Ronald Abraham succeeds Neil Buddy Shah as IDinsight Board Chair

17, March, 2026 — IDinsight announces today that IDinsight co-founder Ronald Abraham has been elected as the new Chair of the IDinsight Board of Directors. Ron succeeds Dr. Neil Buddy Shah, fellow co-founder and former CEO of the organization, who is stepping down after six years of transformational leadership. Buddy will continue to serve IDinsight as a board member. 

The transition, effective March 12, 2026, marks a significant milestone for IDinsight. As founding CEO and later Board Chair, Buddy helped steward the organization’s evolution from a social enterprise start-up into a global evidence powerhouse with 250+ teammates across six global offices. Under his leadership, IDinsight pioneered a decision-focused model for data-driven development, institutionalizing evidence-based decision-making within the world’s most influential governments and NGOs.

“It has been an honor to support IDinsight’s mission to put data in service of addressing the world’s most important problems. I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Ron for years, first as co-founders and then as fellow Board members — and he is the right Board chair to support Becca and the team in this exciting new chapter. His deep understanding of policymakers’ needs, combined with a keen eye for how data, evidence, and AI tools can meet those needs, will help carry IDinsight into its most impactful chapter yet.”

 

– Neil Buddy Shah, Outgoing Board Chair

Ron Abraham, a fellow IDinsight co-founder and leader in the global development space, has served on IDinsight’s Board for 6 years. With nearly two decades of experience in evidence-informed policymaking and operational scaling, Ron has been instrumental in the organization’s expansion. His chairmanship comes as IDinsight launches its new strategy, focusing on driving cost-effectiveness at scale, and leveraging emerging technologies like generative AI to maximize social impact.

“IDinsight was founded on the conviction that the social sector deserves the highest quality tools to solve the world’s most pressing problems. And as these tools have evolved, so has our toolkit. Today that means unlocking unprecedented impact through AI-driven products and services for our partners. But AI is not the only macro trend sweeping the world. We are also meeting the growing ambition of our national and sub-national government partners to drive broad-based economic growth and population-level wellbeing. 

 

I am honoured to step into this role at this exciting juncture and to continue working alongside Becca and the Board to ensure that every dollar, rupee, and shilling spent on development achieves its maximum possible impact.”

 

– Ronald Abraham, Incoming Board Chair

Buddy’s continued presence on the Board will ensure his institutional knowledge and strategic vision remain central to IDinsight’s future.

“Buddy’s leadership has provided the foundation upon which IDinsight stands today. His commitment to dignity and rigor is woven into the very fabric of our culture. And as we navigate a global landscape defined by shrinking aid budgets and rapid technological shifts, I couldn’t ask for a better partner than Ron. His deep policy  expertise and clarity of vision will be invaluable as we execute our new strategy and continue to improve millions of lives through data and evidence.”

 

– Rebecca Gong Sharp, CEO

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

About IDinsight

IDinsight is a mission-driven global advisory, data analytics, and research organization that helps global development leaders maximize their social impact. We tailor a wide range of data and evidence tools, including randomized evaluations and machine learning, to help decision-makers design effective programs and rigorously test what works to support communities. We work with governments, multilateral agencies, foundations, and innovative non-profit organizations in Asia and Africa. We work across a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, education, health, governance, sanitation, and financial inclusion. We have team members who are remote and have offices in Dakar, Lusaka, Manila, Nairobi, New Delhi, and Rabat.