Staff

David Harland has been HD’s Executive Director since 2011. David previously worked for the United Nations, including in Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti and Timor Leste, including as acting head of government.  He was author of the UN Secretary-General’s landmark report on the Fall of Srebrenica. He currently serves on the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation, was Chair of the World Economic Forum conflict prevention council and was adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Affairs (SAIS). David has published widely on the issues surrounding conflict and international relations, in the New York Times and elsewhere. Earlier, he was a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University’s Department of Government, where he taught Chinese politics.  David has a Master’s degree from Harvard University and a doctorate from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, as well as a graduate diploma from Beijing University. His graduate research was on compliance with public international law, and on territorial disputes in the South China Sea.  David is from New Zealand. He is married to Tanja, and they have one daughter. 

Marc Hofstetter joined HD in 2009 as Deputy Executive Director. He was previously Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), and the Executive Director of the Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco-growing Foundation. His earlier experience includes working at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), including as their Head of Delegation in Iraq and Tajikistan, and he has also worked as a Project Manager for the World Economic Forum. Marc holds two Master’s degrees, one in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Lausanne, and the other in International Relations from the Fletchers School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

A graduate of the Institute of International Relations in Geneva, Alexandre Liebeskind joined BNP Paribas in 1992. After several years at the bank’s headquarters in Paris, he returned to Geneva to take on the role of Head of Marketing and Communications at it’s Swiss branch. In 1997, he joined the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This new role brought him on missions to Israel and Palestine as well as to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Liberia, Nepal, Iraq and Sudan, where he led the ICRC’s operations in Darfur from 2004 to 2006. Called back to the ICRC’s headquarters in Geneva, he then co-ordinated operations in the Horn of Africa. In 2009, he was appointed Secretary of the Committee and Personal Advisor to the President of the ICRC, serving both Jakob Kellenberger and Peter Maurer, before joining HD in 2013. Between 2013 and 2019, he served as a Member of the Board of Directors of Brussels’ Operational Centre of Doctors without Borders (MSF OCB).

Babatunde Afolabi joined HD in 2016 as Senior Programme Manager overseeing the organisation’s initiatives in Nigeria and The Gambia. In 2019, he was appointed as HD’s Africa Regional Director. Prior to joining the organisation, Babatunde served as Political Affairs Officer and Head of Section at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission during which time he played active roles in the establishment of the ECOWAS Mediation Facilitation Division. He was also a member of the team that conceptualized and implemented the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF). Babatunde was involved in efforts to resolve several conflicts across West Africa providing mediation support to various peace processes and serving as the Secretary to the ECOWAS Council of the Wise. Babatunde has also undertaken independent consultancy on mediation, conflict prevention and project management for several countries, international and non-governmental organisations as well as academic institutions. His other experience includes working for the Centre for Democracy and Development in Nigeria, as well as teaching and publishing on peace and security issues. His latest book, Politics of Peacemaking in Africa: Non-State Actors’ Role in the Liberian Civil War, was released in 2017. Babatunde has a doctorate in International Relations from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, as well as a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s Degree in Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.

Carine Prestat joined HD in 2011 as Head of Finance and was appointed as Director, Finance and Administration in 2019. She has spent more than fifteen years in Finance and Human Resources in other organisations across the not-for-profit and telecoms sectors. Her previous experience includes four years as the Finance and Administration Officer for the CARE International Secretariat in Geneva and one year as an Administrator for the International Committee of the Red Cross in South Sudan. Carine has a Master’s degree in International Relations from Geneva’s Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

David Gorman joined HD in 2000 and currently heads HD’s Eurasia Programme. He has more than 25 years of experience in the field of peacemaking. David started his career in the Middle East and has since worked in Africa, Southeast Asia and now Eurasia. He has lived in the Philippines, Indonesia, Liberia, Bosnia, as well as the West Bank and Gaza, and he now resides in Cyprus. David has published several articles on peacemaking and was profiled in the award winning film ‘Miles and War’ as well as in Die Zeit, Der Spiegel and the Boston Herald. He has a graduate degree from the London School of Economics.

Jinghua Lyu joined HD in 2021 as HD’s North East Asia Programme Director. Before this, she was a visiting scholar at the Cyber Policy Initiative, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from September 2018 to March 2021. She is also a guest researcher at Center for International Strategy and Security, Tsinghua University and retired Colonel of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Before retirement from the PLA in 2016, Jinghua worked as a research fellow at the Center on China-America Defense Relations, Academy of Military Science. She was also a senior fellow at the Pangoal Institution, one of the most influential public policy think tanks in China. Her research includes Asia-Pacific security issues, China’s defense policy, U.S.-China military to military relations with an emphasis of cybersecurity issues. She also has extensive experiences in participating and organizing major international events, such as the Xiangshan forum 2016, Shangri-la Dialogue 2016 and Seoul Defense Dialogue 2015. She was a visiting researcher at the Institute for Security and Defense Policy based in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2011.

Katia Papagianni joined HD in 2006 and is the organisation’s Director for Policy and Mediation Support. Her work focuses on the design of peace processes and, more specifically, on national dialogues and constitution-making processes. As part of her work at HD, she has supported various peace processes, including in Liberia, Libya, Syria, Myanmar, Ukraine and the Philippines. Katia was also seconded to the United Nations to support national dialogue efforts in Yemen where she shared comparative insights on the design of national dialogue processes. Before joining HD, Katia worked for the National Democratic Institute, as well as for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, and for the United Nations Development Programme. She has been based in Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iraq. Katia holds a Bachelor’s degree from Brown University, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Princeton University, and a Doctorate in Political Science from Columbia University. She has taught on the subjects of peacebuilding and state-building at both Geneva’s Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies’ and at Columbia University.

Michael Vatikiotis left his role as the Editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review to join HD in 2004. A writer and journalist for more than twenty-five years, he is fluent in both Thai and Indonesian. During his career, he has been based as a journalist in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Michael set up HD’s first regional office in Asia in Singapore in 2006. He has a degree in History and Geography from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and a doctorate from Oxford University. He is the author of three books on Southeast Asian politics and two novels set in Indonesia.

Romain Grandjean joined HD in 2007 as part of its international team deployed in Central African Republic to help facilitate the political dialogue which took place in 2008. He currently oversees HD’s activities in the MENA region, where HD is active in several conflicts and crises, including in Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and on cross-regional issues. Romain previously worked for the International Crisis Group, including in the Middle East. He also took part in several international electoral observation missions in Africa, Central America, Europe and the Middle East. He has a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Sorbonne University in Paris, France.

Adam Cooper joined HD in 2010. He currently oversees HD’s digital conflict work, mediating offensive cyber operations and disinformation on social media. He is also host of The Mediator’s Studio podcast. Previously he ran HD’s Myanmar operations for seven years, establishing tracks of negotiations with ethnic armed groups and responding to the Rohingya crisis. Prior to working for HD he coordinated election observation missions in Asia and served as an adviser to former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed. He has degrees from Oxford University and the Harvard Kennedy School. Adam is a Thai and UK national and currently lives in Brussels.

Judyta Wasowska joined HD in 1999 as Personal Assistant to the Executive Director before proceeding to work for several years as a Project Manager with the organisation’s Eurasia team. She previously worked at UNHCR’s Regional Office in Caracas in Venezuela as the Senior Secretary to the Regional Representative and subsequently held a similar role in the Assistant High Commissioner’s office at UNHCR’s headquarters in Geneva. She also worked as an Administrative Assistant in the Emergency Response Unit of the United Nations Development Programme. Judyta has a diploma from the Institut supérieur d’Interprétation et de Traduction in Paris and a degree in Spanish literature and civilization from the University of Sorbonne–Paris IV.

The former Norwegian diplomat joined HD in January 2021, having spent most of his diplomatic career in Africa. He was appointed as ambassador of Norway to Ethiopia in 2006 and has since served as ambassador also to Sudan, Iran and Nigeria. He has also been Norway’s special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan and had previous postings to Somalia and Ethiopia, as well as serving i.a. as Africa Director in MFA in Oslo, since he joined MFA in 1992. He is a lawyer by profession and has also worked with UNHCR and the trade union movement specialicing in Labour Law and Refugee Law.

Beatrice Mégevand-Roggo moved in 2012 from her role as Regional Director for the Middle East at the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) to become HD’s Special Representative for Syria and then Senior Programme Manager for the Middle East. She was previously the ICRC’s Regional Director for Europe and the Americas. While at the ICRC, Béatrice worked around the world in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caucasus. She has also worked as a freelance journalist, an Assistant Professor at Università Statale in Milan (Italy), and as a consultant for Non-Governmental Organisations assessing and monitoring development projects in Africa and Latin America. Béatrice holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the Università Statale in Milan, where she focused on contemporary history and international relations.

Baroness Catherine Ashton served as the European Union’s first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy between 2009 and 2014, responsible for the creation of the European External Action Service and the oversight of 140 Diplomatic Missions and 8 military operations. On behalf of the UN Security Council, she coordinated negotiations that resulted in the nuclear programme agreement with Iran. Previously she was EU Commissioner for Trade and served as a Minister in the Departments of Education and Justice in the British House of Lords, as well as Leader of the House of Lords and President of HM Queen’s Privy Council. In addition to her role with HD, Baroness Ashton is a Senior Policy Advisor at Chatham House and the Global Europe Chair at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars in Washington D.C.

Dennis McNamara has more than three decades of international humanitarian experience during which he held several senior positions across the United Nations before becoming HD’s Senior Humanitarian Adviser in 2007. Prior to joining HD, he served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Special Envoy to Iraq and the former Yugoslavia, and as UNHCR Director of International Protection. Dennis has also worked in UN Peacekeeping Operations and as Director in the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. He was Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General in Kosovo as well as at Deputy UN Administrator at the Assistant Secretary-General level in Timor Leste. Prior to this, Dennis headed the Human Rights Component of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia. Dennis has an Honours degree in law from Auckland University and practiced as a lawyer in the UK and Kenya before joining the UN.

Elena Valenciano joined HD in the capacity of Senior Adviser in 2019. Prior to HD, she co-founded and was later President of the Women’s Foundation (Fundación Mujeres), a reference organisation in Spain in the area of gender equality. Elena has 20 years of experience as a member of parliament at the national and European levels, having initiated her career in 1999 in the European Parliament, where she held positions such as Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Human Rights and Vice-President of the Special Commission on Terrorism. She participated in parliamentary missions to Israel and Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon, DRC and Burundi, Hungary and Serbia, among others. She was designated as Head of the European Union Electoral Observation Missions to Senegal (2019), Lebanon (2017) and Haiti (2015-2016). Prior to her engagement at the international level, she was the spokesperson of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) in the Commission of Foreign Affairs in the Congress.

