Staff and trustees
Our staff and trustees are the heart of Saferworld’s work. Their skills and expertise ensure that we continue to be seen as a leading conflict prevention and peacebuilding organisation. With offices in 14 countries, we have over 160 staff members working across our geographic, policy, advocacy and support teams.
Find out more about working for us.
Our trustees help guide Saferworld in all major decisions. Their advice is backed up by years of experience and expertise in a range of areas – from finance, policy research and communications to peacebuilding and management.
Jeremy Lester, chair
Jeremy has extensive experience spanning four decades in senior EU roles in development and conflict prevention. He brings this wealth of expertise to Saferworld as he steers the board’s oversight of the organisation. He provides guidance on Africa, restorative justice, human security, development, management, NGO administration and finance.
Until his retirement in 2014, Jeremy worked as an adviser on conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding to the Africa Department of the European External Action Service (EEAS). Prior to that he was the head of the EEAS division responsible for the Horn of Africa, East Africa and the Indian Ocean and earlier, EU Head of Delegation first in Rwanda and then in Niger. He was at various times responsible for EU relations with Mozambique, Angola, Uganda, Mauritius and Congo, and he programmed support for several countries of the former Soviet Union following its collapse.
Jeremy joined Saferworld in 2014 and was elected as chair in 2017.
Charles Marshall, treasurer
Charles Marshall is the retired chief executive of Liberty Living. He provides a strong financial management perspective to Saferworld’s affairs.
Charles brings significant business and financial experience and qualifications, including an MA from Cambridge University and an MBA from Cranfield Business School. Having trained as an accountant, Charles joined the Bankers Trust New York Corporation in 1981 where he became a managing director both in Japan and London. Since then he has developed a vast investment portfolio in the technology market and in the London Stock Exchange’s international market for smaller growing companies.
Charles joined Saferworld in 1996.
Owen Greene, trustee
Owen is professor of international security and development at Bradford University. In addition to his deep understanding of Saferworld as an organisation, Owen brings a wealth of expertise on a range of issues including conflict analysis, security sector reform, community security, arms control and international advocacy on conflict prevention.
From Saferworld’s early beginnings, Owen has worked closely with the organisation, serving as chair of the board of trustees for over a decade. He has held many expert and advisory roles for Bradford University as well as for over 20 governments, the European Union, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations and multiple policy networks.
Owen has been an active member of Saferworld’s board since the 1990s.
Godfrey Allen, trustee
Godfrey is the former chief executive of the national employment charity, the Apex Trust. He advises the board on organisational governance issues, with vast experience in this field and specialist knowledge on criminal justice sector reform and community economic development.
Godfrey is a former CEO of several other national and regional organisations that specialise in community economic development and crime reduction. He currently serves on the NHS Trust board among others, and is the England and Wales council member of the International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates.
Godfrey joined Saferworld as a trustee in 2006.
Vicky Knight, trustee
Vicky is head of partnerships and projects at BPP University. She brings Saferworld more than 25 years’ experience in programme and project management. Her areas of expertise include refugees and forced migration, international protection, programme management, education, gender and Africa.
Vicky spent over ten years working in international refugee protection in Africa and went on to manage a global refugee programme portfolio from New York. Vicky continues to work with refugees in London in her role as a trustee for a charity that supports refugees into meaningful employment.
Vicky works in higher education and has lectured in management and organisational behaviour for a London business school. She has managed a number of degree programmes and is working with education partners in Asia and elsewhere to develop and deliver degree programmes for international students.
Vicky joined Saferworld as a trustee in 2017.
Ismayil Tahmazov, trustee
Ismayil Tahmazov is the global strategy manager at Islamic Relief Worldwide. To Saferworld, he brings wide-ranging experience in development programming, strategy planning, governance and advocacy.
Before his position at Islamic Relief Worldwide, Ismayil co-founded The Humanitarian Forum and the Muslim Charities Forum. Ismayil has experience of working on projects across a wide geographic stretch, from the Middle East and the Caucasus to Haiti. He has held senior positions at the International Rescue Committee, Cooperative Housing Foundation International and Oxfam, and he has served on other boards including Skillshare International and HealthProm.
Ismayil joined Saferworld as a trustee in 2017.
