Leadership

Trevor Neilson, Partner & President

Trevor Neilson is president of Global Philanthropy Group, which he co-founded in 2006. He works at the highest levels of business, government and philanthropy, and has served as an advisor to many leaders. Among them are Bill Gates, President Bill Clinton, Bono, Sir Richard Branson, Howard Buffett, Madonna and Shakira. He has been involved in the creation and implementation of many of the world's most respected philanthropic initiatives and has extensive experience addressing global and domestic crises including disease, poverty, education, child welfare, conflict, refugees, emergency relief and the environment.

Trevor served on the national steering committee for Cleantech and Green Business Leaders for Obama, a constituency group of President Obama's campaign. He helped create Bono's Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa (DATA) organization, now called “the ONE campaign,” and continues to serve on its policy board. He was executive director of the Global Business Coalition (GBC), which was created with investments from Bill Gates, George Soros and Ted Turner. At GBC, Trevor reported to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and President Obama's former Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Previously, Trevor worked with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, initially as director of public affairs and later as director of special projects. He served in the White House during the Clinton administration.

Trevor is a partner and investor in G2 Investment Group, where he is focused on private equity investments in distressed debt, commercial real estate, and other areas. He is also an active investor in and advisor of funds and companies including MBGlobal, Enviroboard, Amplify, Hint Water, Goodchime, Crosscut Ventures and Roozt. He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the advisory boards of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation, the Wikimedia Foundation, the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health, and the Genocide Intervention Network. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and is an active member of the Clinton Global Initiative. Neilson attended Washington State University, and served as a Visiting Practitioner at the Georgetown University Center for Public and Non-profit Leadership.

back to team page