Eric Richardson is a Senior Adviser in HD’s Asia programme. He is an international attorney and negotiations expert whose diplomatic career included postings in and on China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Myanmar, Libya, Tunisia, Israel and Palestinian areas, the US Mission to the UN in Geneva, and New Zealand.  He has also focused on foreign affairs issues for the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs and the international law firm of Morrison & Foerster. Eric speaks Mandarin Chinese, French and English.  ​Eric graduated with a Bachelor in International Relations from Stanford University, a Master in Law and World Politics from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctorate in Law from University of Michigan Law School. 

Fatima Kassam’s work has explored the connections between poverty, risk, intolerance and conflict, and has included the development of innovative financing to address some of the world’s most intractable problems. She served as Chief of Staff to the African Risk Capacity, a Specialized Agency of the African Union which mitigates risks in the African region through pooled funds. She has served with a number of global organizations in the fields of humanitarian action, economic development, social cohesion and pluralism.

Ambassador Haile Menkerios has about 30 years of experience in conflict resolution. A career diplomat, he served as Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General (UNSG) and head of the UN Office to the African Union (2013-2018). Prior to this, Amb. Menkerios served as Special Envoy of the UNSG for Sudan and South Sudan (2011-2013) and Head of the UN Mission in Sudan (2009-2011), as well as UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs in New York (2007-2009). Since he joined the UN in 2001, Amb. Menkerios held several other senior UN positions including in field missions dealing with issues of peace and security. His engagements during his career  included successful mediation efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe, the African Great Lakes Region, Madagascar, and The Comoros. Prior to his time with the UN, Amb. Menkerios served as Eritrean Permanent Representative to the UN (1997-2000), Special Envoy to Somalia and the Great Lakes Region and Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union during the critical period of Eritrea’s separation from Ethiopia. He joined HD as a Senior Adviser in July 2018.

Freddy Nkurikiye is HD’s Special Representative of West and Central Africa. He rejoined the organisation’s Central African Republic (CAR) team in 2013, having previously served HD as its CAR Office Manager during HD’s first involvement in the country in 2007-2008. Freddy is an expert on political dynamics and development issues with a detailed knowledge of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. He has previously worked as an expert on a number of conflict management programmes with the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme, Interpeace, Synergies Africa, and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Those included the peace process and political dialogue in Burundi; the political dialogues in Togo and the Central Africa Republic (CAR); the reconciliation and transitional justice processes in Ivory Coast, Mali, Burundi and CAR; as well as youth empowerment programmes in Burundi and Togo. Freddy has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Geneva and worked as a Junior Lecturer in Corporate Finance at the University of Geneva from 2003 to 2007.

Ambassador Dr. Martin Sajdik’s diplomatic career first took him to Geneva, he later on twice served as envoy to the Austrian Embassy in Moscow. Between 1986 and 1994, being on leave from the Foreign Ministry, he occupied several private sector positions, including as director of the Moscow office of an Austrian Bank and later in the top management of an Austrian Construction Group. Back in the Austrian Foreign Ministry, in 1997, he became head of the Department for EU Enlargement, External Economic Relations, and Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe. In 2003 he was appointed head of economic and integration policy in the Austrian diplomatic service. From 2007 to 2011 he became Austrian Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, North Korea and Mongolia, and from 2012 to 2015 Ambassador to the United Nations in New York. In 2014/15 he served as President of the UN Economic and Social Council as well as of the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. From 2015 to 2020, Ambassador Sajdik was the OSCE Ukraine Special Envoy in charge of the Minsk talks on a conflict settlement in eastern Ukraine. Ambassador Sajdik has a doctorate in law from the University of Vienna, and studied international law at the Lomonosov University in Moscow, and international relations at the Johns Hopkins University in Bologna, Italy.

For many years, Pierre Hazan has advised governments and armed groups on questions related to justice, amnesty, reparation, truth commission, forced disappearances, international humanitarian law and human rights. He also worked with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and collaborated with the United Nations in the Balkans. He was a member of the International Contact Group on the Basque Conflict, which co-organized in 2011 the Peace Conference leading to the end of political violence in the Basque country. He worked in many conflict zones in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and in Europe. 

In 2015, Pierre Hazan created justiceinfo.net, a media dedicated to justice issues in societies in transition. In 2018, on behalf of the City of Geneva, he was the coordinator of the Declaration of Geneva “Human Rights and Culture Heritage: Committed Cities Working Together”. In 2019-2020, Pierre curated the War and Peace exhibition held at the Martin Bodmer Foundation in partnership with the UN and the ICRC.

A Fellow at Harvard Law School (2005) and at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. (2006), Pierre Hazan has taught at SciencesPo Paris and at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva). He is also a member of IFIT Law and Peace Practice Group. Pierre Hazan has authored many books and publications, including Amnesty: A blessing in disguise? (Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, 2020), Judging War, Judging History; Behind Peace and Reconciliation (Stanford University Press, 2010), Justice in a Time of War (Texas A&M, 2004). In 2002, Pierre is a founding member of the International Film Festival and Forums on Human Rights. 

Amb. Rafael E. Seguis joined HD in November 2016 as Senior Adviser. Before joining HD, he worked for the Philippine Government for more than fifty years and became the Chairman of the Philippine Government’s Peace Negotiating Panel with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2008. His most recent role was in the Home Office as Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns (previously named Special Concerns) and Undersecretary for Administration. As Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns, he also represented the Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Cluster for National Security and Peace. He has held other senior positions in the department including Assistant Secretary for Middle East and African Affairs in the 1990s, and Assistant Secretary for Fiscal Management in the 1980s. In addition, he has broad experience in the Foreign Service as Philippine Ambassador to Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Indonesia, East Timor and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has also served in various capacities in the Philippine Embassies in Rome, Bangkok, Cairo, Tehran and Tripoli. Mr Seguis has represented the Philippines in regional and international conferences, and he has been a member and, at times, head of the Philippine Delegation to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Council of Ministers Meetings since 1997.

Dr Renata Dwan is an expert and practitioner in the prevention and resolution of armed conflict in all its major modern forms: weapons of mass destruction; conventional warfare; civil war and armed insurrection; asymmetric warfare, hybrid warfare and short-of-war modes of digital conflict. She is Deputy Director of Chatham House – the Royal Institute for International Affairs. Previously, Renata was Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), and has had front-line deployments with the United Nations in DRC, Syria, Afghanistan, Haiti and elsewhere. Renata served with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), and studied at Oxford University. 

The former Norwegian diplomat joined HD in January 2021, having spent most of his diplomatic career in Africa. He was appointed as ambassador of Norway to Ethiopia in 2006 and has since served as ambassador also to Sudan, Iran and Nigeria. He has also been Norway’s special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan and had previous postings to Somalia and Ethiopia, as well as serving i.a. as Africa Director in MFA in Oslo, since he joined MFA in 1992. He is a lawyer by profession and has also worked with UNHCR and the trade union movement specialicing in Labour Law and Refugee Law.

Babatunde Afolabi joined HD in 2016 as Senior Programme Manager overseeing the organisation’s initiatives in Nigeria and The Gambia. In 2019, he was appointed as HD’s Africa Regional Director. Prior to joining the organisation, Babatunde served as Political Affairs Officer and Head of Section at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission during which time he played active roles in the establishment of the ECOWAS Mediation Facilitation Division. He was also a member of the team that conceptualized and implemented the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF). Babatunde was involved in efforts to resolve several conflicts across West Africa providing mediation support to various peace processes and serving as the Secretary to the ECOWAS Council of the Wise. Babatunde has also undertaken independent consultancy on mediation, conflict prevention and project management for several countries, international and non-governmental organisations as well as academic institutions. His other experience includes working for the Centre for Democracy and Development in Nigeria, as well as teaching and publishing on peace and security issues. His latest book, Politics of Peacemaking in Africa: Non-State Actors’ Role in the Liberian Civil War, was released in 2017. Babatunde has a doctorate in International Relations from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, as well as a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s Degree in Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.

Dr Annette Weber joined HD as a Special Adviser on the Horn of Africa in 2019. She is a Senior Fellow with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) and an expert on the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea arena with 20 years of experience in the region. Annette has been an advisor to the German government on facilitations for the AU mediation on Sudan since 2012. She was also an advisor for the Berghof Foundation on the Horn of Africa. Annette publishes extensively on political aspects of the region and advises the German Government at the highest level, as well as serving as an advisor to international bodies. She is a regular speaker at conferences on security and international relations in the Horn of Africa worldwide. Annette has worked for SWP since 2006 and had a two year residency in Ethiopia from 2010–2012. Before joining SWP, she coordinated German NGOs working in the Great Lakes Region. Previously, she was the Sudan researcher for Amnesty International and published several reports, including on sexual violence in Darfur. She is a regular lecturer on IR theory, feminist conflict studies and HoA relations at the Free University in Berlin and the Innsbruck University. Annette holds a PhD in political science from the Free University of Berlin.

Ahmed Yassin holds a Doctorate degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies  (SOAS) at the University of London. He also holds a master degree from the University of Birmingham. Between 1983 – 2003 he served in several positions within the National Museum of Kenya, rising to the position of Director General in an acting capacity. Later he joined the National Cohesion and Integration Commission between  2009 – 2013. In addition to being full time staff at the National Museum of Kenya, he also works as a Chief Research Scientist. He joined HD in May 2016 as a Lead Facilitator in North East Nigeria.

Anne Nduta Kinga holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and is an affiliate of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). She has four years’ experience in internal/external audit and accounting. Prior to joining HD in 2014, she worked for Total Kenya Ltd.

Caroline Nyaga joined HD in 2009 and currently supports the organisation’s mediation initiatives in central Nigeria. Prior to joining HD, she worked for the Kenya Human Rights Commission as a Programme Associate on its Human Rights Outreach Programme. She also completed an internship with the Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW) as part of its community activism programme. Caroline has a degree in Social Sciences from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and a Master’s Degree in International Studies from the University of Nairobi.