Stephanie Blair, trustee
Stephanie runs an independent consultancy specialising in security and justice; peace, stabilisation and intervention; and fragile and conflict-affected states. She brings a comprehensive understanding of the challenges for the peace and security community as it addresses the difficulties faced by fragile and conflict-affected countries.
Stephanie also has expertise in strategy development, and her geographical specialities are the Balkans and North Africa. Her consultancy business offers strategy and policy advice, training, facilitation and evaluation. Clients include the UK Joint Committee on National Security Strategy, the Stabilisation Unit, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Canadian Government and NATO.
Stephanie joined Saferworld in 2015.
Lars-Erik Lundin, trustee
Lars-Erik is a distinguished associate fellow at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). He contributes a wealth of knowledge about the functioning of international organisations in areas such as arms control and conflict prevention in a range of geographical and thematic settings.
Lars-Erik began his career in peace and conflict research in the early 1970s. He has since worked in the Swedish and EU foreign services, and has been EU ambassador to a number of international organisations, including the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation. He holds a PhD in political science and has wide-ranging expertise in strategic approaches to security policy in regional multilateral settings, nuclear and conventional arms control negotiations, and regional peace processes.
Lars-Erik joined Saferworld in 2015.
Teresa Hanley, trustee
Teresa has over twenty years of experience in the humanitarian and international development sectors. She brings expertise on migration, community-based resilience, conflict, gender, capacity-building, evaluation and communication.
Teresa has worked in over 40 countries, including in long-term roles in the Middle East, Central Asia and also as part of the European migration response. She has worked in a range of field-based, management and consultancy positions with the British and International Red Cross, international organisations, NGOs and governments.
Teresa joined the Saferworld board in 2016.
David Norman, trustee
David is the director of Global Insight Consulting. He brings a strong background in influencing, strategy and partnerships.
David has substantial experience working on strategies and partnerships for sustainable development between companies, governments and non-profit organisations. Before his current position, David worked on sustainable development policy at SABMiller and on campaigns and external affairs for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-UK). He has also worked at a number of international development charities including Oxfam and Save the Children.
David renewed his role on the board in 2010.
Mark Ross, trustee
Mark is a board director at Development Intelligence – a strategic communications consultancy. He provides expert advice in strategic communications and media relations.
Before this, Mark held a number of senior positions in the not-for-profit sector, working on advocacy campaigns, public policy initiatives and fundraising in the UK and internationally.
Mark became a trustee of Saferworld in 2016.
Michelle Spearing, trustee
Michelle has over 15 years of experience in the NGO sector. She brings extensive knowledge of conflict and security issues, and has specific expertise in conflict analysis, conflict sensitivity, peacebuilding, gender, organisational governance, and monitoring and evaluation.
Michelle has spent many years living and working in East Africa. She currently works as a consultant on conflict, security and justice, with a specific focus on gender and how to use various research methodologies to show impact.
Over the past decade, Michelle has worked closely with Saferworld staff on joint initiatives within the conflict prevention sector, such as the Conflict Sensitivity Consortium and the Conflict, Crime and Violence Results Initiative.
Michelle joined the Saferworld board in 2016.
Georg Frerks, trustee
Georg is professor of conflict prevention and conflict management at the Centre for Conflict Studies at Utrecht University. He brings long-term experience in diplomacy and policy, and his areas of expertise are community economic development, criminal justice system reform and organisational governance.
Georg is also chair of international security studies at the Netherlands Defence Academy. Trained as a sociologist, he specialises in contemporary conflict and emergencies. He has a distinguished record in the evaluation and monitoring of development, conflict and disaster programmes and has published widely on the subject.
Georg became a Saferworld trustee in 2015.
Paul Murphy, Executive Director
Paul Murphy is the Executive Director at Saferworld, where he oversees the organisation's development and growth as well as operations and programmes. After joining as Head of Europe and Central Asia in 2008, he became Director of Programmes and then Executive Director in 2011. For 20 years, Paul worked across Africa for a range of organisations, including for the United Nations. Most recently, he was Director of Pact’s country programme in Sudan.
Paul’s specialty is in conflict prevention and post-conflict recovery, with a focus on the Sudans and the Horn of Africa region.
Read articles and publications from Paul
Sue Maskell, Director of Operations and Human Resources
Sue is Director of Operations and is a member of the senior management team. She manages Saferworld’s operations and human resources team and is responsible for ensuring that the organisation operates effectively both in the UK and overseas.
Sue has a range of business and managerial experience gained from the non-profit sector and academia.
Susana Klien, Director of International Programmes
Susana joined Saferworld in 2015 as Director of International Programmes, where she oversees Saferworld’s country programmes across Africa, Asia, Europe and Central Asia and the Middle East. She brings a wide range of programmatic experience, having worked at a number of women’s rights organisations and on programmes that provide services for refugee and migrant women.
Before moving to the UK, Susana worked in Peru where she conducted research on human rights and provided recommendations to the government, in addition to lecturing on international human rights law.
Robert Parker, Director of Policy and Communications
Rob leads the policy and communications teams based in London, where he manages Saferworld’s global policy and advocacy programmes including our research, analysis, technical support and communications.
With over 20 years’ experience in human rights and peacebuilding and more than a decade at Saferworld in a number of senior management roles he has led the development of key policy areas including community security and police reform, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Arms Trade Treaty. He leads our advocacy teams in London, Brussels and Washington DC and is responsible for our work on China and for overseeing Saferworld’s external helpdesk facilities. Before joining Saferworld in 2006 Rob led successful national and international arms campaigns for Amnesty International UK and worked as a consultant for a range of organisations including Oxfam, Landmine Action and the Cluster Munitions Coalition. Rob holds a Master’s Degree in Area Studies (Latin America) from the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London and a BA (Hons) in French and Spanish.
Read articles and publications from Rob
Richard Callaghan, Finance Director
Richard joined Saferworld in 2011 as Finance Director, where he oversees all of the organisation’s financial processes. Before joining Saferworld, Richard spent 15 years in the private sector with KPMG, Smithkline Beecham and other companies, where he worked in a range of finance roles. In 2005, he joined ActionAid International as Head of Finance where he worked for six years.
Richard has been involved in various not-for-profit organisations and was a member of the board of Rosebery Housing Association for five years.
Madeline Church, Head of Organisational Development Unit
Madeline joined Saferworld in 2011 as the head of the organisational development unit (ODU) which focuses on the monitoring and evaluation of programmes. She brings many years of experience working on conflict resolution, human rights and programme evaluation. She also ran the UK Consortium on AIDS and International Development for three years, and currently serves on the board of the Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees.
Madeline specialises in programme evaluation, strategic planning and governance systems.
Leila Fazal, Head of Funding
Leila Fazal joined Saferworld in July 2016 as the Head of Funding. Before joining us, she worked as Head of Grants (trust and statutory funding) at Global Witness. Her funding achievements include the successful tendering for a contract with the Department of Health for two years to administer grants of £60million to the hospice sector.
Leila has extensive experience in developing funding strategies, raising funds for campaigning, and fundraising in larger environmental, youth and anti-corruption work.
George Were, Head of East Africa Programmes
George joined Saferworld in June 2016 as Head of East Africa Programmes based in Kampala, where he oversees country programmes across Kenya, Somalia/Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. He has substantial work experience in the humanitarian and development sector across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Previous employers include Government Ministries, the UN, and several international NGOs. George holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) from the University of Nairobi and an MA from Tufts University in Massachusetts, US.
George’s speciality is in community-based initiatives, emergency intervention work, and humanitarian programme managing.
Christopher Wakube, Kenya Programme Manager
Chris leads Saferworld's Kenya programme, with oversight of operations and the work on preventing election violence. he has over 15 years’ experience in community development, including project management and consultancy. He has conducted trainings and facilitated research for local and international NGOs in Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda and Kenya.
Chris was previously senior programme officer with Pact Incorporated supporting a civil society strengthening programme, which built capacity of local peacebuilding organisations in Kenya. Chris has a BPhil from Pontifical Urbaniana University and a diploma in philosophy and religious studies form Consolata Institute of Philosophy.
