GOGLA announces the appointment of Sarah Malm as its new Executive Director, following an extensive, global search process. Sarah will succeed Koen Peters, who announced his departure in 2023, after 10 years at the helm of GOGLA.
“For the past 10 years, under Koen’s leadership, GOGLA has helped to establish the off-grid solar industry as a necessary partner to governments, development partners, and international institutions to achieve universal energy access, bringing clean, modern energy to those who need it, transforming lives and creating economic opportunity. The industry is maturing, and as it enters its next stage, Sarah’s experience and personal qualities will drive the sector forward, raising its profile and recognizing its contributions to sustainable livelihoods, climate resilience, and adaptation. We are immensely grateful to Koen for his invaluable work and leadership and look forward to this next chapter of GOGLA’s leadership under Sarah.“
Nedjip Tozun, Acting Board President and Founding Member of GOGLA
GOGLA represents companies, investors, and development actors working to build sustainable markets for off-grid solar technologies used to power homes, businesses, farms, and public institutions in energy-poor communities. The organisation’s goal is to support its Members to Power 1 Billion Lives by 2030.
Sarah is an experienced leader in convening diverse partners to support businesses and policies that drive inclusive economic growth and social development. Before joining GOGLA, she led strategic communications and outreach for the U.S. Government-led partnership Power Africa. She managed global teams to deliver first-time and improved energy access to over 200 million people living and working in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a presidential political appointee to the U.S. Agency for International Development, Sarah held leadership positions at the U.S. Global Development Lab, working with public and private sector partners to identify, test, and scale social impact models and support entrepreneurship in the world's poorest communities.
“The products and solutions GOGLA members sell improve lives and power businesses, especially in hard-to-reach communities. I am excited to take on the responsibility of leading GOGLA as the new Executive Director and working together to advocate for its members and the off-grid solar sector. I want to thank the Board for their confidence and Koen for his exceptional leadership”.
Sarah Malm, GOGLA Executive Director
“It has been an honour to be GOGLA’s executive director, and I’m proud of what we achieved, supporting our Members to reach hundreds of millions of people with transformative off-grid solar technologies. It is, however, also a privilege to now hand over my role to someone so competent, knowledgeable and pleasant as Sarah. Having had a lot of conversations and interactions with her in the past weeks and months, I couldn’t be more confident that we found the right person - to lead and inspire the GOGLA team, to strengthen our engagement with members and partners, to speak for the industry, and to bring the whole association to a next stage of development”.
Koen Peters, outgoing Executive Director