Dorothy Njoki Ndungu had been a Grants Manager for Development Alternatives Incorporated before becoming a Project Officer for HD in 2012 and a Project Manager in 2020. She has significant experience in managing grants and liaising with international donors having also worked on the Kenya Transition Initiative which was funded by the United States, and the Drivers of Accountability Programme-Kenya which was funded by the UK, Canada and Denmark. Prior to that, Dorothy was a Programme Coordinator at the Nairobi Peace Initiative – Africa. She has a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Delhi.

Hatim Badien joined HD in May 2020 as Project Manager for Sudan. Hatim previously worked for the International Organization of Migration (IOM) – Iraq Mission as Field Office Coordinator and Project Officer for the Al Anbar office, where he was in charge of the daily operations and programme implementation. He has also worked in Sudan with USAID-OFDA, UNDP and United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). Hatim holds a Masters in Project Management from the University of Medical Sciences & Technology in Khartoum, Sudan and a Bachelor degree of Arts with specialization in Economics from the University of Mumbai, India. He has excellent knowledge and experience in project cycle management, emergency contexts, early recovery, post conflict analysis and peace building.

Kazeem Sogbetun joined HD in 2017  as the Administration and Finance Manager in Nigeria. Prior to HD, Kezeem worked as a Global Fund Tuberculosis Project Accountant affiliated with the National Tuberculosis, Burulli Ulcer and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) in Nigeria. He has also worked as a Senior Finance Officer in Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), a Non-Governmental Organization and Principal Recipient of Global Fund Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Projects Grants in Nigeria from 2009-2016. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He is a chartered accountant, a member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He is also an associate member of Chartered Institute of Loan and Risk Management of Nigeria (CILRMN).  

Mary joined HD in 2018 and is based in Nairobi, where she supports HD’s Africa operations in charge of the management of finance, administration and human resources for the region. Prior to joining HD, Mary was the Head of Finance and Operations at CrossBoundary LLC, managing the firm’s wide operations in Africa and Washington DC. Previously, Mary worked for Acumen Fund Inc as Finance and Administration Manager where she executed the implementation of operational systems for finance, grant reporting, investments and talent management. Mary also worked for Rockefeller Foundation for five years and was instrumental in establishing the administrative and financial operating systems for the Africa Regional office. She holds a Masters in Human Resource Management from Kenyatta University, a Bachelors of Science in International Business Administration from the United States International University (USIU) and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Millicent joined HD in 2020 as Country and Programme Manager for Nigeria. She is a UK qualified lawyer and ADR practitioner with over 16 years of experience in development and project management work in West Africa. Millicent is also a Prince2 qualified Project Management Practitioner. Prior to joining HD, she worked as the Officer in Charge of the UNOPS Nigeria Office and as Deputy Manager for Sierra Leone, where she successfully managed multi-sector projects requiring high level coordination and fluid stakeholder management. Before joining the UN, Millicent worked in various capacities across West Africa (anglophone and francophone) including as adviser to the Office of the President (Sierra Leone) on a DFID funded programme. She has also been a consultant and technical expert to various organisations including the World Bank, DFID, ECOWAS, ITU and PWAN (Nigeria). On leaving full time legal practice in 2005, Millicent founded CLAS Consult, a consultancy firm with offices in the UK, Sierra Leone and Liberia, renowned for piloting the Centre for ADR which mediates private and public sector disputes in Sierra Leone, guided by the Chamber of Commerce. Millicent is a law graduate of Keele University (UK) and of the University of Montpellier (France). She qualified as Solicitor with the City firm of Hammonds (UK) and sister firm Hausamann et Associés (Paris). She speaks four languages, including fluent French.

Mohamed Abdullahi Omar is the former Minister of Foreign Affairs for Somaliland. He became HD’s Special Representative of the Horn of Africa in 2014. As Somaliland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was in charge of transnational political, economic and security matters. He has led political, economic and state-building programmes for more than twenty-five years and he was one of the architects of the talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Government of Somaliland, during which he acted as the lead political negotiator. Mohamed has also worked in academia and on social development programmes in the United Kingdom and undertaken other development work. His expertise ranges from diplomacy, political work, social reforms and counter-terrorism to negotiations and programme management. His speaks a number of languages including Dutch as well as Somali and English. He has a degree in Psychology from Holland and a Master’s degree in Social Policy as well as a doctorate focused on the global political economy, both from the United Kingdom.

Mohamed Wardere became a Project Manager with HD in 2015. He has more than two decades of experience in managing public, private and humanitarian programmes and projects. He has previously worked for various international aid agencies including Action Contre la Faim, Oxfam, Mercy Corps, Caritas, the Danish Refugee Council and Africa Development Solutions, in Somalia, Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda, South Africa and South Sudan. He also served as Deputy Country Director with Action Contre la Faim before joining HD. His work has included assignments in the Horn of Africa designing and managing donor funded emergency, transitional and developmental programmes. His wide experience has given him an understanding of both humanitarian aid and the management of programme and project cycles. Mohamed is also skilled in community engagement, training and capacity-building, inclusion, community-driven development as well as monitoring and evaluation. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering obtained from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi, Kenya.

Naana Marekia came to HD in 2014 from the Nairobi Peace Initiative – Africa (NPI-Africa) where she worked as a Programme Coordinator in their Research, Learning and Policy programme. In this role, Naana co-ordinated a research project between NPI-Africa and the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding on transitional justice which focused on the efficacy of truth commissions in Africa. She has also been the Kenya Project Manager for a comparative study on violence and political transitions carried out by NPI-Africa, Africa University’s Institute of Peace, Leadership and Governance from Zimbabwe, and South Africa’s Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation. Naana has a degree in International Relations from the United States International University – Africa and a Master’s degree in Peace Studies from Bradford University in the United Kingdom.

Nana Abrafi Osei-Agbo joined HD as a Project Associate for the Nigeria team in August 2018. Before joining HD, she was a Program and Administrative Support Officer, North West Zone, for the NAIIS Project, the largest HIV/AIDS indicator survey in Nigeria. In this role, she coordinated the production of detailed monthly and quarterly reports, as well as strengthened internal accountability systems. She also worked as a Programme Assistant for the Achieving Health Nigeria Initiative (AHNi), an affiliate of FHI360. She has extensive knowledge in advocacy, stakeholder management, grant management, program & knowledge management, and strategic behavioural communication. She has led in the creation of project programmatic reports, success stories, press releases, learning series, profiles, newsletters and technical briefs for USAID and DFID-funded programs. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Babcock University and a Certificate in Leadership and Management in Health from the University of Washington.

Saadgi Rajani joined HD’s Nigeria team as Project Officer in 2019. Prior to HD, Saadgi worked for the British High Commission as Senior Prosperity and Peace Adviser on managing DFID programs. She holds a Master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Studies with a specialization in Gender and Conflict Resolution from the United Nations University for Peace, Costa Rica. Saadgi was also a professional tennis player, once ranked number 5 in India.

Sarah Kahaisha joined HD in 2013 and currently supports HD’s projects in the Horn of Africa and Mozambique. Prior to joining the organisation, she worked for three years in South Sudan with a faith-based, non-profit organisation supporting its economic and education empowerment programmes for women and youth, and providing soft skills training as part of its leadership training programme. She later joined the secretariat office of a privately-owned institution in Nairobi where she was tasked with setting up institutional management systems, and ensuring compliance and quality control of the institution’s systems and educational programmes for vetting by the Commission for University Education in Kenya. During that time, she also worked as part of various academic steering committees and co-ordinated the logistics and the organisation of publicity and outreach activities for the institution. Sarah Kahaisha holds a Bachelor of Arts with a minor in Business Administration and Management from Daystar University in Nairobi, Kenya.

Veronica joined HD in November 2016 having previously worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for over 8 years. She attained a Bachelors’ degree in Finance and a Masters in Strategic Management both from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. Coupled with a Higher Diploma in Project Management, she has significant experience in human resource policies and principles, logistics and finance. She gathered skills in the structures and procedures for NGO’s as well as humanitarian works having also worked for the BBC Media Action which is the humanitarian arm of the BBC.

Victoria Odhiambo holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from Strathmore University in Nairobi as well as an Advanced Diploma in Human Resource and Business management from the Association of Business  Managers and Administrators, United Kingdom. She is currently pursuing her ACCA qualification (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants). Before joining HD in 2011, Victoria worked as an accountant and acting Finance and Administration Manager for the African Academy of Sciences. She also served as African Representative in the ECPAT International Child and Youth Advisory Committee.

Yodit Lemma holds an MSc in Development Studies from the University of London, SOAS and a BA in International Relations from Agnes Scott College. She has many years of experience working in the area of political and conflict analysis, as well as peace mediation, gender and insecurity in  East Africa and the Horn of Africa. Prior to joining HD, Yodit managed the Small Arms Survey’s Human Security Baseline Assessment (HSBA) project for Sudan and South Sudan and served as the Regional Conflict, Gender and Insecurities Policy Advisor for Oxfam’s Regional Horn and Central Africa Office. In 2012, she worked as a Peace Mediation consultant on South Sudan for HD. Prior to that, she had worked as Political Reporting Officer for the United Nations Mission to South Sudan, during which time she reported on the Lord’s Resistance Army and worked on local reconciliation efforts. From 2010-11, Yodit also served as the Special Assistant to the UN Special Representative to the UN Secretary-General for Sudan, based in Khartoum, and from 2007 – 2008, she was a Project Officer with HD’s Africa Regional Office working primarily on electoral dispute resolution efforts in Somaliland as well as gender and mediation across Africa. 

Jinghua Lyu joined HD in 2021 as HD’s North East Asia Programme Director. Before this, she was a visiting scholar at the Cyber Policy Initiative, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from September 2018 to March 2021. She is also a guest researcher at Center for International Strategy and Security, Tsinghua University and retired Colonel of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Before retirement from the PLA in 2016, Jinghua worked as a research fellow at the Center on China-America Defense Relations, Academy of Military Science. She was also a senior fellow at the Pangoal Institution, one of the most influential public policy think tanks in China. Her research includes Asia-Pacific security issues, China’s defense policy, U.S.-China military to military relations with an emphasis of cybersecurity issues. She also has extensive experiences in participating and organizing major international events, such as the Xiangshan forum 2016, Shangri-la Dialogue 2016 and Seoul Defense Dialogue 2015. She was a visiting researcher at the Institute for Security and Defense Policy based in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2011.

Michael Vatikiotis left his role as the Editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review to join HD in 2004. A writer and journalist for more than twenty-five years, he is fluent in both Thai and Indonesian. During his career, he has been based as a journalist in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Michael set up HD’s first regional office in Asia in Singapore in 2006. He has a degree in History and Geography from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and a doctorate from Oxford University. He is the author of three books on Southeast Asian politics and two novels set in Indonesia.

