celebrated children’s picture book author. 

Uma’s transparent, visionary yet grounded leadership at Women’s March Global was instrumental in furthering the mobilisation and assembly of women globally around women’s rights issues with Women’s March Global. Uma has organised and built coalitions around the issues of women’s human rights defenders, freedom of association and assembly, bodily autonomy, LGBTQIA+ rights, racial equity and justice, and white supremacy in the women’s rights and funding space. As a leader in the global women’s rights movement, Uma has been interviewed by CNN, AlJazeera, Jane Dutton, Newsweek, and Devex and published by Ms. Magazine, TIME, and IPS. Uma helped to bring Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain AlHathloul’s story to the United Nations and was instrumental in coordinating efforts for Lina AlHathloul’s first statement in support of Loujain at the United Nations Human Rights Council and working tirelessly with Lina to secure Loujain’s release in February 2021. Uma and Lina are co-authors of the celebrated children’s picture book, Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers.