Cohort eleven (2025)
Mohamed Dahir
Mohamed is the Global Programmes Operations Director for Save the Children International and is based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is an accomplished senior leader with over 20 years' experience spanning strategy, programme management, operations, finance and risk management. He has been with Save the Children for 15 years, progressing through various levels of leadership, from a field office role to a Country Senior Management Team, then to the Regional Office, and currently serving in the Global Office for the past nine months.
Mohamed began his journey with Save the Children in the Finance function, where he steadily rose to become the Regional Finance Director for the East and Southern Africa (ESA) region. He later transitioned into Programme Operations, serving as the Regional Programme Operations Director for ESA for four years. Before joining the development sector, Mohamed worked in the private sector in the field of banking and finance.
Mohamed holds an MBA in Global Business Management from United States International University – Africa (USIU) and has completed an Advanced Management and Leadership Programme at Oxford’s Saïd Business School.
Sara El Namory
With a strong background in public policy, economic development and sustainability, Sara is a passionate policy researcher and practitioner committed to driving evidence-based decision-making and positive change in the Middle East. She currently serves as a Research Fellow at Rabdan Academy, specialising in civil–military relations, defence and security, where she applies her expertise to address pressing regional challenges.
Her professional experience spans policy research, data analysis, project management and stakeholder engagement, with proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative methods. Sara’s research interests include the political economy of development, governance and the role of power and institutions in shaping policy outcomes. She is particularly focused on applying critical social theories to analyse the world order and its influence on regional policymaking, especially in areas where politics, economics and security intersect.
Sara holds a Master of Public Policy from The American University in Cairo and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, alongside certifications in data science, project management and policy analysis from esteemed institutions. A strong communicator, she excels at conveying complex research findings to diverse audiences. Through her work, Sara strives to advance sustainable, equitable policies that promote security, social justice and development across the Middle East.
Aurelie Gremaud-Laforet
Aurelie, having been a field and HQ humanitarian worker, has developed extensive experience in Integrity, Ethics and Safeguarding, including setting-up organisational safeguarding standards and frameworks, case management and capacity development for national and international organizations. She is a trained investigator and a trainer of investigators.
Aurelie has worked with a variety of INGOs, local NGOs and institutional donors providing a range of services including SEAH investigations, behaviour and fraud investigations; case reviews and appeals; developing, strengthening policy and procedure, developing and delivering trainings; and conducting organisational reviews and propositions on appeal mechanisms.
Aurelie has also been a university lecturer for 20 years and has several on-going classes in the humanitarian and communication domains. She is a strong communicator with extensive experience in content design and delivery of safeguarding and protection trainings to diverse audiences. She is also a certified trainer for CHS alliance Core Humanitarian Standards.
Aurelie has an MBA in international affairs, a master’s degree in international relations and BAs in Philosophy and History. She is also a certified neuro-linguistic programming NLP/PNL practitioner, a certified coach and a mental health first aider.
Chantelle Jankin
Drawn to questions of sustainability and socio-economic dynamics, Chantelle has been working at the crossroads of social research, policy and transnational trade. She studied Social Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Media, Art and Cultural Studies at the Zurich University of the Arts, complemented by further training in ESG Risk Management at the University of Cambridge. Since then, she has led and advised projects in international development, the public sector and academia.
Her doctoral research at the Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath, explores sustainable, ethical and community-centric diamond mining in West Africa. She particularly examines how artisanal and small-scale mining can be aligned with socio-economic resilience, environmental protection and fair market dynamics.
Chantelle is the founder of an impact initiative that works with miners, chiefs, industry stakeholders and international partners to establish practical standards for transparency and long-term value creation. Based in Switzerland, she combines her doctoral studies with consultancy work in sustainability and policy innovation, alongside ongoing commitments and fieldwork in West Africa.
Tianyi Liu
Tianyi Liu is a Gender Specialist at UNESCO, where she promotes gender equality in and through education. With over 12 years of experience in international education and development, she has worked in Cambodia, Thailand, France, China and the UK, specializing in SDGs, gender equality, social inclusion, STEM/EdTech, rural sustainable development, and youth empowerment. Her career spans work with UN agencies, NGOs, governments, academia and private sectors, where she has led research, program management, and policy advocacy for girls' education and women's empowerment.
Tianyi holds a Master’s degree in International Social Work and Community Development from Durham University in the UK and a Bachelor’s degree from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) in China. She is passionate about social justice, intercultural dialogue, and intersectional approaches to international education and sustainable development. She brings expertise in strategic partnerships and participatory methodologies to drive equitable systems change.
Alby Luguterah
Alby Luguterah works as a Strategic Manager for a Trust in England where she has been involved in improving outcomes for children, changing the narrative of her Trust by improving practice and systems resulting in improved Ofsted ratings for her Trust. Alby has extensive leadership experience across the children’s services sector.
As a dynamic and innovative leader, Alby has expertise in the shaping and implementation of long-term strategic plans. She has over 12 years of continuous track record of leading and improving outcomes for Local Authorities and Trusts in the UK. Alby has over 30 years working in social care and has been a qualified social worker for 25 years. She is registered with Social Work England.
She holds a Masters of Art / DipSW in Social Work and Probation Studies from University of Exeter, a Masters of Arts in Advanced Social Work and Professional Education in Human Services from University of Kingston and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Welfare studies from University of Central Lancashire.
Francis Mbilima
Francis Mbilima has been with the RSCA since 2015, first as Country Programme Analyst (2015-2020) and now Regional Specialist – ESA (since November 2020). Prior to joining RSCA, Francis worked in various capacities within the UN system in Zambia. He was Programme Analyst under the Poverty/HIV Portfolio with UNDP Zambia CO from 2008 until 2014. He also has valuable experience with Humanitarian Assistance with the UN World Food Programme CO in Zambia (2000-2008), where he worked as Senior Programme Assistance on Food for Assets and Emergency School Feeding Programmes.
Francis holds Master of Science Degree in International Development – Poverty, Inequality and Development from the University of Birmingham, UK, and a Master’s Degree in Public Health of the University of Zambia, School of Public Health. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from University of Zambia. Francis is also certified at Diploma level in SME Development and Management from Galilee International Management Institute of Israel, and in Human Rights Protection for LGBTIQ by Swedish International Development (SIDA) in Stockholm. He is also a certified Facilitator on Managing Successful Programmes and Leadership Development Programme (Cohort 1).
Samuel Onyango Okoth
Samuel is the Technical Director of Research and Kenya Country Lead at Gobin Global LLC, where he leverages over 10 years of expertise in economic evaluations, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and project management to drive evidence-based development solutions. A versatile professional, Samuel specialises in impact evaluation, value-for-money (VfM) assessments, and cost-effective program design to maximize outcomes in resource-constrained settings.
Previously, Samuel served as Global Economics Advisor at Save the Children International, providing strategic research and MEL support across 120+ countries, and earlier as Research & MEL Specialist at Save the Children Kenya. He also held the role of Research, Evidence & Learning Coordinator at CARE International Kenya, leading high-impact evaluations and learning initiatives. He has worked with donors such as USAID, UKAID/FCDO, IrishAID, BMGF, Comic Relief, EJAF, SIDA among others in areas of Health, Education, WASH & Food Security and Livelihoods
Samuel holds a Master’s in Project Planning & Management (University of Nairobi) and a Bachelor’s in Business Information Technology (Mount Kenya University), complemented by a World Bank-Georgetown University certification in Impact Evaluation Methods. His work bridges rigorous analysis with actionable insights, ensuring sustainable development impact.
John Schwartz
John Schwartz is the founder and CEO of Soapbox, a leading international design, web development and creative communications agency for think tanks, NGOs and academic institutions. He works with clients including Chatham House, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the Aspen Institute, United Nation University, the Stockholm Environment Institute and many more. He is a frequent collaborator with the On Think Tanks global network and convenor of the Wonkcomms Breakfast Club series of events in Berlin, London and Washington DC.
Cohort ten (2024)
Salama Alameri
Salama Alameri works at the Department of Community Development in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE, where she is involved in developing regulatory tools to support community well-being and inclusivity. With two master’s degrees and experience in policy development across three government entities, she brings a strategic approach to crafting regulations that address diverse community needs and can contribute to building a more integrated society.
Ting Fang
Ting Fang is currently serves as a Protection Delegate for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), dedicated to safeguarding vulnerable populations affected by escalating violence and armed conflict. His experience spans both the public and private sectors, including humanitarian protection, support for responsible business in conflict zones, trade negotiations, international cooperation in transport technologies, and research into China’s globalization. He has worked in China, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Yemen, Switzerland, Zambia, and Malawi. He holds a master’s degree in development studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Guilin University of Electronic Technology in China.
Martha Moghbelpour
Martha Moghbelpour has worked in the field of rural development and education for over a decade, studying conditions that enable community-led development. Currently, she coordinates learning across a range of social and economic development activities in India supported the Baháʼí community. This includes facilitating the flow of insights arising from institutional capacity-building within a network of organisations supporting ninety schools. She is interested in education for development, participatory approaches to development, decentralised local governance and youth-led social action.
Nada Mohamed Hassan Mohamed Kassem
Nada Kassem is a labour market economist currently working at the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council in the UAE, where she supports decision-makers in developing localization and workforce planning policies. Her work is focused on supply and demand planning and ensuring labour market policies are aligned with the needs of the economy. Nada's experience includes a consultancy role at PwC, where she advised on labour, social and skill policies and programs in the Middle East. In Egypt, she collaborated with the German Development Agency (GIZ), facilitating the transition to employment for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students. Nada holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the American University in Cairo, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Technical University in Dresden, Germany.
Lucy Plummer
Lucy Plummer comes from a background of Youth Work in the UK, focusing more recently on youth engagement in international policy processes. In 2021, she completed a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development, and since then has led various youth projects and initiatives connecting young people to the UN SDG Agenda. She works for the Soka Gakkai International Office for UN Affairs, where she engages in youth and human rights advocacy, and inter-faith dialogue and collaboration, including with the UN Climate Convention (UNFCCC), UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the Pact for the Future. In addition, Lucy works part-time with the Centre for Applied Buddhism based at Taplow Court, UK, where she coordinates events and conferences on topics including conflict transformation and dialogue, sustainability, climate action and multi-faith cooperation.
Sarah Sharp
Sarah Sharp is a policy professional with experience working in a range of healthcare fields including hospital pharmacy and regulation. Recently has been busy developing national policy to support better integration and improve the quality the National Health Service in England. She has a strong interest in how to reduce health inequalities and drive improved public service outcomes.