Alex Douglas currently works on a range of HD projects across Asia on peace processes, forced migration, and communal violence. From 2013-2015, he managed HD’s project to reduce communal violence in Myanmar. Before joining HD, Alex was working for the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) where he focused on humanitarian emergencies, managing natural resources and social protection in both Australia and Indonesia. He was previously involved in monitoring violence and elections for the Carter Center, in Nepal and Liberia. Alex has two degrees from Flinders University in Australia, one in International Studies and the other a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice.

Amalia Venezuela joined HD in 2012 as the organisation’s Administration and Accounting Manager in the Philippines. She has more than twenty years’ professional experience, having previously spent more than a decade working for development initiatives as a Finance Officer on projects run by the World Bank and agencies of the United Nations. She spent the first ten years of her career working for a commercial bank. Amalia is a Certified Public Accountant in the Philippines.

Amy Kong joined HD as an Accountant in 2013 from her role at an NGO which was working to help people with disabilities. She had previously worked for a listed company in the steel industry and as a Regional Accountant for a multinational company supplying medical devices. She has a Diploma from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Group and a certificate from the Business Analytics and Reporting Programme of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore.

Andrea Bernarte was working for the Government of the Philippines before she became HD’s Project Associate for the country in 2016. While working for the Department of Transportation and Communications, Andrea was involved in the procurement of consulting services as well as Public-Private Partnerships. She has a degree in Psychology from the Ateneo de Manila University and she is a licensed Psychometrician in the Philippines.

Annieza Mohamad became a Project Officer at HD in January 2016 having previously been the Finance Officer and Co-ordinator for the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies. Her other experience includes working in areas such as human resources, co-ordination and bookkeeping for the Government of the Philippines, as well as an Adult Trainer, teaching people to read and write. Annieza has a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce as well as a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Mindanao State University, Maguindanao.

Apitchaya (Erng) Kawinlertsatien joined HD as Logistics and Administrative Associate in 2018. Prior to this, she worked in Haddad Brands which partner with the licensors of iconic clothing brands in designing, marketing and in their global distribution. She worked as Assistant Merchandiser in Bangkok, assisting in tracking production and quality, as well as other administrative matters.  Apitchaya has a Bachelor’s Degree from Bangkok University International College where she majored in Communication Arts.

Aung Aung Shein left his role as a Political Officer and Project Manager in the political section of the British Embassy in Yangon to join HD as a Project Officer in 2015. He had previously been a Training Manager for the International Rescue Committee providing legal awareness training for Karanni refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border, and running capacity-building programmes for Myanmar community-based organisations based in Thailand. Aung has also worked for UKAid as a Programme Officer and he spent seven years as a Senior Protection Officer with the International Committee of the Red Cross. Aung has a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Yangon University.

Aung Myo Htwe joined HD’s Myanmar team as Project Officer in September 2015 and he is also an adviser to a number of community-based organisations in the country. He has more than ten years’ experience in peacebuilding and community development as well as issues related to conflict and gender. In Myanmar, Aung has worked as a Program Manager for the organisation, Search for Common Ground, as a Conflict Adviser for the United Nations Population Fund, and as a Consultant for the World Bank. He has also worked as a Senior Program Officer for the International Rescue Committee in Thailand. As a result of his experiences with marginalized communities in both countries, he has developed expertise in fostering peace, building capacity to address grievances, and mediating conflict. Aung has a degree in Geography from Yadanapon University in Myanmar, and a Master’s degree in International Peace Studies from the University for Peace, Costa Rica.

Eric Richardson is a Senior Adviser in HD’s Asia programme. He is an international attorney and negotiations expert whose diplomatic career included postings in and on China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Myanmar, Libya, Tunisia, Israel and Palestinian areas, the US Mission to the UN in Geneva, and New Zealand.  He has also focused on foreign affairs issues for the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs and the international law firm of Morrison & Foerster. Eric speaks Mandarin Chinese, French and English.  ​Eric graduated with a Bachelor in International Relations from Stanford University, a Master in Law and World Politics from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctorate in Law from University of Michigan Law School. 

Hemant has over ten years of experience with HD, working on a number of confidential mediation projects from 2002 to 2010, and as the Myanmar Country Representative from mid-2018 to early 2021. In one of his roles, he worked with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in the mediation of the Kenya conflict in 2008.  Besides HD, he has completed assignments with the UN’s World Food Programme in Timor-Leste and the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In recent years Hemant was based in Manipur in North East India, along the India-Myanmar border, in an effort to research and promote the Second World War experience and heritage of this conflict-affected region. He set up a WWII battlefield tourism venture and circuit focused on the Burma Campaign that took in locations on both sides of the India-Myanmar frontier. He has since published two books on the topic:  ‘The Battlefields of Imphal: The Second World War and North East India’ (Routledge, 2016) and ‘Imphal 1944: The Japanese Invasion of India’ (Bloomsbury/Osprey, 2018).

Ibrahim moved from the Red Cross to join HD as the organisation’s Project Officer in the Philippines in 2013. He had worked for the Red Cross Movement for the previous four years, working for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, undertaking fieldwork, fundraising and organisational development for the Philippine Red Cross, as well as working as a Reporting Officer for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva. He has a degree in International Studies from the De La Salle University in Manila and he is currently studying for a Master’s degree in the same subject, also at the De La Salle University.

Iona joined HD’s Philippine Office as Project Manager in late 2016. She has worked in the Philippine Government as a staff member in the House of Representatives and, more recently, with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process as Head of the Secretariat supporting the Government Peace Panel in talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. In that capacity, she was directly involved in the negotiations leading to the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and in its implementation until July 2016. Prior to civil service, she was involved in sustainable development NGOs and also spent time in broadcasting and publications. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the Palawan State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of the Philippines. 

Jasmin Lutzi is a Project Manager at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), based in Bangkok, and has been working on national reconciliation processes and confidential mediation processes in Thailand and Cambodia for the past 9 years. Prior to joining HD in 2013, Jasmin was an External Relations and Policy Coordination Officer at the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ). In addition, she was the Foreign Affairs Officer at the Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (TRCT) between 2010 and 2012 which investigated the root causes of the 2010 political violence in Thailand. Jasmin has a Master’s Degree in International Law from Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University.

Jeeyoon Chung joined HD as a Project Associate in 2019. She is now working as a Project Officer. Prior to this, Jeeyoon worked as a research assistant at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, conducting multilingual archival research on international relations in Northeast Asia with focus on contested history, civil society, and security cooperation between Korea and Japan. Jeeyoon graduated summa cum laude from Ewha with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies and a concentration in International Law and Diplomacy. She speaks Korean, English, and Russian.

Leon Oei joined HD as a consultant in 2017. He works on preventing escalations in tensions in the South China Sea. Prior to joining HD, Leon spent three years at a foreign embassy in Singapore facilitating international trade within Southeast Asia. Leon holds an MSc. in Strategic Studies from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) where he held the RSIS scholarship from 2015-2016. He graduated magna cum laude from the Singapore Management University with a BSc. in Political Science and Economics.

Mg Ni joined HD as a Project Associate in 2014 to support its work in Myanmar having previously been a Project Associate with the UNHCR working on Camp Coordination and Camp Management in Myanmar. In this role, he liaised with the local government over issues relating to internally displaced people. Mg’s other experience includes working as a Base Logistician in Myanmar for Action Contre La Faim. Mg has a degree in English Literature from Sittwe-Rakine State University.

Myint Myint is working in HD’s Yangon office as Finance and Administration Manager. Myint Myint also worked for the International Rescue Committee (IRC-Myanmar) for over 8 years starting as a finance assistant and then to a finance coordinator in 2008. Myint Myint has worked at Accel International Co. Ltd., for over 12 and half years as a senior accountant in the account receivables section. Myint Myint hold B.Com (Hons.) from Institute of Economics Yangon.

Ni Jue joined HD as a Human Resource and Logistics Associate in 2017. Prior to this, she worked in a Japanese art gallery as a Gallery Assistant in Singapore, assisting in art exhibition planning, logistics and administrative matters. In the gallery, she worked for one of the most renowed Japanese artists Yayoi Kusama and planned exhibitions for many other contemporary artists in Asia too. Ni Jue has a Bachelor’s Degree from National University of Singapore where she majored in Chinese Linguistics and Chinese Studies.

Nilar Oo became HD’s Myanmar Country Representative in April 2021, after serving as the Deputy Country Representative since 2013. Prior to that she was the Deputy Director for Operations and External Relations for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to become HD’s Deputy Country Representative for Myanmar in 2013. At the IRC, she was responsible for expanding the organisation’s programmes and liaising with Government Ministries and other stakeholders. Earlier in her career, Nilar spent more than eighteen years with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and when the ICRC withdrew its expatriates from Myanmar for three years in the 1990s, Nilar maintained its contacts with the authorities in Myanmar and supervised its programmes in the country. She has extensive experience of working with ethnic armed groups, including visiting detainees in prison and conducting quiet diplomacy to improve their conditions. Nilar has a degree in English Literature from Rangoon Arts and Science University, a Master’s degree in Peacebuilding from Coventry University in the United Kingdom, and an International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Norainne Abas became HD’s Project Associate for the Philippines in 2016, having been previously involved with the organisation as a volunteer since 2013 and as a liaison officer between HD and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission from early 2014 to late 2015. Norainne previously worked at the Sharif Awliya Academy as a Classroom Adviser and a Math Teacher. She has a degree in Computer Engineering from the Notre Dame University – Cotabato City.

Qiyang Niu joined HD’s Asia team as a Project Associate in 2018. Prior to this, he worked as a political correspondent for Shenzhen Media Group in Washington D.C. covering news on U.S. Asia and Eurasia policy at the Department of State, the Pentagon, the White House, and major think tanks in D.C. area. Previously, Qiyang was a project assistant at EastWest Institute for its Track-II diplomacy team and a research intern for Central Asian affairs at UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. He holds a Master’s degree in European and Russian Studies from Yale University and a Bachelor’s degree in Russian Language and Literature from Nanjing University.​

Amb. Rafael E. Seguis joined HD in November 2016 as Senior Adviser. Before joining HD, he worked for the Philippine Government for more than fifty years and became the Chairman of the Philippine Government’s Peace Negotiating Panel with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2008. His most recent role was in the Home Office as Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns (previously named Special Concerns) and Undersecretary for Administration. As Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns, he also represented the Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Cluster for National Security and Peace. He has held other senior positions in the department including Assistant Secretary for Middle East and African Affairs in the 1990s, and Assistant Secretary for Fiscal Management in the 1980s. In addition, he has broad experience in the Foreign Service as Philippine Ambassador to Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Indonesia, East Timor and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has also served in various capacities in the Philippine Embassies in Rome, Bangkok, Cairo, Tehran and Tripoli. Mr Seguis has represented the Philippines in regional and international conferences, and he has been a member and, at times, head of the Philippine Delegation to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Council of Ministers Meetings since 1997.