Peter Mackenzie, Somalia Country Director
Having joined Saferworld in November 2015, Peter oversees and manages the organisation's Somalia country programme. Before Saferworld he worked as senior programme officer for democratisation at Interpeace's Somalia Programme, where he provided peacebuilding support to political processes and partner organisations in Somaliland, Puntland and south-central Somalia, including work with Somaliland's National Electoral Commission to organise a biometric voter registration.
Peter was resident director of the International Republican Institute's (IRI) East Africa office from 2003 to 2006, overseeing IRI's work with political parties and civil society organisations in Kenya and Somaliland and supporting field offices in Uganda and South Sudan. Peter holds a masters degree in public policy and administration from Columbia University and a bachelors degree in Asian Studies from Williams College.
Read articles and publications from Peter
Abdijalil Tahir, Participatory Governance and Peacebuilding Programme Manager, Somaliland
Abdijalil joined Saferworld in August 2015 as interim head of the Hargeisa office to manage the Somaliland elections programme, which seeks to make Somaliland's governance more participatory, inclusive and accountable. Before joining Saferworld he spent four years working for the International Republican Institute where he managed a political parties programme. He has worked in different capacities with several international and local NGOs including Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Somaliland National Youth Organisation and Horn of Africa Aid. Abdijalil has a masters degree in development studies from Kampala University in Uganda and bachelors degree in business administration from Hargeisa University in Somaliland.
Maryam Abdi, Programme Manager for ARC
Maryam Abdi joined Saferworld in March 2017 as Programme Manager for ARC in Somalia. With vast community engagement experience, Maryam has previously worked at IOM, Oxfam GB, the Lutheran World Foundation, and Norwegian Church aid, in addition to her on the ground experience in Somalia, Somliland and Kenya at Dadaab refugee camp.
Maryam brings a wealth of knowledge to the team on the design and implementation of monitoring, evaluation and learning systems, as well as capacity building and research.
Marjorie Walla, Senior Adviser Governance and Peace Programme
Marjorie works with the Somalia and Somaliland teams, providing ongoing technical advice and support to Saferworld’s local partners. She focuses on governance issues, with the aim of making Somalia and Somaliland’s governance more participatory, inclusive and accountable.
Marjorie has over 19 years of extensive experience working with civil society and around governance – her specialisation is in elections, democracy and governance, strategic planning, capacity strengthening and training. Before Saferworld, she had worked with several organisations – governmental, non-governmental and also with the military (Kenya Defense Training College).
Bettie Atyam Amaso, Programme Manager (Conflict and Land)
Bettie joined Saferworld as Project Coordinator in August 2011, where she later became Programme Manager, focusing on conflict and land in Uganda. She previously worked at Care International in Uganda where she specialised in gender.
Bettie holds a Masters in Development Studies from Leeds University and a BA in Social Sciences from Makerere University.
Telley Sadia, South Sudan Country Director
Telley joined Saferworld in 2016 as South Sudan Country Director, where he oversees the country programme's work on security and justice, gender and youth.
Telley had previously held country director positions at Retrak in Uganda and CAFOD South Sudan. He also brings a range of experience from CARE International and ACTIONAID, as well as a range of positions at corporate institutions and secular and faith-based organisations working on humanitarian issues, recovery and development.
Tamara Duffey-Janser, Interim Head of Central Asia
Tamara began her role as Interim Head of Central Asia in May 2017, overseeing the Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan programmes. She had previously worked for Saferworld in Africa as the Head of the Great Lakes/Sudan Region, where she had been managing programmes there since 2014.
She brings a breadth of experience in a range of contexts, having worked for the US Department of State as a community policing adviser in Tajikistan. Her work on community policing helped inform the national police reform strategy in the country. Prior to her work in Central Asia, Tamara worked for the OSCE Mission and the US Department of Justice in Kosovo for eight years.
Anara Ismailova, Kyrgyzstan Country Manager
Anara leads the Saferworld Kyrgyzstan programme, having joined in 2017 as Country Manager. She focuses on strategic planning and programme development, management and implementation, partnerships, and represents the organisation at advocacy meetings in the country. Bringing over 10 years of experience in senior management positions within the development and humanitarian sectors, she leads strategic planning and programme development in Kyrgyzstan, with a special focus on management and implementation, partnerships and advocacy.
