HelpAge International is governed by a board of trustees. At least six of the twelve board members are representatives of affiliate organisations, which ensures that affiliates have a role in the network's strategic development.

Affiliates are invited to nominate candidates from their own boards. HelpAge International's board appoints members, taking into account the balance of geographical representation, gender and the need for specific expertise.

All members of the board enjoy equal status and are appointed for a four-year term. Each board member may stand for reappointment once.

Board members

The current board members are:

Eric M Kimani (Chair) Former chief executive of one of Kenya’s largest state enterprises and now runs a number of his own businesses. He holds degrees in Accountancy and Law. He is currently chairman of HelpAge Kenya. For more information about Eric Kimani visit www.erickimani.org

Dr Kanwaljit Soin (Vice Chair) Indian-born, Kanwaljit Soin was raised and educated in Singapore. She trained in hand surgery in Australia. She is a full-time consultant orthopaedic and hand surgeon. She is a founder member of AWARE (Women for Action and Research), becoming its president from 1991 to 1993. She was elected a member of parliament in Singapore from 1992 until 1996. In 1992, Kanwaljit Soin was nominated Woman of the Year. She holds numerous positions in welfare, advocacy and professional organisations.

Professor Nicholas Barr Professor of Public Economics at the London School of Economics, and the author of numerous books and articles on the welfare state. He has worked for the World Bank on social safety nets in post-communist countries and has been active in international debate on higher education finance, on which he has advised various governments. Professor Barr’s research interests include economic theory of the welfare state, social insurance and health finance in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and transition countries, and the finance of higher education in OECD countries.

Luz Barreto Graduate in Social Gerontology from the Catholic University of Peru and currently vice-president of HelpAge International's affiliate, the Working Group of NGOs for Older People, based in Lima. She works directly with Peruvian government ministries to promote the rights of older people in the community, and raise awareness of the physical and sexual violence suffered by older women in particular.

Cynthia Cox Roman Washington-based consultant in communications strategy with broad professional expertise related to brand-building, lifestage and ageing, civic engagement, public policy, corporate reputation and citizenship. Cynthia Cox Roman also advises non-profit organisations and consulting firms on research and strategy.

Sjoera Dikkers Consultant with a political background in the Netherlands. She is former director of Stop AIDS Now! campaigning for social cash transfers for children affected by HIV and AIDS and their grandparents. She is co-founder of WorldGranny, a foundation supporting older people in developing countries and an affiliate of HelpAge International.

Professor Du Peng Director of the Gerontology Institute at Renmin University of China in Beijing, he is an academic and activist on ageing in China.

Professor Silvia Gascón Former minister in the government of Argentina, with the portfolio on ageing, and a member of the delegation to the Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid in 2002. Silvia Gascón has enjoyed a distinguished academic career and is viewed as an expert on ageing in Latin America. She is currently director of social sciences with the national organisation, ISALUD Foundation University Institute, an affiliate of HelpAge International.

Pham Hoai Giang Women's activist and head of the International Relations Department of the Vietnam Women’s Union. This is a mass organisation which is taking the lead on ageing and gender issues in Vietnam, and which has been a valued partner of HelpAge International for more than ten years.

Dalmer D Hoskins Former secretary-general of the International Social Security Association (ISSA), an international clearing-house for information on all aspects of social-security policy, with 400 member organisations in 145 countries. Before assuming this position, Dalmer Hoskins occupied a series of posts in the US government, primarily in Social Security Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services. His field of specialisation is social security, with particular emphasis on old-age pension policies. Following his retirement from ISSA in September 2005, he assumed thepost of senior managing director of policy with AARP in Washington DC.

Sanja Miloradovic Executive Director and co-founder of Lastavica, an NGO and HelpAge International affiliate founded in 1996 as a joint project of the Autonomous Women's Centre in Belgrade and Oxfam. Lastavica offers community services, economic support and training to refugees, internally displaced women and other marginalised groups in Serbia such as older people, children, socially excluded people.

Vindrani Shillingford Economist with the Dominica Ministry of Finance and Planning, acting as liaison officer to the Ministries of Education, Health, and Community Development. Other responsibilities have included the role of liaison officer to the Organization of American States and deputy national authorising officer to the European Union. Vindrani Shillingford is also a board member of HelpAge International's affiliate, REACH Dominica, with responsibility for REACH’s fundraising. She was a member of the committee for the establishment of the Dominica Council on Ageing and a member of the Council from 1994 to 2001.

Edith Sayo Skweyiya Pursuing a distinguished career in community health and development, Sayo Skweyiya has been a trustee and board member of many community-based organisations and women’s groups, and has undertaken a number of national and provincial government appointments. In 2002, she was appointed deputy city manager of Health, Safety and Social Services of the Ethekwini municipality of Durban, the second-largest metropolitan area in South Africa. Her role includes the development of a strategic impact assessment of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the development and integration of a social-development plan to tackle the problems of crime and poverty in Ethekwini. Sayo Skweyiya is a joint founder and currently chairperson of HelpAge International's affiliate, the Muthande Society for the Aged (MUSA), in Durban.

Tilak de Zoysa Chief executive of a large commercial conglomerate in Sri Lanka, with connections at the highest level of government in Sri Lanka and across the region. He is also chairman of HelpAge Sri Lanka.