Rob Gardner joined HD in the Asia Regional Office in Singapore as Regional Finance and Administration Manager in 2018. He is responsible for managing and coordinating finance, HR and legal compliance issues across the Asia region. Previous to this role Rob has worked in the iNGO sector for the last 12 years in international, regional and country finance roles for Médecins sans Frontières, Volunteer Service Overseas and Médecins du Monde. Before that, Rob held finance roles both the private sector, mainly in telecommunications, and in New Zealand’s public sector. Rob graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Canterbury in New Zealand and is a Chartered Accountant with the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand.

Shienny joined HD in 2002 to assist the organisation with its operations in Aceh, Indonesia. In 2003, she joined the organisation ‘International Relief and Development’ (IRD) in Iraq for a year, before returning to HD in 2004, where she has been working ever since. Shienny worked on a number of HD related activities in Asia, including in Timor Leste from 2007-2009, as well as on issues related to the east of Indonesia since 2008. She specialized on a number of substantive themes, as well as on process-related questions in her work with numerous government- and non-governmental partners. Prior to joining HD, Shienny worked as Marketing Manager with Grant Thornton, an international financial company. She holds a Diploma in Business studies from the UTS University, Sydney, Australia.

Su Wai Phyo worked as an Administrative Assistant in the International Rescue Committee’s Operations Department for four years before joining HD in 2013. Prior to this, she had also worked for FXB International as an Assistant to its Medical Coordinator in Myanmar. Su Wai has a Science degree from the University of Yangon and a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Yangon Technological University.

Suzanne Damman is currently the Deputy Regional Director for Asia. She re-joined HD in 2015 as Project Manager in the organisation’s Philippines Country Office, having previously worked for HD at headquarters for two years from 2007-2009. In the intervening period, Suzanne worked for the Netherlands Red Cross, initially focusing on the Asian region from their headquarters in The Hague before moving to become their Programme Manager in the Philippines. She has also worked for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Geneva. Suzanne has a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and and she holds an MSc in Global Health from the University of Manchester’s Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute in the United Kingdom.

Theerada Suphaphong is HD’s Country Representative in Thailand. Prior to joining HD in 2009, she was the Bangkok-based Co-ordinator for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus which aimed to increase awareness of issues relating to Myanmar among members of parliaments in the region. She has also worked as a Researcher attached to the Thai Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. Theerada has a degree from the University of Oregon in the United States as well as a Master’s degree in International Development Studies from Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University.

Willem Punt joined HD in 2017 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands, where he worked as a Policy Advisor on mediation within the Department for Stabilisation and Humanitarian Aid. Prior to this, he worked at the Security Policy Department and European Union Department of the Ministry. Willem holds a Master’s Degree in Conflict Resolution and Governance from the University of Amsterdam as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Leiden.

Zaceu Lian is an expert on the politics of Myanmar and he joined HD as a Senior Project Officer in 2014. He previously worked as a translator for the 2012 talks in Yangon between the Government of Myanmar and the Chin National Front. He had also held several related leadership roles, serving as the General Secretary for both the Burmese Community Organization of Manitoba and the Chin Christian Fellowship of Canada, as President of the Chin Student Union of North America, and as Assistant General Secretary for the ‘Committee for Non-Violent Action in Burma’. Zaceu has spoken to the media and at conferences on many occasion as an expert on the political situation in Myanmar. He has also published articles on the country in journals and magazines. Zaceu has a degree in Political Science, Rhetoric & Comunications from the University of Winnipeg in Canada, and a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Toronto, where his main research subject was ‘Institutional Design for Divided Societies: A Blue-Print for a Multi-ethnic Burma’.

David Gorman joined HD in 2000 and currently heads HD’s Eurasia Programme. He has more than 25 years of experience in the field of peacemaking. David started his career in the Middle East and has since worked in Africa, Southeast Asia and now Eurasia. He has lived in the Philippines, Indonesia, Liberia, Bosnia, as well as the West Bank and Gaza, and he now resides in Cyprus. David has published several articles on peacemaking and was profiled in the award winning film ‘Miles and War’ as well as in Die Zeit, Der Spiegel and the Boston Herald. He has a graduate degree from the London School of Economics.

Baroness Catherine Ashton served as the European Union’s first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy between 2009 and 2014, responsible for the creation of the European External Action Service and the oversight of 140 Diplomatic Missions and 8 military operations. On behalf of the UN Security Council, she coordinated negotiations that resulted in the nuclear programme agreement with Iran. Previously she was EU Commissioner for Trade and served as a Minister in the Departments of Education and Justice in the British House of Lords, as well as Leader of the House of Lords and President of HM Queen’s Privy Council. In addition to her role with HD, Baroness Ashton is a Senior Policy Advisor at Chatham House and the Global Europe Chair at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars in Washington D.C.

Cristian joined HD in 2017 and has since assisted the organisation’s work in Eurasia and Latin America. Prior to joining HD, Cristian worked at the Delegation of the European Union to the United States in Washington D.C.; the Programme for the Study of International Governance at the Graduate Institute Geneva; and was a visiting researcher at the Russian International Affairs Council in Moscow. His scholarly research on diplomatic and economic sanctions has been featured in various academic publications and conferences. Cristian studied Political Science at University College Utrecht in the Netherlands, the American University in Kosovo, the Graduate Institute of International and American Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington D.C., United States of America.

Elena Valenciano joined HD in the capacity of Senior Adviser in 2019. Prior to HD, she co-founded and was later President of the Women’s Foundation (Fundación Mujeres), a reference organisation in Spain in the area of gender equality. Elena has 20 years of experience as a member of parliament at the national and European levels, having initiated her career in 1999 in the European Parliament, where she held positions such as Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Human Rights and Vice-President of the Special Commission on Terrorism. She participated in parliamentary missions to Israel and Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon, DRC and Burundi, Hungary and Serbia, among others. She was designated as Head of the European Union Electoral Observation Missions to Senegal (2019), Lebanon (2017) and Haiti (2015-2016). Prior to her engagement at the international level, she was the spokesperson of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) in the Commission of Foreign Affairs in the Congress.

Irina Satrovaite is currently a Finance Officer, after becoming the Finance and Administrative Co-ordinator for HD’s Eurasia office in 2016. She has previously held roles of project manager, executive assistant, administrative and logistics consultant. She has worked for OVH in France, United Nations and official.fm in Switzerland and various private companies in Lithuania. Irina has a degree in Political Science from the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University.

Joscha joined HD in 2018 to work on the organisation’s projects in Ukraine. He has extensive experience in the humanitarian sector having worked at the ICRC headquarters, with OCHA in Kiev and in Kosovo with GIZ. Before coming to HD, Joscha was working in Kabul, where he managed the REACH initiative’s support to the Emergency Response Mechanism in Afghanistan. Joscha studied political science and sociology and graduated in International Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies at the Universities of Frankfurt and Darmstadt.

Dr Laurent Vinatier has been working with HD as an Adviser on the organisation’s activities in Ukraine since 2014. His previous experience includes working as a consultant for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Small Arms Survey. During his career, Laurent has undertaken a number of assessments of political risks focusing on Russia and Turkey as well as Islamist movements. He holds a doctorate in Political Science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, during which he specialised in conflict management. Laurent has written four books and numerous articles on his areas of expertise.

Ambassador Dr. Martin Sajdik’s diplomatic career first took him to Geneva, he later on twice served as envoy to the Austrian Embassy in Moscow. Between 1986 and 1994, being on leave from the Foreign Ministry, he occupied several private sector positions, including as director of the Moscow office of an Austrian Bank and later in the top management of an Austrian Construction Group. Back in the Austrian Foreign Ministry, in 1997, he became head of the Department for EU Enlargement, External Economic Relations, and Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe. In 2003 he was appointed head of economic and integration policy in the Austrian diplomatic service. From 2007 to 2011 he became Austrian Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, North Korea and Mongolia, and from 2012 to 2015 Ambassador to the United Nations in New York. In 2014/15 he served as President of the UN Economic and Social Council as well as of the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. From 2015 to 2020, Ambassador Sajdik was the OSCE Ukraine Special Envoy in charge of the Minsk talks on a conflict settlement in eastern Ukraine. Ambassador Sajdik has a doctorate in law from the University of Vienna, and studied international law at the Lomonosov University in Moscow, and international relations at the Johns Hopkins University in Bologna, Italy.

Paul Dziatkowiec had extensive diplomatic experience when he joined HD as a Project Manager in 2012. He had previously been Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner in Nairobi and, as Deputy and Acting Ambassador, covered a range of countries including Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. At the same time, Paul was Australia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Nairobi. As a diplomat, he has also worked in the Australian Embassy in Tel Aviv, and acted periodically as Australian’s Representative to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. He has also represented the International Service for Human Rights in Geneva, worked as a Human Rights Officer in the Australian Foreign Service, and as a Peace Monitor in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Paul has a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from Queensland University, as well as three Master’s degrees in International Law, International Relations, and International Policy Studies from the Australian National University, the University of New South Wales, and the University of Sydney respectively.

Romain Grandjean joined HD in 2007 as part of its international team deployed in Central African Republic to help facilitate the political dialogue which took place in 2008. He currently oversees HD’s activities in the MENA region, where HD is active in several conflicts and crises, including in Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and on cross-regional issues. Romain previously worked for the International Crisis Group, including in the Middle East. He also took part in several international electoral observation missions in Africa, Central America, Europe and the Middle East. He has a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Sorbonne University in Paris, France.

Adam Baron joined HD in 2019, advising on its Yemen programming. Born and raised in Baltimore, he holds a BA from Williams College in Arab Studies and Religion and an MA in International Peace and Security from the department of War Studies at Kings College, London. Adam was based in Sanaa, Yemen, reporting regularly for the Economist and McClatchy newspapers and the Christian Science Monitor from 2011 to 2014. He was previously a visiting fellow at the European Council for Foreign Relations and an International Security Program fellow at the New America Foundation.

