Effective February 1, 2025, Mashal Husain will be President of the World Food Prize Foundation, leading the organization’s mission to elevate global food security and agricultural innovations. Her appointment to this role underscores her extensive leadership experience and deep commitment to advancing the Foundation’s legacy. Since joining the Foundation in 2008 as Director of Development and Finance, Mashal has held multiple leadership positions, including Vice President, Senior Vice President and most recently, Chief Operating Officer.
Raised in Pakistan, Tanzania, Thailand, and the Philippines, Mashal brings a truly international perspective to her work. Her upbringing in diverse cultures and regions of the world instilled in her a deep appreciation for global interconnectedness and the importance of diplomacy in addressing shared challenges. As a global citizen, she developed a unique ability to navigate cultural differences, foster collaboration across borders, and build bridges between communities. This foundation of international experience and understanding has profoundly shaped her leadership style and her commitment to creating equitable solutions for pressing global issues.
After moving to Des Moines in 1999, Mashal held leadership roles at Iowa Health System and Principal Financial Group. She is deeply engaged in the Des Moines community, having served on the boards of United Way of Central Iowa and Habitat for Humanity, and contributing to initiatives like Go Red for Women and Women’s Build. A recipient of honors such as the “Forty Under 40” and “Women of Influence” awards, Mashal’s career reflects her dedication to driving meaningful change on both local and global scales.
Mashal earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Cornell University, where she received the Sloan Faculty Award for outstanding achievement. She later completed a post-graduate Fellowship in Hospital Administration at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Mashal and her husband, Fawad, have two grown sons.