Mazhar Siraj
Mazhar Siraj leads the education team at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in Islamabad. He has over 20 years of work experience in social policy, inclusive service delivery, social protection, gender equality and human rights. Previously, he worked in leadership and advisory roles with the Department for International Development (DFID), Save the Children, the Institute of Social and Policy Sciences and NGOs in Pakistan, and completed short-term assignments in Kenya, Ethiopia and Bangladesh. Working closely with governments and major bilateral and multilateral development agencies, his roles included overseeing and shaping policy, research and system reforms in areas of education, health, social assistance, child protection and the rights of citizens as consumers. He has an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, UK.
Alison Wainwright
Alison Wainwright is a registered nurse with over a decade of experience in health professions regulation and is the Director of Quality Assurance with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives. Her regulatory career has focussed on policy research and analysis, standards development, quality assurance and continuing competence program development. Alison holds a Master of Science in Children, Young People and Family Well-being from Oxford Brookes University, UK, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Ottawa. She is also a Fellow of the National Council State Boards of Nursing Institute for Regulatory Excellence.
Cohort nine (2023)
Sharmaake Abdulahi
Sharmaarke is an international development expert with over 15 years of experience in urban and environmental policy development, strategic planning, and resource mobilization. His professional journey includes working at various levels of government in Canada, where he held positions of increasing responsibility and leadership. Sharmaarke’s experience extends globally, working with UN-Habitat, where he contributed to advancing sustainable urban development initiatives. Sharmaarke has authored and co-authored research and policy papers on migration, youth peace and security, climate security and the blue economy. Currently, he is a key member of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Strategic Planning Team, where he plays a pivotal role in shaping UNEP’s medium-term strategy. Sharmaarke holds a Bachelor's Degree from Carleton University and a Master of Research in Public Policy from Queen Mary University of London.
Thiha Aung
Thiha is a development professional with over 15 years’ experience working with different humanitarian and development agencies such as United Nations, INGOs and Intergovernmental Organizations in Myanmar. He has been greatly engaged in support to inclusive local governance, poverty reduction, food security and livelihoods, social cohesion, emergency relief and rehabilitation, sustainable development, climate change and green growth. Currently, Thiha is serving as Programme Management Specialist with United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Myanmar.
Mohibul Chowdhoury
Mohibul Chowdhoury represents a Chittagong constituency in the Jatiya Sangsad (Bangladesh National Parliament) and is Deputy Minister of Education. After studying law and anthropology at LSE he qualified in the UK as a barrister and then worked for a legal professional practice in Bangladesh for ten years before shifting towards politics.
Naureen Chowdhury
Head of Labour Rights Programme, Naureen Chowdhury is recognised within the apparel industry as an authority on delivering innovations that address working conditions challenges. She joined Laudes Foundation in 2016 and brings over two decades of experience in the apparel sector with a focus on sustainability. Her two decades in grant making and social compliance work include establishing and co-leading the international Finance Corporation (IFC) Partnership for Cleaner Textiles (PaCT) programme (2006-2016). During her time at IFC, the PaCT programme nearly doubled in size and expanded outside of Bangladesh. She holds a Master of Public Policy & Management from SOAS (University of London) and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Virginia, USA. Based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Naureen is the proud mother to two boys.
Natalie Corbett
Natalie Corbett is Head of Policy Professionalism and Ministerial Advice at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) working in partnership with HM Treasury to drive excellence in tax and customs policymaking. Natalie has previously worked in a range of policy design, analysis, and implementation roles across the UK Civil Service, including at HMRC, the Ministry of Justice, and the Department for Education. She has a keen interest in the capability of policymakers across Government and a strong track record delivering high-profile and complex policy outcomes.
Mohamed Elimam
Mohamed is a senior policy consultant with Kearney, a global strategy house. Based in the UAE, he is part of the Government and Economic Development - Human Capital team working with government bodies, sectoral regulators, and academic institutions across the Middle East to design and launch labour market reforms, assess and update education policies and develop national and sector-specific human capital development strategies. Mohamed holds an MPA from the American University in Cairo and has previously worked with the Government of Egypt on refreshing the country’s Vision 2030 and engaging youth on the sustainable development agenda.
Lotus Mojaher
Lotus Mohajer is programme and operations expert with a background in public policy and management. In her work with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Aspire Muscat Institute, Lotus focused on developing and implementing projects related to rural development, food systems and organisational transformation. With a strong commitment to gender equality, policy development, and hands-on fieldwork, Lotus is driven by a genuine desire to contribute to the development of her home country, Oman.
Sabrina Segal
Sabrina M Segal is Director of The Risk Collaborative, an innovative non-profit dedicated to fostering partnerships, knowledge sharing, and advocacy among third-sector organisations and funders to enhance risk management practices. A licensed US attorney and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Sabrina has over 20 years of experience leading and supporting legal, risk, and assurance functions in the third sector. Recognising the profound impact of effective risk management, Sabrina has focused on improving risk strategies in the third sector to safeguard organisations and the communities they serve. An active writer on LinkedIn, she also hosts the Tolerable Risk podcast. Sabrina is currently based in Kigali, Rwanda.
