Who Runs the World?: Unlocking the Talent and Inventiveness of Women Everywhere

“Achieving a world where women everywhere can fulfill their potential is the great unfinished work of today and the very work we must do to make progress. Lois Quam shows how we can build the future we envision for us all by supporting women and girls around the world.”— Hillary Rodham Clinton, 67th US Secretary of State

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 Who Runs the World?, author Lois Quam imagines a world where the brilliance and capabilities of women are not just recognized, but mobilized to create a brighter future for us all.

Who Runs the World? explores what happens when we unlock the immense potential of women and girls globally—by recognizing that reproductive health and rights is at the heart of women’s empowerment. Only by effectively addressing reproductive health can we unlock the untapped power of women and girls, giving global efforts the best shot at combatting major threats to survival on Earth.

Quam is CEO of Pathfinder, a global health and development nonprofit that puts decisions about women’s bodies and futures in their own hands. Her book draws on 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. Their stories paint a vivid picture of the significant impact that women and girls can have when they drive change in areas such as healthcare, agriculture, climate resilience, and economic development.

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 – and to be able to do it safely, with high quality health care. It is a roadmap for creating a world where everyone is free to make informed decisions about their lives and how this is the surest path to creating a better future for us all.

Named three times to FORTUNE’s list of the most influential women leaders in business, LOIS QUAM, Pathfinder’s 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.