Dr. Leyla Hussein

Dr. Leyla Hussein is a renowned psychotherapist specialising in providing crucial support to survivors of sexual abuse. Currently serving as the Global Advocacy Director for The Girl Generation, supporting the Africa-led Movement to End FGM/C, she is deeply committed to advancing the cause of ending female genital mutilation (FGM) and advocating for gender rights. Dr. Hussein is widely recognised as a leading expert on these issues and her tireless efforts as an international lecturer and speaker have made a significant impact worldwide.

As the visionary behind The Dahlia Project, the United Kingdom's first specialized therapeutic service for FGM survivors, Dr. Hussein has spearheaded ground-breaking initiatives in this field. In a historic achievement, she was elected as the Rector of the University of St Andrews in 2020, becoming the first Black woman to hold this esteemed position. Driven by her passion for creating safe spaces for women and girls globally, she recently co-founded Safe Spaces for Black Women alongside her colleague Fatima Hagi, providing invaluable emotional support to Black women worldwide.

In 2018, Dr. Hussein founded Magool, a technology startup that leverages her expertise as an activist and psychotherapist to develop emotional well-being tools while promoting the rights and well-being of women and girls. Her outstanding contributions to the field have earned her numerous accolades, including being named Cosmopolitan Campaigner of the Year in 2010 and being featured in prestigious lists such as BBC 100 Women, Woman's Hour Power List and Debretts 500 as one of the most influential people in the United Kingdom.