Ghaith Tibi
Ghaith is an urban planner and sustainable development advisor with a multidisciplinary background in the built environment and a diverse range of project experience. His strength is bringing a strategic perspective to complex urban issues, setting out holistic frameworks founded on robust evidence base and clear systems thinking. Ghaith is currently Associate with the international advisory firm Arup, where his role includes advising on and developing urban planning frameworks, studies, policies, strategies, plans and guidelines, with the aim of fostering sustainable development across the Middle East.
Cohort eight (2022)
Alanoud Alsawai
Alanoud Alsawai is an independent strategy and policy development consultant with extensive experience in project management. Based in Abu Dhabi, she has worked across multiple sectors, including social services, education, oil and gas, and investment. Alanoud has managed large-scale strategies and policies, contributing to the development of various programs. Her work includes leading initiatives in developing and implementing well-being strategies and programs, community engagement, and the Education Ecosystem Transformation Strategy, leveraging her expertise in strategic planning and stakeholder engagement to drive meaningful change across the region.
Raida Al-Zu'bi
Raida Al-Zu'bi is a Gender Equality and Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) specialist, with an M.A. in Sociology from the US (Magna Cum Laude) and over 20 years of relevant work experience at established international development organisations. These include the Gender Unit at Sussex University's Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Harvard University's School of Public Health, UN Women and other UN agencies. Her current focus is on leveraging technology to catalyse fair, decent, safe and socially protected hybrid or remote work and enterprise opportunities for Arab women with among the lowest employment, the lowest business ownership and the highest unemployment rates in the world.
Ebtehal Basiouny
Ebtehal is the Government Affairs Lead for Microsoft in Egypt. She has experienced in policy design and implementation, stakeholders’ engagement, aid effectiveness, and managing development projects in public sector reform and innovation.
Mathew Crawley
Mathew Crawley has worked within the ‘Bereavement Services’ profession for 30 years. As the Chief Executive of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM), complemented with his experience working within many aspects of funerary provision during this time, his current working role allows him to operate strategically in order to provide education, training and guidance for professionals working within cemetery and crematoria settings whilst advocating for policy and regulation within this same space. Alongside his studies, Mathew is also a guest lecturer of Thanatology for the University of Central Lancashire, a member of the Centre for Death and Society (CDAS) here at the university of Bath and was the recipient of a Doctoral Recognition Award in both 2024 and 2025.
Georges Ghali
Georges is an analyst for the Syria Women’s Peace and Security Programme managed by UN Women, where he specialises in delivering support for women's engagement in the political process (Track I) and developing peacebuilding programs (Track II & III). His research interests primarily revolve around studying policy reform processes in highly contentious and fragile contexts. Prior to his current role, Georges served as the Regional Humanitarian Campaigns Coordinator for Oxfam International, leading their policy and advocacy initiatives in the MENA region, specifically focusing on Yemen and Syria.
Wesley Hughes
Wes is a former civil servant with extensive international experience in developing and executing on national security strategy, policy, and operations. Recently, Wes transitioned away from the civil service and returned to the health sector as a teacher practitioner and mentor with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. He is also the co-founder of Crucible Consulting.
Hannah Loryman
Hannah is the Head of Policy at Sightsavers, where she leads a team to influence policy on health, education, inclusion and climate change. She is also a trustee for the UK Forum for International Education and Training and Able Child. Before joining Sightsavers, she worked on a range of policy issues within civil society and the UK civil service. Her thesis focuses on the integration of climate change and education within global development.
Abdelmalik Muhummed
Abdelmalik Muhummed is a labour economist with extensive experience in economic and employment policy across diverse regional contexts. He currently serves as the Employment and Labour Market Specialist for the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, where he provides technical and advisory support to 22 countries and territories. Prior to this role, Abdelmalik was the ILO’s Labour Economist in both Somalia and Uganda, and he has worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization, Development Alternatives Inc., Silatech, and Adam Smith International on development initiatives throughout the Middle East and the Horn of Africa.
Abdelmalik holds an MSc in Applied Labour Economics for Development from the University of Turin, Italy. He is currently working on his doctoral thesis examining labour market dynamics in crisis settings, with a particular focus on the impacts of conflict, war, and climate change. His other research interests also include structural transformation, employment policy design and implementation, pathways to formalisation, and the analysis of labour market inequalities.
Marale Sande
Marale is a civil servant with thirteen years of experience in public policy and legislation. As a principal research and policy analyst with a keen interest in social policy, she works as a technical backstop for MPs and House Committees of the Parliament of Kenya. Since 2015, she has worked closely with national, regional, and international policy think tanks to drive the agenda for increased evidence uptake among parliamentarians. She was instrumental in developing the concept and establishment of the Parliamentary Caucus on Evidence-Informed Decision-Making (PC-EIDM). PC-EIDM is an MP-led evidence advocacy platform that champions the institutionalization of EIDM in policy and legislative discourse in Kenya.
Marale’s research interests cut across decentralisation, governance, and implementation research with a specific focus on policy diffusion, transfer, and adoption. She is concerned with generating a better understanding of how sub-national governments in Kenya make policy choices related to health innovation/interventions; that is, the mechanism(s), drivers (both factors and actors), and the contribution or otherwise of context (local knowledge) in policy adoption.
