Patrícia is a non-profit professional with over 15 years of experience leading operational and organisational transformation across local, national, and international contexts, with a focus on addressing the persistent challenges and inequalities embedded in the sector. She currently serves as Director of Operations and Organisational Transformation at WINGS, a global network of philanthropy support organisations representing more than 200 members across 60+ countries.
In her role, she contributes to shaping the values and principles that influence the philanthropic sector globally. Her career began in Brazil with grassroots and national organisations, including the Brazilian Forum of Public Safety and the São Paulo Against Violence Institute, where she focused on project delivery, governance, and institutional development.
Prior to joining WINGS, she held senior roles at Vital Strategies, including Deputy Director of Global Operations. At Vital, she was instrumental in setting up and strengthening the Brazil office, coordinated operations across six country and regional offices, and supported the decentralisation of administrative functions.
Working across multiple geographies and organizational levels has deepened Patrícia’s understanding of structural barriers within the development sector. Her operational work brought her face-to-face with persistent issues such as the unequal distribution of resources between offices, disparities in compensation – often linked to gender and race, limited space for local voices, and enduring power imbalances. These dynamics, she observed, frequently mirror the very inequalities that the sector seeks to overcome. These experiences have shaped Patrícia’s commitment to advancing equity not only through programmatic interventions but also by transforming the internal systems and cultures of organisations.
Today, she combines hands-on operational leadership with strategic advocacy to support the transformation of philanthropic practices and institutions. Her work is centred on approaches that promote trust-based practices, redistribute power, and foster greater inclusion—contributing to the emergence of a more just and equitable development ecosystem.
Patrícia holds a Master of Public Administration and Government from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), where her thesis received an Honorable Mention; a Master’s degree in Humanitarian and Charitable Organizations from Université Lumière Lyon 2 in France; and a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from UNESP in Brazil.
From my experience, change happens mainly when organisational practices are truly aligned with the values of equity, justice, and local empowerment. This often requires advancing equity not only through programmatic interventions but also by transforming the internal systems and cultures of organisations.Patrícia Nogueira