Before joining Saferworld’s Kyrgyzstan team, Anara led United Nations Population Fund’s peacebuilding projects and worked at ICCO Central Asia on managing conflict transformation and democratisation programmes. She was also a Humanitarian Programmes Coordinator at DanChurchAid and Kyrgyzstan Country Director at EveryChild.
Ferdinand Nikolla, Tajikistan Country Manager
Ferdinand joined Saferworld in 2011 as Programme Coordinator for the West Balkans programme. In 2015, he moved to Kyrgyzstan to take up a role as Central Asia Programme Development Manager, and in 2017 joined the Tajikistan team as Tajikistan Country Manager where he leads the day-to-day operations of the office and oversees work on community-based policing. Before Saferworld, he worked at the Forum for Civic Initiatives in Kosovo, where he coordinated arms control efforts and pushed for civil society engagement on security sector reform.
Ferdinand brings diverse experience to the organisation, including on security sector and government reform, community security, partnerships, management and civil society engagement.
Stefan Stoyanov, Project Manager Kyrgyzstan
Stefan joined Saferworld in 2014 as Project Manager, focusing on community security programmes in Kyrgyzstan. He leads the team’s work on community security and promotes sustainable, community-based policing that empowers communities to address insecurity and violence in cooperation with local authorities.
Stefan brings years of experience working on development and humanitarian assistance projects, local governance, peacebuilding and working with local communities in Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Lebanon and Central Asia. Stefan has previously worked for International Alert, the Danish Refugee Council, HelpAge International and the United Nations Development Programme.
Khirad Kargasov, Project Manager
Khirad joined the Tajikistan team in 2016 as Project Manager, where he works with colleagues and five civil society partners on promoting community policing in the country. Before moving to the region, Khirad had worked in Saferworld’s South Sudan programme as Area Project Manager where he was responsible for overseeing a community security programme in four states.
Before Saferworld, Khirad worked for the United States Department of State’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), where he also worked on Tajikistan’s community policing programme.
Chris Underwood, Head of Asia Programmes
Chris joined Saferworld as head of Asia programmes in May 2015, where he leads Saferworld's field programmes in South and South East Asia.
Previously he was director of country programmes for the governance initiative Making All Voices Count. Based in South Africa, he was responsible for programming for a $49 million initiative across 12 countries, funded by a donor consortium including the UK’s Department for International Development, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, USAID, Open Society Foundations and Omidyar. Before joining the programme he was senior policy adviser for International Alert, leading their work on shaping the post-2015 global development agenda.
Twitter: @chris_underwood
Blog: www.chrisunderwoodsblog.com
Read articles and publications from Chris.
Haris Qayyum, Pakistan Country Representative
Haris joined Saferworld in 2016 as the country representative for Pakistan, where he leads the organisation's engagement around diplomacy, governance, trade, justice and security with international and national government and private sector groups.
Before Saferworld, he worked with International Alert in Pakistan, where he worked on crisis-sensitive value chains, impact investments, arts and culture and social enterprises. He also helped set up an office in Nepal. Before International Alert, Haris also worked for the UN, CRS, Plan International, Oxfam and FAO.
Twitter: @dr_harisqayyum
Imrana Farooqi, ARC Project Manager
Imrana joined the Saferworld Pakistan team in 2017 and leads on the ARC project relating to justice provision. She has a wealth of experience, ranging from work in the private, public, academic and non-governmental sectors. Before Saferworld, Imrana worked at Oxfam Novib Pakistan from 2013, where she designed, developed and delivered a private sector engagement strategy. For over a decade prior, she worked as a consultant and visiting faculty for a variety of organisations and universities.
Bibhash Chakraborty, Bangladesh Programme Manager
Bibhash joined Saferworld in 2012. He is based out of the office in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he manages the country programme. Before Saferworld, Bibhash had worked in a number of roles for CARE, Oxfam, Save the Children, BRAC and PROSHIKA, with a focus on research, humanitarian response and development. He has worked especially closely with marginalised groups, including working children, indigenous people, members of lower castes, religious minorities and women – all of whom face unique challenges in the country.
Twitter: @bibhash_jchakpi
Read articles and publications from Bibhash.