Abdurahman Sharif
Abdurahman Sharif is the Senior Director, Programme Impact, Influencing and Humanitarian Affairs at Save the Children International. He is responsible for overseeing the delivery of high-quality, demand-driven technical support to Country Offices, aligning global advocacy and campaign efforts, and strengthening child-focused anticipatory action, emergency preparedness and humanitarian response. He also provides direct leadership in large-scale or exceptional humanitarian emergencies.
Abdurahman has held several roles at Save the Children. He was previously a Senior Humanitarian Director and a Regional Program Development, Quality and Impact Director for West and Central Africa. He was also a Senior Director of Partnerships and Outreach for the Media Development NGO Internews Europe (2021 to 2024) where he stewarded relationships with key policymakers in Europe. From 2019 to 2020, he was a Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia where he provided high level advisory support as a specialist on Development and International Relations. Abdurahman has also been the Director of the Somalia NGO Consortium (2015 to 2018), a coordination body for NGOs working in Somalia, and the Executive Director of the Muslim Charities Forum (2014 to 2015), an umbrella organisation for Muslim-led international NGOs based in the UK. He holds two Master’s Degrees, one in Languages from the University of Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris) and one in Development Studies from the University of Pavia (Italy). He speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish and Somali and is conversant in Arabic. As part of his current studies at the University of Bath, he is interested in examining the interactions between state and society, through the provision of social services, in places where governance structures are defined as weak.
Cohort seven (2021)
Christopher Borthwick
Christopher is an Advocacy Manager at VSO, a leading international development agency that works through volunteering. He has been with VSO since 2013, and is experienced in cross-sector partnerships, private sector engagement and advocacy.
Mohamed El Bashir
Mohamed works for Facebook, and has more than 15 years of experience contributing to development of institutions for global governance of the internet, including work for The State of Qatar and ICANN in California.
Mohamad El-Hinnawi
Mohamed is a Partner at PwC Middle East, where he leads on digital and experience consulting, and has worked with public and private sector clients in more than 10 countries. In his role, he advises governmental entities and leads initiatives focused on improving citizens’ experience through digital solutions. His research interests cover public service innovation, digital policies and governance, and responsible technology adoption.
Felicity Groves
Felicity Groves is a Senior Manager within Bath and North East Somerset Council, focusing on Service Development. Her role involves leading on quality assurance, policy change and multi-agency partnerships, to help to support the most vulnerable children and families within Bath. Felicity and her colleagues in B&NES are passionate about finding different ways to support families, that build resilience within local communities and reduce the likelihood of children entering care.
Felicity has previously practiced as a Social Worker and Team Manager, both in the UK and Ireland. She completed her undergraduate degree at Bath and her LLB in International Human Rights Law at NUI Galway. Felicity lectures part -time across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her research interests encapsulate women and children’s rights, as well as social rights across the UK and elsewhere. Felicity is keen to find ways to reduce the number of children made subject to Public Law proceedings and of making the Family Courts a more compassionate environment, when this route is required.
Felicity received a joint diagnosis of ADHD and Autism in her 30s and has a fervent drive to improve the support offered to neurodivergent women and girls internationally.
Jonas Schriegel
Jonas works in the field of capital markets compliance and regulation at SMBC Group in Frankfurt, Germany. Before joining SMBC he worked for Deloitte, GIZ, the German American Chamber of Commerce California and Commerzbank, in Frankfurt, New York, New Delhi and San Diego. His current work focuses on a range of topics related to financial crime and regulatory compliance, while in his previous positions he also covered IT transformation, IT governance and SME Finance.
Sabbir Bin Shams
Sabbir works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of the Bangladesh Government, and is currently based in London. His role there is to support public diplomacy and policy initiative through liaison with relevant UK Government departments and international multilateral organisations.
Cohort six (2020)
Dana Ghassan Al Kahlout
Dana is the Advocacy Manager of the Doha International Family Institute (DIFI). She has over 10 years of experience in family research and policy, with a focus on marital and parenting educational programmes, family policies, the SDGs and international cooperation.
Florian Zabel
Florian has worked on innovation management in public and private sector for the past 10 years. Currently, he is a Senior Advisor and Team Lead in the Liaison Office of the German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ) to the African Union based in Addis Abeba. He held previous postings with GIZ in Egypt, Jordan and Germany.
Thesis title: The Political Economy of Digital Public Infrastructure
Grace Igweta
Grace currently works as a regional evaluation officer for the World Food Programme (WFP), based in South Africa, supporting WFP country offices across the Southern Africa Region in commissioning, managing and using independent evaluations, and doing so in partnership with Government institutions and other United Nations agencies.
Heba Al Fara
Heba works as a senior specialist in knowledge management at Qatar Foundation- a non-profit organization working in education, research and community development. Through her role, Heba provides critical analysis and subject matter expertise on core thematic areas such as progressive education and social progress, improving knowledge transfer, value-add and information management flows between internal and external stakeholders. Heba’s previous experience includes researching and promoting evidence based social policies and programs to serve and protect the family and its members.
Joachim Schmitz
Joachim is a Policy Officer in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, where he works on the challenges Germany’s energy transition (Energiewende) poses for industry. He has also worked on regulation of the chemical industry, vocational and educational training, and (with ILO in Geneva) social and labour market policies for poverty reduction.
Mags Patten
Mags is Executive Director for Public Policy and Communication at Arts Council England. Her areas of policy responsibility include workforce development and leadership within the cultural sector, and the role of art and culture in promoting health and wellbeing. Her communication role is to shape the organisation’s narrative, and to understand the needs and perceptions of its stakeholders and audiences.