Aleka Kessler is a Project Officer for HD, having joined as a Project Associate for Syria in 2017 and having previously interned with HD’s Mediation Support and Policy Unit. Prior to joining HD, Aleka worked with Médecins Sans Frontières and the United Nations Association Mexico on strategic partnerships. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, where she specialized in humanitarian affairs, negotiation and conflict resolution. In addition, Aleka studied at Galatasaray University in Istanbul and at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Aws Jabbar al Tamimi joined HD as an Adviser for Iraq in March 2016. He has worked as a radio and print journalist inside Iraq and in the region since 2003. He has also worked for NGOs, and as a political consultant in Iraq. Aws divides his time between Iraq and neighbouring countries. A graduate of Baghdad University, he received his Masters from the University of Jordan.

Beatrice Mégevand-Roggo moved in 2012 from her role as Regional Director for the Middle East at the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) to become HD’s Special Representative for Syria and then Senior Programme Manager for the Middle East. She was previously the ICRC’s Regional Director for Europe and the Americas. While at the ICRC, Béatrice worked around the world in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caucasus. She has also worked as a freelance journalist, an Assistant Professor at Università Statale in Milan (Italy), and as a consultant for Non-Governmental Organisations assessing and monitoring development projects in Africa and Latin America. Béatrice holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the Università Statale in Milan, where she focused on contemporary history and international relations.

Céline Fasana joined HD in 2017 as a Logistics and Administration Coordinator for the Near East and North Africa team. She holds a Bachelor degree in Business and Administration from HEG. Céline has more than 2 years of experience in event planning and administration. Her previous employers were the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the International Business Machine and Procter & Gamble. Céline is fluent in both English and French.

Christopher Thornton re-joined HD in 2011 having been an intern with the organisation in 2009. He is currently consultant for HD’s projects in Libya and Tunisia after serving as its Project Manager. He has worked on Libya since 2011 and travelled extensively throughout the country. He has also spent a year in Tunisia working on inter-party dialogue around the country’s electoral process. Before joining HD, Chris held research and policy positions at the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He has a Master’s degree in History from the University of Edinburgh and a second Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, where he won the Mariano Garcia Rubio Prize for International Law.

Claudia Botezan holds a BA in French/Romanian language and literature from the University Lucian Blaga in Romania.  Before joining HD in 2013, Claudia worked for the World Trade Organization as an Assistant for the Documents Reproduction and Distribution Section and as an Office Manager for an advertising company in Switzerland and engineering company in France.

Coralie Schindelholz holds a degree in Tourism Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Prior to joining HD in 2013, Coralie worked for an International Event Management Company as a Project Assistant, for a Swiss Wealth Management Company as an Events Assistant, and as an Events Assistant for an American Multinational Technology and Consulting Corporation.

Dalhia El Battat joined HD in 2017 and is now the Project Manager for Iraq and Lebanon. She previously worked for HD on its projects in Syria, Tunisia and Libya. Before HD, she worked for the United Nations department of Political Affairs and Peacekeeping operations in the Middle-East and the Great Lakes region. As a political affairs officer in Lebanon, her work focused on political and security issues affecting the country’s stability. Prior to this, Dalhia spent several years working for the UN in the Democratic Republic of Congo on peacebuilding issues and gained experience in local mediation processes, security sector reform and governance of natural resources. She has also worked in North Africa, the Gulf and South East Asia between 2006-2010 on research and policy projects in areas such as decentralization and local governance. She has a Master’s degree in International development from The Centre for European Studies in France and the University of Utrecht in Netherlands.

Esra Özdemir joined HD in 2020 as a Logistics Associate for the MENA team. She holds a BA in Hospitality Management and previously worked in Events & Sales for luxury hotels in Istanbul, London and Geneva. Her last employer was Procter & Gamble Geneva, where she was Business assistant in the global Beauty department. Esra is fluent in English, French and Turkish.

Felix Tusa became a Project Officer for HD in 2016, having previously worked as a Desk Officer for the Middle East at the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), a centre that specializes in security sector reform. While at DCAF, Felix worked in Tunisia, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on projects related to security governance. He has a degree in History from the University of Oxford and a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Geneva’s Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

Francis Ward works in HD’s MENA regional department, focusing on political mediation processes. Before assuming his current position in 2013, Francis worked with HD to assist with the national transitional process in Libya and to facilitate multiple local tribal and ethnic conflict mediation processes in the country. Stationed in Libya since 2011, Francis previously worked on negotiating humanitarian access and providing humanitarian assistance in frontline areas. Before Libya, he was based in Afghanistan where he worked on humanitarian and development projects across the central and northern provinces. He has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nottingham (UK), and a Master’s degree in War Studies from Kings College London (UK).

Kristin Wagner became Project Officer on HD’s MENA team in mid-2020; before she joined HD, she was a Project Manager at BBC Media Action, the international charity of the BBC, where she managed media for several development projects in Algeria and Tunisia which supported public service broadcasting and economic empowerment for youth and women. In her previous professional experience, Kristin has specialised in cultural heritage preservation, social entrepreneurship, waste management and public health in Egypt, Algeria and the Levant. Kristin has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Boston University, and a Master’s degree in International Business from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Maria Fantappie is Special Adviser for the Middle East and North Africa region at HD. Before joining the organisation, she served as Senior Adviser for the International Crisis Group, engaging with policymakers on Iraq, Syria and the Kurdish issue at some of the highest levels of government in the US, Europe and the Middle East. In 2018, she was seconded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the EU mission in Iraq, where she advised the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA) on the implementation of the security sector reform programme with special focus on Iraq’s national security legislation. In 2011-2012, she was a Visiting Scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut and an associate researcher at the Institut français du Proche-Orient (IFPO). She has taught at American University of Iraq in Suleimani and Sciences Po Paris. Maria holds a PhD fom King’s College London, Department of War Studies, and earned an MA and MPhil with distinction from Sciences Po Paris, Department of Middle Eastern Studies. In addition to publishing numerous research outputs and policy reports for Crisis Group and Carnegie, Maria’s writing appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, Revue Moyen Orient and Ashark al-Awsat, among others. She is also a contributor to Limes, the Italian Review of Geopolitics, and an associate member of the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI).

Mohamed Jeghllaly joined HD as a Mediation Adviser in Libya in 2014. He is a lawyer and a researcher. He worked as an Associate Researcher at the University of Lausanne during the period 2010-2012 and at the Moroccan Centre for Social Sciences since 2008. His research focuses on social and religious movements as well as conflict dynamics in the Middle East and North Africa region. Mohamed speaks fluent Arabic, Amazigh and French. He studied political science at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, and has a Master’s degree in Public Law from the University of Casablanca. He is currently undertaking doctoral research on community dynamics in Lebanon.

Mohamed Trabelsi holds a Master of Finance, a certification in accounting and financial techniques and a diploma in modern administrative management from the National School of Administration of Tunis. Before joining HD in 2018, he worked as an administrator of public spending under the presidency of the Tunisian government. Mohamed is an instructor of public and local finance. He is also the president of the Tunisian Association of Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Politics and a member of several Tunisian associations specialised in finance and economics.

Nir Rosen has been writing and consulting on humanitarian and political issues in the Middle East since 2003. He began advising HD on its Syria initiative in 2012, and on Iraq since 2016. He has also worked as a humanitarian consultant for more than 9 years, for a variety of organisations including for Refugees International in Iraq, for Human Rights Watch in Yemen, for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Iraq, and for the International Crisis Group on Syria. In addition, Nir has authored two books: In the Belly of the Green Bird: The Triumph of the Martyrs in Iraq, a study of the first two or years of the US war in Iraq; and Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America’s Wars in the Muslim World, on sectarianism, civil war, refugees, occupation, resistance and counter-insurgency from Iraq to Lebanon and Afghanistan. Nir has also worked on several documentary films about Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. He has also worked in Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries in the Muslim world.

Nohad joined HD in 2012 as Eastern Lybia Representative. She has more than twenty five years of experience in the humanitarian field, working for the International Committee of the Red Cross during both the civil wars in Lebanon and Libya, and then for the Libyan Red Crescent. Nohad has been involved in many mediation efforts, and ceasefire processes in the Libyan Political National Dialogue Agreement, and has organized and facilitated a number of high-level conferences on Women in Peace Building, national reconciliation, and conflict resolution. She also initiated the Women on Peaceful Coexistence project which works with Libyan women activists and NGOs in Benghazi. Nohad holds a BA in Sociology from University St. Joseph in Beirut (Lebanon) and is a certified physiotherapist form the University of Medicine in Milan (Italy).

Omeyya Seddik joined HD in 2012 and serves as a Special Adviser for HD on a variety of MENA-related projects. He was HD’s lead mediator in the Tunisia dialogue process that brokered the Tunisian Charter of Honour for the Elections in 2014 and worked closely with the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet which was awarded the 2015 Peace Nobel Prize. Omeyya has worked on a wide range of issues, including national dialogue, security, radicalism, sectarian conflict and military issues. He is currently focused on supporting HD activities across the MENA region.

Patrick Haenni became a consultant for HD in 2009 before joining the organisation as Special Adviser for the Middle East and North Africa region in 2012. He is an expert on social movements, religious practices and Islamic politics, and he has written several books on these subjects. His previous experience includes more than a decade in Egypt working for the Centre d’études et de documentation économiques, juridiques et sociales, which is related to France’s National Centre for Scientific Research. Patrick has also worked for the International Crisis Group in Lebanon as an Analyst, and for the Swiss Religioscope Institution, as a researcher focusing on the sociology of religions. Patrick has a doctorate in Political Sociology from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris.

Sahar Ammar joined HD in January 2018 and is currently a Project Associate in HD’s MENA department. Previously, Sahar worked for non-governmental organisations on questions related to conflict resolution and transitional justice in the MENA region. Sahar has a Bachelor’s degree in International Law, an LLM in Comparative Law, a Master of Advanced Studies in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and a Master in Mediation and Social Development from Montpellier University III.

Sarah Boukhary joined HD’s Yemen team in October 2020, prior to which she worked for 6 years at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) where she managed its international advocacy work on Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt, and represented WILPF at the United Nations in Geneva. She was primarily working with women political leaders and feminist activists from Yemen and different MENA countries in their participation in peace processes, inclusion in multiple tracks of mediation, and engagement with international human rights mechanisms. Prior to joining WILPF, Sarah worked at the Arab NGO Network for Development, Première Urgence – Aide Médicale Internationale, and interned at Human Rights Watch in Beirut. Sarah is an Erasmus Mundus scholar and holds an M.A. in Human Rights Policy and Practice from Gothenburg University, Roehampton University and the Arctic University of Norway, as well as a B.A. in Political Studies from the American University of Beirut (AUB). She is a Fellow in the Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship and speaks fluent Arabic, English, and French.

