Our Leaders
Our leaders at Rotary exemplify all of the qualities that make our members extraordinary: integrity, expertise, and a commitment to service.
Rotary is led by a diverse international team of top executives. Whether developing Rotary policy, providing financial support, managing a global staff, or advancing Rotary’s strategic plan, each member of the team is dedicated to helping our members connect and take action to create sustainable change.
Read the latest Board decisions and minutes
Read the latest Trustee decisions and minutes
President
Rotary’s president presides over the Board of Directors and is elected to a one-year term.
MEET OUR PRESIDENT
Olayinka Hakeem Babalola received a university degree in engineering in 1988. He worked for 25 years in the oil and gas industry, holding senior positions at Shell PLC. He is the founder of two companies: Riviera Technical Services Ltd., an oil and gas infrastructure delivery company, and Lead and Change Consulting, an executive coaching and organizational performance advisory group.
Trustee chair
The trustee chair is elected by the Board of Trustees and leads The Rotary Foundation for one year.
MEET OUR TRUSTEE CHAIR
Jennifer Jones is a communication executive and founder Media Street Productions Inc., an award-winning media company in Windsor, Ontario, that helps corporations and nonprofit organizations tell their stories with conviction and credibility.
General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer
Rotary’s general secretary and executive team oversee a staff of more than 800, who serve Rotary members from our world headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA, and six international offices. The general secretary is a member of the Rotary International Board of Directors and The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees.
MEET OUR GENERAL SECRETARY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
John Hewko is the general secretary and chief executive officer of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.
From 2004 to 2009, Hewko was vice president for operations and compact development for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government agency established in 2004 to deliver foreign assistance to the world’s poorest countries. At MCC, he was the principal negotiator for foreign assistance agreements to 26 countries in Africa, Asia, South America, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union. During his tenure, he completed the negotiation of assistance agreements totaling $6.3 billion to 18 countries for infrastructure, agriculture, water and sanitation, health, and education projects.
See the Rotary International Committees and Rotary Foundation Committees.
Directors
The Board of Directors establishes Rotary International’s policies and provides guidance that helps our clubs thrive. Clubs elect the directors every year at Rotary’s international convention, and each director serves for two years.
Board of Directors meeting dates
Trustees
The Board of Trustees manages the business of The Rotary Foundation, the charitable arm of our organization. The Rotary International president-elect nominates the trustees, and the Board of Directors elects them to four-year terms.
Executive staff
The executive staff manages operations, including member services and programs, finance, technology, development, communications, strategy, and legal services, at our world headquarters in Evanston and offices in New Delhi, Norwest (Sydney), Pune, São Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo, and Zurich.
Read biographies of the executive staff
Meet our senior management team
Meet our international offices management team
Regional leaders
Regional Rotary Foundation coordinators, Rotary membership coordinators, Rotary public image coordinators, endowment/major gifts advisers, and End Polio Now coordinators connect Rotary members with the resources and assistance they need to succeed. Regional leaders are appointed by the Rotary International president or Rotary Foundation trustee chair.