Ashim Pandey, Country Manager, Nepal
Ashim joined Saferworld in January 2015 as Nepal Country Manager. In this role, he manages the Nepal programme, supports project implementation, and plans and monitors the country strategy. Before Saferworld, Ashim worked for the German development agency GIZ on a project that sought to strengthen the peace process in Nepal, focusing on reintegration of Maoist army combatants and other vulnerable groups. He also worked for GIZ in Indonesia following the tsunami there.
Ashim specialises in programme management, peacebuilding and conflict prevention, and reconciliation and reintegration
Read articles and publications from Ashim.
John Bainbridge, Country Manager, Myanmar
_cropped.jpg)
John joined Saferworld in June 2015 and is based in Yangon. He manages all staff in-country, while overseeing the design, planning and implementation of the country strategy which is focused on security, justice, conflict sensitivity and gender equality.
He has worked in Myanmar since 2012, firstly with DCA supporting civil society partners to design and manage peacebuilding, gender equality, and natural resource management projects. Later he worked as an independent researcher and adviser with UN agencies and various NGOs on issues pertaining to conflict sensitivity, displacement and governance. Previously, John was based in London and worked for Peace Direct, supporting peacebuilding programmes across East Africa and Pakistan. He holds an MSc in violence, conflict and development from SOAS, University of London.
Twitter: @johnabainbridge
Saw Lin Chel, Programme Manager Myanmar
Saw Lin Chel joined Saferworld’s Myanmar programme in 2015, where he helps manage Saferworld’s work on community security in the country.
With previous experience in Mon, Kayin and Ayeyarwady, he has a strong understanding of conflict dynamics and the relationships of communities and governance structures. His experience working for donors, non-governmental organisations and in partnership with local organisations has contributed to his understanding of community relations, social cohesion, and the impact of programming on conflict dynamics.
Dr Theo Hollander, Justice and Security Adviser, Myanmar
Theo joined Saferworld in 2017. He leads on security, justice and gender research and supports the organisation’s community security work in Myanmar.
Previously, Theo was a peacebuilding adviser for DFID Burma, responsible for leading work on conflict sensitivity and intercommunal conflict. Theo also played a key role in the design and implementation of the peacebuilding programme. Before this, Theo was the research coordinator of the National Memory and Peace Documentation Centre, the Kitgum office of the Ugandan organisation Refugee Law Project. Theo led the centre’s work on human rights documentation, the legacies of violence research programme, and the centre’s work on memorialisation, community outreach and conflict mediation.
Theo holds a PhD in gender, conflict and transitional justice, a Master in conflict studies and human rights.
Léonie Northedge, Yemen Country Director
Léonie Northedge is Yemen country director, managing Saferworld’s Yemen peacebuilding programmes and international advocacy. Having joined Saferworld in 2014, she has also conducted research and managed programmes in Egypt and Tunisia, especially around security sector reform, political inclusion and gender, peace and security.
Before Saferworld, Léonie worked at the think tank Chatham House, where she was a research associate on the Middle East and North Africa.
Twitter: @leonieleonie
Awfa Al-Naami, Yemen Acting Country Manager
Awfa joined Saferworld in 2016 as a Project Manager in Yemen, with a focus on gender work in the country, and then moved on to become Acting Country Manager where she oversees the programme and manages the day-to-day activities of the team.
She brings with her a wide range of experience working in Yemen, including as Food, Security and Livelihoods Coordinator at the National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response, and then as the gender focal point in the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster in Yemen.
Larry Attree, Head of Policy
Larry Attree is head of policy at Saferworld. With over 13 years’ experience, he is a globally recognised expert on conflict issues. He input extensively into global negotiations on peace and development issues including the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States, the Busan Partnership and the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
His experience includes project management, advocacy, policy development, advisory and capacity building support, evaluation and extensive research. His expertise covers aid and conflict, stabilisation, counter-terrorism, governance and statebuilding, arms control and armed violence reduction, reintegration, community security, security and justice sector development and conflict sensitivity (including conflict analysis, programme design, monitoring and evaluation). Larry has worked for a variety of UN and international agencies, NGOs and the corporate sector with several years’ field experience in conflict-affected parts of Eastern Europe, the Pacific, Asia and Africa.