Sasha Bhatnagar is working as Project Officer for HD’s Lebanon projects and is based in Lebanon. Sasha is specialised in designing and facilitating the implementation of projects as part of programmes in conflict and post conflict contexts. She served as Programme Officer at United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) as part of Peacekeeping Missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali for 3 years and as Project Assistant for the DEEEP – Concord Europe in Paris for a year. In addition to her programme management experience, Sasha has served as an Instructor on Conflict Resolution at the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping, a Security Risk Analyst for Mitkat Advisory Services and a Founding Member/Head of Department for Becoming I Foundation. Sasha is a French Government Academic Scholar and holds a B.A. in Political Science, a Masters degree in International Security from Sciences Po Paris, as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding from Delhi University.

Tracey joined HD as Logistics Consultant for Iraq in October 2017. Prior to joining HD, she has worked for eleven years for a diverse range of organizations, including Spring Communications, Bluefin trading s.a.r.l, Quantum Resources, M&C Saatchi and the Hilton Group. In this role, Tracey was responsible for facilitating and coordinating between departments and operating units. Tracey holds a Bachelor of Interior Design from College Saint Louis in addition to a Diploma in Business and Marketing from Worcester College, Massachusetts.

Astrid Reitz became a Logistics and Finance Co-ordinator in HD’s Humanitarian Mediation Programme in 2012. Her previous roles included being an Office Manager and a Personal Assistant for a Swiss Wealth Management Company and a French Consulting Company, as well as working for an American Student Tour Operator in Lucerne. Astrid has lived in Switzerland for over a decade. She has a degree in International Business Administration from the European Business Hochschule in Berlin.

Clancy transitioned from private law to humanitarian mediation. He was previously a consultant with HD and the Center on International Cooperation at NYU, and worked for a global anti-slavery organisation. Clancy holds Master degrees in Law and International Affairs from Columbia University, Sciences Po and the University of Western Australia.

Constance Videment joined HD in 2014 as Regional Coordinator for the organisation’s Francophone Africa team. She then took on the role of Project Manager before joining HD’s Global Project team in 2020. Her previous experience includes work with Save the Children in England and the International Rescue Committee in Burundi and Liberia. She has also worked with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Mines Advisory Group in Laos. Constance did her studies in conflict management at King’s College in London and Sciences-Po in Paris.

Dennis McNamara has more than three decades of international humanitarian experience during which he held several senior positions across the United Nations before becoming HD’s Senior Humanitarian Adviser in 2007. Prior to joining HD, he served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Special Envoy to Iraq and the former Yugoslavia, and as UNHCR Director of International Protection. Dennis has also worked in UN Peacekeeping Operations and as Director in the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. He was Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General in Kosovo as well as at Deputy UN Administrator at the Assistant Secretary-General level in Timor Leste. Prior to this, Dennis headed the Human Rights Component of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia. Dennis has an Honours degree in law from Auckland University and practiced as a lawyer in the UK and Kenya before joining the UN.

Ouseph Tharakan came to HD in 2007 from the International Trade Centre which supports both the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade Organization. He had previously been involved with UNCTAD in New Delhi in India. Ouseph has also worked for the South Centre, an intergovernmental organisation focused on developing countries. His involvement began when he was selected as part of the South Centre’s ‘Young South Volunteer programme’ which seeks to build the experience of young professionals from the developing world in the multi-lateral diplomatic circuit in Geneva. He then became a Fellow in the South Centre’s Global Governance unit. Ouseph has a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Essex, UK, and a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Delhi in India.

Safeer Ul Hussain Ahmadi joined HD’s humanitarian programmes in 2015. He is a medical doctor with extensive international mediation and public health delivery experience. Prior to joining HD, he was an Officer in Charge and a Political Affairs Officer for the United Nations. He has also worked for the National Democratic Institute, the National Development Stability Support Consultancy and UNHCR.

Katia Papagianni joined HD in 2006 and is the organisation’s Director for Policy and Mediation Support. Her work focuses on the design of peace processes and, more specifically, on national dialogues and constitution-making processes. As part of her work at HD, she has supported various peace processes, including in Liberia, Libya, Syria, Myanmar, Ukraine and the Philippines. Katia was also seconded to the United Nations to support national dialogue efforts in Yemen where she shared comparative insights on the design of national dialogue processes. Before joining HD, Katia worked for the National Democratic Institute, as well as for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, and for the United Nations Development Programme. She has been based in Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iraq. Katia holds a Bachelor’s degree from Brown University, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Princeton University, and a Doctorate in Political Science from Columbia University. She has taught on the subjects of peacebuilding and state-building at both Geneva’s Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies’ and at Columbia University.

Aurélie Villar came to HD in 2005 from a retail company in London where she was leading their sales training. Her previous experience was in the travel industry, working as a Product Assistant for several tour operators in Geneva and focusing on Latin America and Asia. Aurélie has a degree in Public Relations and Tourism as well as a diploma from the International Air Transport Association.

Benjamin Smith joined HD in 2018. He manages the organisation’s approach to learning and operational support to the field. Before joining HD, Ben worked with the United Nations (UN) for thirteen years, specializing in mediation and political affairs, the security sector, peacekeeping and transnational crime. He was based with the UN in several countries, including Nepal, South Sudan, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. Most recently, he was head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s programme to combat human trafficking in SE Asia and the Pacific. Prior to that, he was the Africa Team Leader for the UN Mediation Support Unit, where he also acted as the departmental lead on ceasefires and security arrangements. He was also the Officer-in-Charge of the SSR Sections in the UN Mission in South Sudan and the UN Mission in Nepal. At the start of his UN-related career, Ben negotiated UN General Assembly resolutions on behalf of the EU and the UK Government. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a Master’s degree in Modern History and Modern Languages from the University of Oxford.

Christina Buchhold joined HD’s Mediation Support and Policy Programme in 2015. She previously worked for several different organisations, including as a project analyst for the European Union’s Arms Trade Treaty outreach programme at the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control, and as a research assistant on arms trade and military expenditure issues at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. In addition, Christina worked as research assistant on violence against humanitarian providers at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies as well as for non-profit organisations in Romania, Lebanon and Uganda. She has a Master’s degree in Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame in the United States and a Magister degree in comparative religious studies from the University in Münster in Germany.

Dana joined HD’s Mediation Support and Policy Programme in 2020. She supports the work of the monitoring and evaluation team and the Gender and Inclusion focal point. Prior to joining HD, Dana worked at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs’ MENA Division and at the Global Institute for Water, Environment and Health. She holds a Masters degree in Asian studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and the University of Geneva, and a second Masters in Middle Eastern studies from the Global Studies Institute. She has won awards for her intersectional feminist analyses on conflicts in East and Southeast Asia and published work on water and security with UNESCO.

Eve Krassner joined HD’s Mediation Support and Policy Programme in 2019. As Project Associate, she provides support in the organisation of the Oslo Forum, an annual retreat that regularly convenes high-level decision-makers and other peace process actors to advance the practice of mediation. Her previous roles include assisting the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as over two years of experience as Project Manager in a multicultural, bilingual school in Brazil. Eve holds a Master in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies in Geneva and Bachelor in Cultural Anthropology from Boston University.

Giles rejoined HD’s Mediation Support and Policy Programme in 2020, having previously completed an internship with the Oslo Forum team in 2017. He went on to gain experience as a Policy Adviser in the UK Department for Business and worked in communications for the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in London, where he was responsible for the production of a wide range of research and policy publications. Giles holds a master’s degree in Human Geography from University College London, where he focused on forced migration, and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Cambridge.

Michela joined HD in 2019, following more than eight years of experience in government and the UN system working on humanitarian, development and peacekeeping issues. In her most recent role within the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Michela supported monitoring and evaluation of Australia’s global humanitarian assistance program. She previously developed policy for Australia’s engagement in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, and managed overseas aid programs in a range of contexts. Michela was a Field Coordination Officer for the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire, and has also has worked on human rights and migration matters. She holds a Master in International Security from Sciences Po Paris and a Bachelor in International Affairs from the University of St. Gallen.

Rosie joined HD’s Mediation Support and Policy Programme in October 2020 after working on human rights and victims’ justice issues in Sudan and India, and on private sexual violence claims. She holds a Master’s degree in International Criminal Law from the University of Amsterdam and Columbia University in the City of New York, specialising in sexual and gender-based violence and international humanitarian law; a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours; and a Diploma of Language in French from the University of Otago. Prior to this, she was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor and practiced as a corporate lawyer in New Zealand, worked as a refugee advocate, and interned at the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia in Phnom Penh. She remains an Editor for Human Rights Pulse and contributes to the climate change law field. In 2020 she was the recipient of two awards in disarmament and international law.

Sabrina joined HD’s Mediation Support and Policy Programme in 2017. She currently works as a Mediation Support Officer, focusing on gender and inclusion in peacemaking. Previously, she spent three years with HD’s Oslo Forum team, where she contributed to the conceptual and practical development of the annual mediators’ retreat. Before joining HD, Sabrina worked with the Risk Management Unit for the UN in Somalia, DAI, Search for Common Ground Pakistan, and the Jinnah Institute where she managed an India–Pakistan Track 2 dialogue series. She holds a master’s in International Security Policy and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Sebastian joined HD’s Mediation and Policy team in 2017. He leads HD’s monitoring and evaluation team, supports Executive Management with programme development, results reporting and strategic oversight, and manages HD’s critical reflection and quality assurance processes. He’s the mediation support focal point for HD’s Africa, Latin America, and environmental peacemaking operations. He previously worked as Field Coordinator with UNDP’s Peacebuilding Unit in Darfur, at the Overseas Development Institute, and the German Embassy in Colombia. He holds an MA in Diplomatic Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Valère joined HD in 2020 and focuses on learning and operational support to the field. He began his career in the humanitarian sector in 2009 and has worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the NGO Terre des Hommes. Following field missions in Syria, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic, Valère spent the last two years with the Danish Red Cross providing mediation training to ICRC and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies staff in Lebanon, Greece, and South Sudan.

