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Penny Abeywardena
Penny Abeywardena is a soft power strategist and international affairs expert with more than two decades of leadership experience across government, philanthropy and multilateral institutions.
From 2014 to 2022, she served as Commissioner for International Affairs for the City of New York, where she led the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs and worked closely with the world’s largest diplomatic corps. During her tenure, she launched a number of initiatives connecting cities, governments and international institutions, including the Voluntary Local Review – a global movement supporting local governments in advancing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Abeywardena is the Founder and CEO of Soft Power Strategies and a Fellow-in-Residence at NYU’s McSilver Institute. Through her work, she advises global institutions, companies and foundations on influence, diplomacy and leadership in complex environments. Her current work explores how leaders can apply “smart power” to build trust, navigate uncertainty and lead across generations – a theme she develops in her forthcoming book with Penguin Random House. She is also a contributor to Forbes.
Her contributions to diplomacy and global leadership have been recognised internationally, including her appointment as a Knight of France’s National Order of Merit. Abeywardena holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Southern California.