Twitter: @LarryAttree
Read articles and publications from Larry
Elizabeth Bourne, Communications Manager
Elizabeth is Communications Manager, overseeing Saferworld’s communications and external profile. Having joined in 2012 as Communications Coordinator, she brings a range of experience working at non-governmental organisations, including at Oxfam as Brand and Communications Officer where she supported on media, communications strategy and the organisation’s first global rebrand. Elizabeth also worked in a range of non-communications roles, including in funding and programmes for Oxfam and the Australian government.
Twitter: @bourneshort
Read articles and publications from Elizabeth
Shelagh Daley, Advocacy Manager
Shelagh Daley joined Saferworld in 2012. She now manages Saferworld’s global advocacy team and leads on organisational engagement with UK and other government decision-makers and development practitioners. Before joining the team, she worked at Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS) where she managed the No women, no peace campaign on the inclusion of women in peace processes. She also has several years of experience in international marketing and campaigning.
Shelagh brings a range of expertise on issues surrounding the arms trade, aid and conflict, gender, peace and security, and conflict prevention policy.
Twitter: @shedales
Read articles and publications from Shelagh
Roy Isbister, Team Leader - Small Arms and Transfer Controls
Roy leads Saferworld's work on conventional arms. He has over 15 years’ experience in developing and implementing strategies to promote the adoption of responsible arms transfer control strategies nationally, regionally and internationally. He has edited and authored research papers, reports, policy briefings and articles on arms transfer control policies. Roy regularly contributes to international media on arms issues. He is currently co-chair of the global Control Arms Coalition and the coordinator of the UK NGO Working Group on Arms. Roy holds a masters in international relations from the University of Kent.
Read articles and publications from Roy
Elizabeth Kirkham, Small Arms and Transfer Controls Adviser
Elizabeth has worked on arms and security issues at Saferworld since 1993. Elizabeth's areas of interest include national, regional and international arms transfer control policies and practices and global and regional efforts to stem the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons. Elizabeth has produced numerous publications for Saferworld on a wide range of related issues such as: how an international Arms Trade Treaty could be monitored and verified; and priorities for strengthened controls on small arms transfers in order to prevent their diversion.
Read articles and publications from Elizabeth
Ivan Campbell, Senior Conflict and Security Adviser
Ivan Campbell joined Saferworld in 2005 as the Head of Africa programme, following over a decade of working in conflict-affected states including Burundi and Rwanda, and managing International Alert’s Great Lakes programme. In 2009, he took up his current role of Senior Conflict and Security Adviser, in which he provides technical support on peacebuilding, engaging civil society and international debates on peace and security.
Ivan leads Saferworld’s policy engagement with emerging global actors, with a focus on their role in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Peace.
Read articles and publications from Ivan
Tim Midgley, Senior Conflict and Security Adviser
Tim joined Saferworld in September 2013 as Senior and Conflict Adviser with a focus on aid and conflict, conflict sensitivity, and security and justice. Before joining the team, Tim was the Fragile States Adviser for World Vision UK, as well as having worked for DfiD’s South Asia Department focusing on Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and engaging in consultancy projects with donors such as GTZ and UNDP.
Tim’s expertise lie in integrating conflict sensitive approaches into programming and disaster risk management across South/South East Asia and East Africa.
Twitter: @TimSaferworld
Read articles and publications from Tim
Hesta Groenewald, Senior Conflict and Security Adviser
Hesta Groenewald is Senior Conflict and Security Adviser for Saferworld, focusing on conflict sensitivity and alternative approaches to counter-terrorism, stabilisation and statebuilding. With previous experience in conflict prevention from European Union development assistance in the Horn of Africa, she has been involved in providing training to government, civil society and international donors on broader conflict prevention issues. She is the author numerous research papers, briefings and articles on her topics of specialism.
Read articles and publications from Hesta
Ojaswi Shah, Conflict and Security Adviser
Ojaswi Shah is Conflict and Security Adviser at Saferworld, where she focuses on both policy and programming that relates to gender, peace and security. She also works on conflict sensitive development and security and justice sector reform. Before moving to the London office in 2017, Ojaswi led multiple research projects in Nepal focusing on masculinities and violence, gendered needs and concerns of the Nepali disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process, and perceptions of security and crime. She also led multiple communications and outreach projects focusing on gender and security sector reform.