Adam Cooper joined HD in 2010. He currently oversees HD’s digital conflict work, mediating offensive cyber operations and disinformation on social media. He is also host of The Mediator’s Studio podcast. Previously he ran HD’s Myanmar operations for seven years, establishing tracks of negotiations with ethnic armed groups and responding to the Rohingya crisis. Prior to working for HD he coordinated election observation missions in Asia and served as an adviser to former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed. He has degrees from Oxford University and the Harvard Kennedy School. Adam is a Thai and UK national and currently lives in Brussels.

Hannes Ebert joined HD’s cyber-mediation team in June 2020. Prior to joining HD, Hannes worked at the German Marshall Fund (GMF) in Washington DC, first as Transatlantic Postdoctoral Fellow and since 2019 as Senior Advisor for the EU Cyber Direct project on cyber security and diplomacy in Brazil, India and South Korea. Between 2010 and 2018, he served as Research Fellow with the GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, where he conducted research on dispute management, asymmetric warfare and cyber conflicts with a focus on South Asia, and spent multiple visiting fellowships at think tanks in Islamabad and New Delhi. In 2013/14 and 2015, he was seconded to the German Foreign Office’s Policy Planning Staff and Political Directorate for advisory work on strategic engagement with fragile states, rising non-Western powers and the Indian Ocean region. Hannes studied international law and politics in Berlin and Geneva and was a Hölderlin Fellow at the London School of Economics Department of International Relations, where he received his MSc. He obtained a Ph.D. in political science, focusing on territorial conflict behavior in the Indo-Pakistani rivalry, from Hamburg University, and was a visiting fellow at Oxford University’s Center for International Studies in 2013 and a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University’s MacMillan Center in 2017.

Karen Banaa joined HD as a Project Associate in November 2020. She supports the work of HD’s social media and conflict mediation program. Prior to this, Karen worked at The International Institute for Strategic Studies and managed communications for a NGO in The Hague. She is completing a MA in International Relations, specialising in Global Conflict, at Leiden University, and holds a BA in Politics in International Relations from The University of Nottingham.

Maude joined HD from Build Up, where she worked on the intersection between conflict, peacebuilding and technology. As Deputy Director, she oversaw Build Up’s overall strategy, with a particular focus on projects in Syria and Myanmar, on research and on mediation and technology work. From 2017-2020, she was based in Beirut. Earlier this year, she advised HD on their strategy for social media and conflict mediation. Prior to Build Up, Maude was based in Myanmar, managing an early warning system for communal tensions across the country. Whilst there, she conducted research on the role of social media in Myanmar’s conflict dynamics, including in the run up to the 2015 elections. In 2014, she spent time with the HD Myanmar office, doing research on the role of social media in fuelling communal violence. She has a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford and an MA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Marc Hofstetter joined HD in 2009 as Deputy Executive Director. He was previously Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), and the Executive Director of the Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco-growing Foundation. His earlier experience includes working at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), including as their Head of Delegation in Iraq and Tajikistan, and he has also worked as a Project Manager for the World Economic Forum. Marc holds two Master’s degrees, one in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Lausanne, and the other in International Relations from the Fletchers School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Carine Prestat joined HD in 2011 as Head of Finance and was appointed as Director, Finance and Administration in 2019. She has spent more than fifteen years in Finance and Human Resources in other organisations across the not-for-profit and telecoms sectors. Her previous experience includes four years as the Finance and Administration Officer for the CARE International Secretariat in Geneva and one year as an Administrator for the International Committee of the Red Cross in South Sudan. Carine has a Master’s degree in International Relations from Geneva’s Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

Alexandra joined HD in 2018 as part of the Donor Relations and Fundraising team. Alexandra brings in extensive experience acquired while working over 12 years on major gift strategy, global fundraising campaigns and events, as well as complex project and relation management. Prior to joining HD, she served as Philanthropy Relations Manager at WWF International where she contributed to conceptualizing, developing and raising significant funds from institutional and individual global donors for WWF’s largest major gift campaign. Specializing in International Humanitarian and Environmental Law, Alexandra holds a Law Degree from University Jean-Moulin Lyon III, an LL.M. in International Law from UQAM and a post-master degree in International Environmental Law from University Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Alexis de Siebenthal came to HD in 2008 from the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the World Trade Organization and European Free Trade Association where he had been working as an assistant for more than three years. Alexis had previously been in the travel industry, working in the road and traffic information department at Touring Club Suisse, and in communications for the air travel organisation, skyguide. He studied translation at the University of Geneva.

Béatrice Gentilhomme joined the HD Finance team in April 2018. She previously held the roles of Financial Analyst, ERP Information System Coordinator, Financial and Management Controller. She worked in various private companies in France, the UK and Switzerland, including 4 years at Fondation Hirondelle. Béatrice has a degree in Finance & Accounting and a master in Business Administration.

Caroline Greutert joined HD in 2017 and is currently Head of Human Resources. She had previously worked in Central Asia, Africa and Central America with Doctors without Borders, and was based in its headquarters in Geneva as Finance Controller and HR Manager. Earlier in her career, Caroline also worked in private banking. Caroline holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Management, Human Resources and Career from the Universities of Geneva, Neuchâtel, Lausanne and Fribourg, as well as a Diploma in Project Management from the University of Geneva. She also holds a Certificate of coaching in holistic approach and a Master in Relief and Development Administration from Bioforce Institute in Lyon where she teach on human resources management. She has published several articles on Meaningful work.

Chris Rotas has been with HD since 2007 and led on adapting how HD raises income. He oversees the organisation’s relations with its donors and co-ordinates its fundraising efforts. He has a background in business development and operations as a Project Controls Manager for Brown & Root, as a Senior Management Consultant at Touche Ross and Coopers & Lybrand, and as a Key Account Director at the energy and communications company SIG in Geneva. This work included assignments across the United States and Europe and postings to Singapore, Indonesia, Oman and South Africa. Chris has a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, an MSc in Project Management from the University of Texas at Austin, and a diploma in Corporate Finance from the London Business School.

David Escudero had been working as an Accountant for the private airline PrivatAir for four years before he became HD’s Accounting Associate in 2016. While at PrivatAir, he shared responsibility for Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable as well as other financial tasks. He had previously worked as part of a two-person finance team with ICEM (the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions) which, in addition to being an international trades union, was also supporting a campaign against HIV/AIDS. He has also worked in the social sector at the Geneva-based Hospice Général as an Accounting Assistant in the Department of Refugees. Earlier in his career, David worked in a range of other areas including auditing, banking, as well as in luxury retail as an Accounts Payable Accountant for Polo Ralph Lauren and Elizabeth Arden. He has a Swiss Maturity Diploma and a Federal Certificate in Commerce.

Dorte joined HD’s Donor Relations and Fundraising team in 2019. She brings extensive experience on fundraising in the conflict prevention/peacebuilding sector. Before joining HD, she worked as a Project Coordinator with the Middle East and North Africa division of DCAF (the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance), where she was in charge of the division’s fundraising and donor relations, including managing DCAF’s Trust Fund for North Africa. Until 2011, Dorte worked with Saferworld in London, first on Fundraising, and later as Project Coordinator on its Europe and Central Asia team, where she worked on conflict analysis and community safety in the Western Balkans. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Geography from the University of Copenhagen.

Emilio joined HD as Communications Associate in 2018. Prior to this, Emilio has worked in communications for various international, governmental and non-governmental organisations in Switzerland and in the Philippines. Emilio has a degree in Development Studies from the Ateneo de Manila University, and a Master’s degree in Development Studies (Conflict and Development) from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

Hien Pham joined HD as the organisation’s Accounting Associate in 2008. She has more than a decade of experience in finance and accounting, and she previously worked as an Accountant for the company, Geneva Bioinformatics (GeneBio) SA. Hien has a Swiss Federal Certificate in Commerce and she has attended accounting courses in Geneva.

Leonard Humerose joined HD in March 2019. He plans travel and meetings for the senior management team and for project teams, as well as coordinating facility management in HD’s Geneva office. Leonard has prior experience in organising travel and international meetings in hotels, major sport events in Brazil and financial institutions in Switzerland. He holds a Bachelor in Business Management from École hôtelière de Lausanne.

Malika Tiercy joined HD in January 2020 after having worked for 12 years as a human resources administrative head with a Geneva based recruitment agency, specialising in the international and banking sectors. While exercising these functions, Malika was responsible for the complete employment cycle of temporary employees for the tertiary department. She holds a Masters in Psychology from the University of Geneva, as well as a HR certificate.

Marie Terrisse has been with HD since 2002 and she is also an artist who regularly exhibits in Geneva. Marie has a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Design from Wimbledon College of Arts in the United Kingdom.

Marianna Zuin joined HD in 2020 as Digitalisation Programme Manager. She has over 20 years of international experience in research environments (CERN, IMD – International Institute for Management Development) and the private sector (Swisscom, Nespresso). At the end of 2014, she decided to leave the corporate world and return to the research and education environment, by joining IMD’s R&D department as Research & Development Knowledge Manager. She was responsible for the Knowledge Management Stream of IMD’s business transformation journey, and product owner of R&D IT projects to promote and develop pedagogical innovation, and enhance knowledge management solutions and processes. She speaks French, English and Italian.

Patrick Fontana joined HD in 2011 and is the organisation’s IT Manager. Before joining HD, he worked as a freelance IT consultant and lived in the Caribbean, Hawaii and Peru. Patrick has also worked as a Systems Engineer for two watchmaking brands linked to the Bulgari Group. He had also gained experience in the humanitarian field by volunteering with the organisation ‘Terres Des Hommes’ which focuses on protecting children’s rights.

Talinn Yazmaciyan came to HD in 2014 from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) where she was Country Programme Senior Finance Manager. She has more than fifteen years’ experience working as a Senior Accountant and Trade Accounting Analyst in various accounting, trade and asset management companies including KBT fiduciaire SA, Capital International and Bunge SA. Talinn has a Swiss Federal degree in accounting.

Vesna Nikolic came to HD in 2008 from a recruitment agency based in Geneva where she worked as a Junior recruitment consultant in charge of the technical department’s placement process. This included interviewing candidates, advertising positions as well as managing the administrative follow-up. Vesna was trained as a Human Resources specialist. She holds a Swiss Human Resources Assistant Certificate as well as an Advanced Swiss Federal Certificate of Vocational Education and Training with a specialisation in HR Management. She also has a business school degree from CeC André-Chavanne, and a diploma in tourism.