Michael Kaufman

Michael Kaufman is an internationally recognized writer, advisor, and speaker, focused on engaging men and boys to promote gender equality and end violence against women. After co-founding the White Ribbon Campaign in 1991, the first international initiative of men working to end violence against women, Michael Kaufman established himself as a globally recognized leader in gender equality. His early career included co-founding the Men for Women’s Choice campaign in 1989 and teaching at York University in Toronto from 1979 to 1992. His first major publication, Cracking the Armour: Power, Pain and the Lives of Men, released in 1994, further solidified his expertise in engaging men and boys to promote gender equality.

Kaufman’s influence expanded with his award-winning novel, The Possibility of Dreaming on a Night Without Stars, published in 1999. For over four decades, he has served as a Senior Fellow at Equimundo (formerly Promundo) in Washington D.C., collaborating extensively with governments, educators, corporations, NGOs, women’s groups, and the United Nations across fifty countries. He has consulted and spoken to various UN entities, including UN Women, UNFPA, the World Bank, and UNICEF, in numerous international cities, contributing to global policy and programmatic development. An accomplished advisor and speaker, Kaufman has engaged with a diverse portfolio of corporations such as Rio Tinto, JP Morgan Chase, Ernst and Young, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, CITI, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Accenture, HP, Deloitte, Royal Bank of Canada, Unilever, and Triumph International.

He is the author or editor of nine books, including the impactful non-fiction work, The Time Has Come: Why Men Must Join the Gender Equality Revolution, and his most recent novel, The Last Resort. His articles have been published globally and translated into sixteen languages, reflecting his widespread international reach and ongoing commitment to advancing gender equality worldwide.