Ojaswi has a Master’s in Conflict, Peace and Development Studies and a B.A in Social Work.
Twitter: @OjaswiS
Read articles and publications from Ojaswi
Victoria Brereton, Conflict and Security Adviser
Victoria joined Saferworld in July 2012 as a conflict and security adviser, conducting research and analysis on Kenya and South Sudan.
She previously worked as a policy adviser for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in South Sudan, focusing on conflict analysis, humanitarian access issues, and engagement with the Government of South Sudan. She worked as a research analyst for International Crisis Group, based in their Brussels headquarters, and policy adviser for the UK Cabinet Office. Victoria has a masters degree in international politics from SOAS and a degree in history from Cambridge University.
Twitter: @vjbrereton
Will Bennett, Conflict and Security Adviser
Will Bennett joined Saferworld’s policy team in October 2013 as Conflict and Security Adviser, leading their work on security and justice. He previously worked for other international organisations including UNICEF, Amnesty International, and Generations for Peace. Will holds a BA (Hons) in History from the University of Bristol, an MA (Hons) in War Studies from King's College London, and is currently studying for a PhD in transforming urban conflicts at Birkbeck.
Will’s expertise focus on conflict transformation, human rights, and peace, security and justice interventions. Particular areas of interest include West and North Africa, and South/South East Asia, and western foreign policy.
Twitter: @londonrumblings
Read articles and publications from Will
Chris Snow, Conflict and Security Adviser
Having joined Saferworld in April 2017, Chris focuses on governance in fragile settings, conflict-sensitive approaches and inclusive, fair and accountable institutions. His recent work has been on how development programmes can foster better governance and how to measure their impact.
Previously Chris worked for BBC Media Action, researching media’s role in promoting and supporting good governance, social inclusion and accountable state-society relations. He holds a master's in international security and global governance from Birkbeck, University of London.
Twitter: @unseasonalsnow
Geeta Kuttiparambil, Gender, Peace and Security Adviser
Geeta joined Saferworld in October 2016 as Gender, Peace and Security Adviser. Her 15 years of experience working on human rights and equality – and specialising in gender equality, women’s empowerment, gender-based violence and conflict prevention – have brought her to various complex humanitarian contexts, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Kenya, Jordan, Nepal and Sudan, where she provided technical advice, programming support and capacity strengthening with a particular focus on women’s participation in decision-making.
Geeta continues to provide expert advice on gender issues across the countries where Saferworld work as well as within policy discussions.
David Alpher, Washington Head of Office and Advocacy Manager
David Alpher joined Saferworld in 2013 as the first Washington associate, bringing a wealth of experience working on conflict resolution and governance issues in Washington DC, the Middle East, Horn of Africa and Central/South Asia. He leads the organisation's advocacy efforts in the US. David was previously Director of Development Policy and Planning at CHF International, engaging in a range of policy and advocacy work on issues including foreign assistance impacts.
David’s expertise centre on military, governmental and non-governmental development efforts in conflict areas, and conflict assessment, resolution and reconstruction programmes.
Twitter: @DavidAlpher
Read articles and publications from David
Kloe Tricot O'Farrell, EU Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
Kloe joined Saferworld in 2013 as a policy and advocacy assistant for the Small Arms and Transfer Controls and Rising Powers team. In January 2014, she joined Saferworld’s Brussels-based EU advocacy team where she leads and coordinates policy and advocacy on conflict prevention and peacebuilding approaches at the EU level. She supports advocacy efforts of Saferworld’s country programmes by providing advocacy trainings and through regular engagement with EU and international donors.
She holds a masters degree in international relations from Université libre de Bruxelles and a masters degree in war studies from Kings College London.
Twitter: @KloeOfarrell
Read articles and publications from Kloe
Zhang Hui, China Programme Manager
Zhang Hui is the China Programme Manager at Saferworld. Having joined in 2012, Hui leads the organisation’s engagement with Chinese policymakers and commercial actors operating in Africa and Asia. Before Saferworld, Hui worked on a range of research projects – including for the European Council on Foreign Relations and the Economist Intelligence Unit – examining Chinese relations and investments in countries around the world.
Hui currently works with Chinese companies on conflict sensitivity in various contexts, and with the Chinese government on peacebuilding approaches.