Kumi Naidoo is a life-long social justice and environmental campaigner hailing from South Africa. Born in Durban in 1965, Kumi’s first taste of activism came at age 15 when he organised and took part in an anti-apartheid protest that saw him expelled from his school. As a result of his continued anti-apartheid activism, he was forced to live in exile in the UK in 1986. Upon Nelson Mandela's release from prison in 1990, Naidoo returned to South Africa to work on legislation of the African National Congress. He was founding executie director of the South African National NGO Coalition, whose mandate is to ensure that the traditions of civil society continue to serve the people of South Africa.

He went on to hold multiple leadership roles in civil society and global organisations, including as the Executive Director of Greenpeace. He joined Amnesty International as the organisation's ninth Secretary General in August 2018. He is also the founder of African's Rising For Justice, Peace and Dignity, an organisation focused on expanding psace of civid and political action that fights for gender equity, democractic and corruption-free governance, and climate and environmental justice. In 2021, Naidoo launched his podcast, produced and supported by the Green Economy Coalition, called Power People Planet where he engages with activists, artists and community leaders to discuss dismantling our broken system and how we can build something better in its place.