Mikaela Cochran
Mikaela is a cost analyst at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), where she leads cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness on humanitarian interventions. Previously she worked with the Centre for Evaluation and Development (C4ED), supporting implementation of experimental quantitative and mixed methods studies for development programmes. Mikaela also served for five years as a senior quantitative researcher at Compassion International where she ran and contributed to the design of quasi-experimental impact evaluations in Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.
Rachel Sherwin
Rachel has spent 15 years working in the international humanitarian and development field, primarily in the Middle East. She currently provides research, monitoring, evaluation, and learning services, consulting for several MENA-based development institutions, NGOs, and think tanks on sustainable development, climate change, and environmental politics programmes. Rachel’s doctoral research focuses on multi-actor collaboration across governance levels and sectors in climate-neutral international development programming in the MENA region and the theory and practice of localisation agendas.
Renata Nowak-Garmer
Renata is UNDP Africa Employment and Social Protection Specialist. In this role, she provides technical advisory to countries and regional institutions and develops regional and global policy and tools. She led The State of Social Assistance in Africa, a publication and data project and is currently leading a project aimed at strengthening community-based social protection mechanisms in five African countries.
Wasif Mullick
Wasif is the Head of Operations and External Relations at the Center for Economic Research in Pakistan, one of the country’s leading policy think tanks. In this role, he has managed numerous large-scale programme evaluations using randomised trials. He also engages actively with policy actors across different sectors, and takes the lead role in the center’s promotion of a culture of evidence-based policymaking.
Cohort five (2019)
Saira Najeeb Ahmed
Saira is a civil servant with more than 20 years of service to the federal government of Pakistan. While serving in the Economic Affairs Division and Finance Division of the Ministry of Finance, Saira has worked with the World Bank, DfID, CIDA, AusAid, USAID and other bilateral and multilateral development agencies on development projects in Pakistan.
Leigh Crowley
Leigh currently works as a Project Associate at the Government Outcomes (GO) Lab, an academic research centre within the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. The GO Lab’s research seeks to isolate the effects of impact bonds on tackling societies most complex and intractable social issues. His core responsibility is to support with the translation of the latest academic research into products that can be used by policymakers to inform their decision-making process.
Caroline Fazli
Caroline is an independent development, education and social research consultant based in India. She has worked in research and programme coordination roles with NGOs—including Seva Mandir and Foundation for Advancement of Science—as well as working with a range of schools in India—from local community schools to international schools—to build institutional capacity and capability for learning and reflection.
Laura Hilger
Laura is a public policy researcher and methodologist based in London, with a keen interest in supporting effective policy design process. Through her career, she has become a specialist in political, social and public sector research in the UK and abroad, with an emphasis on strategy, evaluation and research methodology. Her experience includes research to inform programme/policy development, the creation of policy logic models and evaluation designs, and evaluation of large-scale social policies. She is currently a Research Director at Verian UK, and is using her thesis to better understand the mechanics of UK social policymaking.
Thesis title: Mind the gap: Social policymaking in the UK in theory and practice
Javed Ahmed Malik
Javed has worked on social transformation programmes for the past 20 years in all four provinces of Pakistan as well as in South Sudan, Tanzania, Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan with major development organisations and UN systems. Based in Islamabad, he is now Pakistan Director of Democracy Reporting International, a Berlin based organisation working with the parliaments of emerging democracies to improve human rights.
Kerri Manning
Kerri is a Policy Analyst in Emergency Management at Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, the Federal Department responsible for keeping Canadians safe from a range of risks such as natural disasters, crime and terrorism. Over her career in Government, Kerri has worked with international, national and local partners to advance key emergency management files, including Ministerial and international priorities.
Tigere Muzenda
Tigere is a seasoned investment banker with 26 years' experience in the financial sector. He currently works at SNV Netherlands, Kenya office as the Regional Investment Officer in charge of sub-Saharan Africa in the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) unit. This is an organisation that provides grants and technical assistance to private sector companies to de-risk projects / business cases whose concepts are predominantly inclined towards climate change adaptation and make them investment-ready. It also provides medium to long-term debt and/or equity for the implementation of the de-risked investment concepts.
Prior to SNV, Tigere worked as an Investment Officer in the Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services department of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank. Before joining IFC, Tigere was a Senior Project Finance Officer at the Trade and Development Bank (TDB), a regional DFI owned by COMESA member countries.
Willy Nyeko
A Ugandan national, Willy has spent a number of years working on security and risk management within the United Nations System. He is currently deployed as the Head of Security for the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) Syria Operation where he provides leadership and guidance to the security team to enable the implementation of WFP programmes in Syria including helping to deepen contextual understanding of the Syria crisis, and advising the WFP Country Management on risk management.
Heidi Peterson
Heidi is currently the Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager (International Development) at the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). This role involves leading on the monitoring, evaluation and learning needs of the Global Challenges Research Fund, a £1.5 billion fund by the UK Government to support cutting-edge research that addresses challenges faced by developing countries; and the Newton Fund, a £725 million fund by the UK government to develop science and innovation partnerships that promote the economic development and social welfare of partner countries.
