Zolzaya Batkhuyag (she/her), also known as Zola, is a lawyer, gender and development analyst, and co-founder of Women for Change (WFC) NGO in Mongolia. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Melbourne, earned as an Australia Awards Fellow. Since 2008, Zolzaya has been a passionate advocate, trainer, and consultant in gender equality, human rights, and leadership, leading numerous grassroots initiatives that promote social justice and community empowerment.

As Co-Founder and Director of Women for Change, she has played a pivotal role in advancing women’s leadership and empowerment across Mongolia. She founded the Women’s Political Leadership Program in 2015, which has since trained over 200 emerging women leaders. She also led independent civil society observation efforts during the 2012 and 2016 parliamentary, and 2017 presidential elections. More recently, WFC established and now coordinates a national Women’s Leadership Network with around 2,000 members. Zolzaya has served on the boards of several civil society organizations, including the LGBT Centre of Mongolia, and currently serves on the board of the Mongolian Women’s Fund.

An engaging public speaker and media contributor, Zolzaya frequently shares her expertise on gender, human rights, and social change. Her leadership has been recognized with awards such as the Asia Foundation Asian Development Fellow (2015), U.S. Department of State Community Solutions Program Fellow (2014), and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (2021).

From 2011 to 2013, Zolzaya produced Mongolia’s first local adaptation of The Vagina Monologues, the groundbreaking feminist play by Eve Ensler. In 2021, she founded “Big Sistas,” Mongolia’s first women’s stand-up comedy troupe, blending art and activism (“artivism”) to promote human rights and gender equality through humor and storytelling.