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WHO RUNS THE WORLD?

Unlocking the Talent & Inventiveness
of Women Everywhere

By Lois Quam
Featuring insights from Pathfinder leaders around the globe

About the Book

As the world struggles against escalating crisis and conflict, there’s a transformative force waiting to be unlocked―the unparalleled potential of women and girls. In the Amazon bestselling Who Runs the World? Unlocking the Talent & Inventiveness of Women Everywhere, author Lois Quam imagines a world where we fully tap into the immense potential of women and girls globally.

Quam is the former CEO of Pathfinder, a global health and development nonprofit that puts decisions about women’s bodies and futures in their own hands. Her book brings together the stories of Pathfinder leaders in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, showcasing the organization’s revolutionary work to unlock the immense talent of the world’s women, and the obstacles that still stand in the way of progress.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 67th U.S. Secretary of State

Because women’s empowerment isn’t just an idea―it’s the key to global transformation. Who Runs the World? is a call to action for everyone who has experienced for themselves what it means to be able to choose whether and when to have children. Everyone who has been able to build a life and a family safely, and with high quality health care. It is a roadmap for creating a world where everyone is free to make informed decisions about their lives because this is the surest path to creating a better future for us all.

From Who Runs the World? Unlocking the Talent & Inventiveness of Women Everywhere

Early Reviews

Lois Quam argues for universal, unrestricted access to reproductive education and health care in Who Runs the World?, a book that dares to rethink approaches to large-scale problems around the globe.

Eileen, Foreword

Quam writes with clarity and accessibility, includes exhaustive research, and is proof that a lot of good is happening in the world, but there’s still a long way to go…and this book is an excellent start.

Readers’ Favorite

Pathfinder International CEO Quam fashions a powerful anthem for women’s rights in this knockout debut… [Who Runs the World? is a] firecracker call-to-action for women’s healthcare rights.

Booklife

In the News


About Pathfinder

Pathfinder is one of the world’s premier organizations empowering women, girls, their families, and communities, working today in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. With nearly seventy years of experience across one hundred countries, Pathfinders know that supporting the reproductive health and well-being of women and girls is essential for their ability to live the lives they choose and to address the world’s biggest challenges.

About the Author, Lois Quam

Named three times to FORTUNE’s list of the most influential women leaders in business, Lois Quam, Pathfinder’s former CEO since 2017, is a senior leader in the corporate, government, and civil society sectors. At Pathfinder, Lois and her colleagues provide global leadership demonstrating the vital role women play, when supported, in addressing the central challenges of our day.

Deeply committed to putting power and decisions closer to those who experience their impact, Lois relinquished her role as Pathfinder’s President to form a leadership group with two other women – President Lydia Saloucou Zoungrana in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and President Tabinda Sarosh in Karachi, Pakistan.

Prior to joining Pathfinder, Lois served at the U.S. State Department as leader of President Barack Obama’s Global Health Initiative with annual U.S. investment over $8 billion addressing the biggest health challenges facing millions of people across over eighty countries. In the corporate sector, she was the founding CEO of a division of UnitedHealth Group, providing services to older Americans and low-income families across the United States through the Medicare and Medicaid programs and in partnership with AARP. A Rhodes Scholar from Minnesota, Quam has degrees from Oxford University and Macalester College.