Nidhi Sharma
Nidhi is a professional consultant in development evaluation, programme research, strategic planning and partnerships. A former United Nations Development Programme staff in New York, she has over 15 years of international work experience covering diverse themes, such as, poverty reduction, refugees' social protection, inclusive growth, private sector development, social policy related to women and child rights.
Giles Woodhouse
Giles worked as a professional archaeologist before commissioning into the Army that entailed much operational service in Europe and the Middle East. He retired after commanding his Battalion in Afghanistan and subsequently worked for Help for Heroes where he was responsible for the delivery and development of services supporting wounded, injured and sick personnel, veterans and their families. Currently the Chief Strategy Officer at Wessex Archaeology, he is developing the organisation's public benefit services and impact as well as supporting sectoral advocacy initiatives promoting the relevance of heritage in policymaking.
Thesis title: An exploration of how to demonstrate the social value of engagement in heritage activity within the UK policymaking context
Cohort four (2018)
Ahmed Aref
Ahmed is an experienced research and policy specialist, working on interdisciplinary policy research, evidence-based policy development, impact assessment, advocacy and project management at national, regional and international levels. He currently works for DIFI, Qatar Foundation, as a planning and content manager, and previous employers have included the UN Population Fund Arab States Regional Office; EU Program on Family and Child Rights and the Egyptian Prime Minister’s Office.
Thesis title: Family Focused Social Protection in the GCC: Is Maternity Left Behind?
Ethar Eltinay
Ethar is an independent policy design, development and innovation consultant. She has worked with the government of the UAE, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development and a number of UN agencies in the MENA region.
James Georgalakis
James is Director of Evidence and Impact at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex, with overall leadership of the Institute’s policy engagement, research impact and communications strategies. James is Director of the UK's Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Knowledge for Development and Diplomacy (K4DD) programme and is the former Director of the ESRC FCDO Impact Initiative for International Development Research. He is a political sociologist with an interest in the role of epistemic networks and relationships in the mobilisation of research knowledge for global health. Previous published research includes: A disconnected policy network: The UK's response to the Sierra Leone Ebola epidemic.
Thesis title: Understanding epistemic alignment in uncertainty: An ego-network analysis of public health influencers during the first wave of SARS-COV-2 in England
Robert Maate, Graduated at Masters level, 2022/23
Robert is currently based in Tanzania, working for the International Monetary Fund as regional advisor. He has over 10 years work experience, having previously worked for national governments and on establishment of a currency union among the East African Community member states.
Rabia Nusrat
Rabia is an experienced peacebuilding and development practitioner, with expertise in designing and managing complex programmes in challenging locations. She has worked in South Asia, East Africa and Middle East for wide range of donors. Currently, she is working with Palladium International as a Programme Manager within the Governance Cluster.
Thesis title: Lahori modernity: How is modernity framed in the minds of Lahoris?
Suren C. Tripathi
Suren is a development professional with five years of experience in research, design, technical assistance and evaluation of international development programming. Currently based in Kenya, he has supported a range of stabilisation, state-building and peace-building interventions for Adam Smith International in Somalia since 2013.
Wassim Said
Wassim is a Consultant at the Prime Minister’s Office of the United Arab Emirates, with extensive prior experience at federal and state government agencies in the Levant and the Gulf across various policy areas spanning green economy, trade, defence, food security, and sustainable development.
Cohort three (2017)
Abdulaziz Alhammadi
Abdulaziz is an energy engineer with a particular interest in renewable power generation. His working experience is mostly in the private sector and in the United Arab Emirates, where he is a co-founder of the Emirates Environmental Services Center.
Mohamed Al Sharhan
Mohamed is a civil engineer and civil servant in the government of the United Arab Emirates. His professional responsibilities have included keeping the traffic flowing in Dubai.
Baljit Banga
Baljit is Director of the London Black Women’s Project, a human rights-based feminist organisation addressing all forms of violence against women and girls.
Philippe Clerc
Philippe is currently the Resilience Development Adviser of UNDP Turkey. He has more than 20 years of experience working in various capacities for a range of humanitarian and development agencies in Africa, Middle East and Asia including large INGOs and United Nations.
Thesis title: Resilience evolutions and effects in the aid and livelihood sectors in the Turkey Syrian refugees response
Shaun Finnetty
Shaun is an independent management consultant and development evaluator based in Belize, Central America. His professional work has included performance measurement, human resource management and organisational governance, and he currently works at the Belize Social Investment Fund.
Silke Hofer
Silke is currently based in London, working as a Social Development and Evaluation Practitioner for International Organisations such as the United Nations and IFIs, and has more than a decade of work experience in evaluation, monitoring, research and project management.
Cathy Kamau
Cathy is a consultant, trainer and executive leadership administration professional based in Geneva. She has extensive UN experience, including working directly for the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and prior to that for the UN Special Envoy on Ebola.
Pensiri Ariyapruchya, Graduated, 2022/23
Pensiri is a consultant for the Asian Development Bank, based in Bangkok and working on financial inclusion. She has previously worked as an economist in the Bank of Thailand and as a policy analyst for the National Reform Council.
Valentina Sommacal
Valentina is a development specialist with experience in the management, sustainability and evaluation of projects in the fields of gender, private sector and value chain development, livelihoods and institution building. Currently consulting for FAO, previously she worked with international NGOs, the UN, and EU projects primarily in the MENA Region and Africa.
