About Lian
Lian Ryan-Hume (Najami) is the first Arab-Israeli Rhodes Scholar, an inclusion advocate, and a sought-after international public speaker. Lian is the youngest member on two executive boards of Israeli NGOs: Mabat and 50:50 Startups.
Lian’s advocacy work, which has taken her around the world on several speaking tours, focuses on minority groups in Israel and beyond, MENA politics, the rights of people with disabilities, patient empowerment, inclusive leadership and more.
Lian is determined and passionate about raising awareness to issues pertinent to minorities, acting as an advocate for patients, and promoting social change. Fluent in five languages, she was featured at the 2016 Forbes 30 under 30 summit in Israel for her leadership role within the Arab community and served in the US Senate as a Lantos Congressional Fellow in 2017.
As the first Arab-Israeli Rhodes Scholar, Lian has completed two Master degrees at the University of Oxford: an MSc in Comparative Social Policy and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) at the Blavatnik School of Government. She has been awarded the Policy Leaders Fellowship at the European University Institute and has recently completed her City Diplomacy Fellowship at the Haifa Municipality.