Samantha Stokes-Baydur

Samantha Stokes-Baydur is chief human resources officer at the Open Society Foundations. Stokes-Baydur works with Open Society’s president and management committee to develop policies and practices that create a positive work environment and demonstrate our commitment to building a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive network.

Prior to joining Open Society, Stokes-Baydur was based in Geneva as deputy head of human resources at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. She brings nearly three decades of human resources experience across different sectors and geographical locations. Stokes-Baydur started her career at the United Nations in Geneva and then moved to PricewaterhouseCoopers in London. She went on to work as a private consultant to pursue her passion for executive coaching. Stokes-Baydur later joined ABN Amro Bank and was based at their head office in Amsterdam, where she helped lead on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. She also spent seven years in Qatar in human resources leadership roles.

Stokes-Baydur holds a BA (honors) in sociology from Goldsmiths, University of London, an MSc in human resources management from the University of Portsmouth, and is a chartered fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.