Our Senior Leadership
Meet the leadership team at Next Impact Learning Hub – a core team bringing experience across UN leadership development, cross-sector collaboration, cross-cultural leadership, and global education.
Dr. Jafar Javan, Chair of the Board
Founding Architect and Chief Mentor of the UN Leadership Development System; 2012 – 2025, United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC)
Dr. Jafar Javan is a distinguished UN leader with decades of experience in global education, leadership development, and institutional capacity building.For 13 years, he served as Director of the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) – the UN’s primary training institute responsible for developing the skills and leadership capacity of UN agencies and staff worldwide to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
He is currently Professor of Practice at IE University and Leader-in-Residence at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership (CCNY), and he recently launched a Global Leadership and Social Change Program in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
At Next Impact Learning Hub, he provides strategic guidance on programme design, leadership development, and institutional partnerships, ensuring academic rigor and real-world relevance across all initiatives.
Jiaqi Chen, Executive Director
Founder, Next Impact; Youth leadership, digital transformation, and cross-cultural global learning initiatives
Jiaqi Chen is an education and international development professional with experience spanning the United Nations system, global organisations, and cross-sector initiatives. She began her career at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), focusing on innovation and change management, and has since supported international organisations on strategy, financial review, organisational change management, and capacity development.
Her professional background also includes work with global companies such as Pirelli and Venchi, where she contributed to projects at the intersection of strategy, marketing, and digital transformation, bringing cross-sector perspectives into her work in education and leadership development.
She was invited as a Keynote Speaker at the “XIN” Philanthropy Forum, hosted by the Alibaba Foundation and the Jack Ma Foundation, where she shared insights on youth empowerment and global development.
At Next Impact Learning Hub, Jiaqi leads the organisation’s strategic vision and programme development, shaping high-impact learning experiences that connect young people with global perspectives and real-world challenges.
Partnership in action!
We’d love to hear from you — schools, universities, education partners, and mission-aligned organisations interested in co-creating meaningful learning experiences with Next Impact.