CGHI Team

CGHI President

Charli Sitong Zhang is the President and Co-Founder of CGHI, where she spearheads the organisation’s global strategy, advocacy, and partnerships. She leads a diverse, multinational team across six continents, dedicated to advancing health equity through youth-driven innovation and community-centred solutions.

At the President of CGHI, Charli works across governments, research institutions, and civil society to ensure that the communities most affected by health inequities have a meaningful voice in the global arena. Her leadership is defined by a commitment to elevating community engagement and ensuring youth perspectives are not just heard, but structurally embedded in global health decision-making.

She also serves as the curator and lead convenor of CGHI’s global engagements, overseeing both virtual and in-person dialogues that bring together stakeholders across sectors and regions. In parallel, she is the Editor-in-Chief of CGHI’s publications and digital platforms, shaping the Coalition’s intellectual agenda and amplifying emerging voices in global health.

Having lived and worked across Europe, Africa, and Asia, Charli brings a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach to global health governance. Her work emphasises inclusive collaboration, ensuring that local communities play a central role in designing the policies and solutions meant for them.

Charli is a PhD candidate at the University of Johannesburg. She holds an MPhil from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and a BA from Maastricht University, the Netherlands.