Stephan Zimmermann
Stephan is currently working for the World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, based in Brussels. He has prior experience working as a policy officer with the European Commission, with ICF International and the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia.
Thesis title: Disaster Risk Finance (DRF): What are the broader macro-economic justifications for investments into sovereign DRF strategies at national level?
Cohort two (2016)
Majid has close to 30 years of private and public sector experience. He joined the Saudi public sector in 2016, during which he worked as Director General of Export Enablement and Acting Director General of Exporters Development at the Saudi Export Development Authority (SEDA). In 2017 he joined the National Center for Performance Measurement (ADAA) as Head of Research and Insights. Since December 2018, he has been working at the Ministry of Economy and Planning, holding various positions until 2022 when he became senior advisor to HE the Minister of Economy and Planning.
Thesis title: The Application of a New Human Capital Paradigm for Saudi Arabia’s Economic Development
Sooksiri Chamsuk
Sooksiri is a Programme Officer for the UN's Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), based in Bangkok, and has more than 15 years of experience working with the UN system (UN Development Programme and UNIDO). Her role is to help countries in South East Asia decouple environmental impacts from economic activities through the implementation of development projects in the areas of low carbon, chemicals management, and sustainable development.
Thesis title: Carbon emission reduction and well-being: Unravelling greenhouse gas emission reduction, carbon finance, and development in Asia
Giorgia Iacopini
Giorgia is a Principal Researcher and Consultant at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations (TIHR), an independent, not-for-profit, social science organisation specialising in evaluation, applied research and organisational consultancy. Giorgia works extensively and regularly with the public sector in the UK (including central and local government and community and voluntary sectors) and the EU undertaking impact and process evaluations, with a particular interest in theory-based evaluation approaches and qualitative research methods
Christine Mwangi
Christine is Director of Executive Education at the Strathmore Institute for Public Policy and Governance in Nairobi.
Margaret Satya Rose
Margaret is a lawyer specialising in public procurement law and qualified to practice in the English-speaking Caribbean, and called to the bar of Trinidad and Tobago, since 1995. Margaret is currently Principal Consultant at the Procurement Innovation and Leadership Lab, and Lecturer on the MSc in Procurement Management, at the Mona School of Business, University of the West Indies.
Margaret has also held board memberships in both the public and private sector, and has worked on World Bank, UNODC and IDB funded projects relating to public procurement research, legislative reform, training and capacity-building in the Caribbean. Margaret is the Co-Founder and former Executive Director of the Caribbean Procurement Institute (2006-2017).
Thesis title: Thesis: A Metatheoretical Analysis of Public Procurement (PP) Governance Design: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ali Salman
Ali is a think tank professional based in Kuala Lumpur. Currently, he is CEO of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) and Islam and Liberty Network, Malaysia. Earlier, he founded and successfully ran the Policy Research Institute of Market Economy in Islamabad. He has worked also at the Planning Commission of Pakistan, Institute of Economic Affairs, London and Alternate Solutions Institute, Pakistan.
Thesis title: Digital economy transformation and policy in Malaysia and Pakistan
Mohamed Youssef
Mohamed possesses 17 years of experience in small business and enterprise promotion programmes in Egypt, both for public and private sector organisations, including responsibility for a programme to replace 100,000 old taxis across the country. He is currently leading the work on international development assignments with both international organisations and the Government.
Cohort one (2015)
Seung-Jin Baek, Graduated, 2020
Seung-Jin is a South Korean economist specialising in development economics and policy. He has worked at various United Nations economic and social commissions (including ESCWA, ECA and ECLAC), contributing to knowledge production for the provision of evidence-based advisory services to member states on development plans, strategies, and macro-frameworks.
Fletcher Chilumpha
Fletcher is a country technical advisor for the UN Capital Development Fund in Malawi. His role is to help build a more inclusive financial sector in the country by promoting a better policy environment, strengthening infrastructure, and building the capacity of financial service providers.
Jeff Farrar, Graduated, 2020
Jeff is Chair of University Hospitals Bristol and Weston Area Health Trust and former Chief Constable of Gwent Police. His wide experience of leadership and policymaking in England, Wales and Westminster includes being a Non-Executive Director on the Welsh Government Board and having been Chair of Welsh Government Effective Services for Vulnerable People Board.
Andrew Fyfe
Andrew is Head of Evaluation at the UN Capital Development Fund and based in New York. He is responsible for external evaluations, for embedding evaluation within the programme cycle and for developing new evaluation tools - including for better measurement of policy performance.
Thesis title: Assessing the drive from billions to trillions while leaving no one behind: building better standards for evaluation of blended public-private development assistance in pursuit of the SDGs
Susan Godt, Graduated, 2022/23
Susan retired as Senior Programme Specialist for Canada’s International Development Research Centre in 2019. She has been a development worker and spent most years since 1981 living and working in sub-Saharan Africa. Her work supported equitable health systems strengthening, women’s development, HIV prevention and rights-based programming.
Thesis title: Multinational investment in primary health and education services: the contested policy space at the “base of the pyramid” in Kenya and Uganda
Njahira Mary Karanja, Graduated, 2022/23
Njahira worked for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and was involved with advocacy on rule of law matters including transnational crime such as illicit drug and human trafficking, terrorism, wildlife crime, among others.
Thesis title: The blockchain and management of juveniles in Kenya’s criminal justice system