Edgar Sandoval Sr.

Keynote | Wednesday Morning

Edgar Sandoval is the President and CEO of World Vision.

Edgar Sandoval has an unstoppable passion to see that every child—especially the most vulnerable—has the opportunity to experience Christ’s promise of life in all its fullness.

Born in Los Angeles, Edgar grew up in Latin America. When he was 18, family hardship prompted him to return alone to the United States, speaking no English, with only his U.S. passport and $50 in his pocket. He worked minimum-wage jobs while studying English as a second language, later earning bachelor’s degrees in industrial engineering and sociology from Rutgers University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Edgar was recruited by General Electric and later by Procter & Gamble, where, over a 20-year career, he made significant contributions to the corporation’s growth and reputation. As P&G’s senior vice president and general manager of global feminine care, he directed the creation and launch of the internationally acclaimed #LikeAGirl campaign. The spot quickly became a viral sensation, airing during the 2015 Super Bowl, garnering more than 90 million views, winning multiple awards, and dramatically transforming the popular perception of the phrase.

In 2015, Edgar joined World Vision as chief operating officer in response to a clear calling he and his wife, Leiza, felt to the ministry. After stepping into the role of president and CEO in 2018, Edgar led the launch of Chosen^®, a new invitation to child sponsorship that puts the power to choose in a child’s hands—flipping the script on a 70-year-old industry and garnering national recognition for innovation and impact.

Under Edgar’s leadership, World Vision has seen five consecutive years of record-breaking operating revenue—contributing to the strategic goal of equipping and empowering more people than ever to step out of poverty into fuller lives. In addition, World Vision has received the highest possible accountability ratings from leading watchdog agencies such as Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau.

As World Vision president, Edgar has traveled to some of the places where it’s toughest to be a child, including the Venezuela-Colombia border, gang-controlled urban areas of Honduras, Rohingya refugee settlements in Bangladesh, hunger crisis hot-spot Turkana in northern Kenya, and the Sudan-Chad border, where he witnessed the impact of the world’s largest displacement crisis. A highly respected leader in the humanitarian space, he serves on the board of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and has appeared in national media outlets including Fox News, The Washington Post, Vox, and Religion News Service. He is also a regular contributor of guided Scripture videos to YouVersion, the world’s most popular Bible app.

Edgar cherishes faith in Jesus and family above all. His wife, Leiza, is a former teacher who was born and raised in Puerto Rico. The Sandovals have four children, including two daughters with special needs. Edgar’s understanding of the potential in every child, instilled while raising his daughters, is an asset to World Vision’s mission to empower the world’s most vulnerable children to take hold of their futures.