Lan Mercado

Lan Mercado joined Helen Keller Intl in October 2025 and oversees country leadership, operations, income growth, and impact on improving people’s lives in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, Philippines, and Tanzania. She also advocates, influences, and strengthens the organization’s relationships with stakeholders.

Lan brings a wealth of senior leadership experience from over 30 years of development, humanitarian, and nature conservation work with Oxfam, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the Catholic Relief Services. She served as an advisor to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and led international campaigns on equality, women’s rights, and climate justice. Lan is a board member of Philippine and international non-government organizations, including Oxfam Pilipinas, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, the Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services, and the Water Justice Fund.

Lan holds a communication degree from the University of the Philippines and a diploma on organization development from the Ateneo de Manila University. She was a fellow at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. Outside of work, Lan is a wife, mother, and an artist who has held solo and group exhibits. She is based in Manilla, Philippines.