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Meet our Team

We couldn’t achieve what we do without our people. Take a look at our staff profiles to see how different roles play a part in our success.

 

Board and Executive Management Group

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Dr Sue Griffiths
Managing Director
As Managing Director of SDDirect, Sue’s role is to empower the team to deliver excellent and innovative social development consultancy and research with inclusion and social justice at its heart.…
Board and Executive Management Group
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Barry Smith
Co- Director, Technical Team
As Deputy Technical Director, Barry Smith co-leads SDDirect’s consultancy and research staff. He is also a Principal Consultant in the Governance and Inclusive Societies team and Equal Education…
Board and Executive Management Group
Besinati Mpepo
Besinati Mpepo
Co-Director, Technical Team
In January 2023, Besinati joined Social Development Direct as Co-Director of the Technical Team, providing strategic and operational leadership across SDDirect’s gender equality and social inclusion…
Board and Executive Management Group
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Chris Watts
Finance Director
Chris joined SDDirect in April 2016 as Finance Director. His responsibilities include all aspects of the financial management of SDDirect, including financial reporting, budgeting, pricing,…
Board and Executive Management Group
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Emma Wokowu
Associate Director of Programmes
Emma is Associate Director of Programmes at SDDirect. Working as part of the executive management team, Emma provides leadership and oversight on all corporate support services across the business.…
Board and Executive Management Group
Victoria Lishak
Victoria Lishak
Associate Director Business Development
Victoria leads the Business Development and Communications Team at SDDirect and is responsible for guiding the sustainable growth of our organisation. A commercial contracting specialist, Victoria…
Board and Executive Management Group
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Rose Caldwell
Non-Executive Director
Rose Caldwell is a member of Social Development Direct board and CEO of Plan International UK. She has over 20 years’ experience in senior roles in the not for profit sector having spent ten years as…
Board and Executive Management Group
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John Kerr
Non-Executive Director
John Kerr is a member of the Social Development Direct Board. He is also a member of the board of Development Works Limited and Plan International UK. He is an advisor and board member to a…
Board and Executive Management Group
Minal Shah
Minal Shah
Non-Executive Director
Minal is a member of the Social Development Direct Board.   In her professional career, Minal works as a Marketing advisor and Interim CMO, to tech start-ups and scale-ups. She helps these…
Board and Executive Management Group

Business Development

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Jenny Larsson
Deputy Head of Business Development
Jenny manages business development opportunities for SDDirect across a range of clients and portfolios, working closely with technical team members to ensure the submission of high-quality proposals…
Business Development
Maham Khan
Maham Khan
Business Development Manager
Maham joined SDDirect in February 2023 as a Business Development Manager. As part of this role, Maham leads on developing high-quality technical and commercial proposals for various clients and…
Business Development
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Serena Mior
Business Development Manager
Serena joined the Business Development team at SDDirect in September 2018. In her capacity as Business Development Manager, she works on new opportunities across the company’s portfolios of work,…
Business Development
Sylvia Nwoko
Sylvia Nwoko
Communications Officer
Meet Sylvia Nwoko, our dedicated Communications Officer at SDDirect. She recently joined SDDirect in August 2023 and is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the communications strategy,…
Business Development
Karla Hawke
Karla Hawke
Business Development Manager
Karla rejoined our Business Development team in September 2024. Previously, between 2014 and 2018, she contributed to the growth of SDDirect through notable successful contract awards. Karla brings…
Business Development
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Nastasya Gecim
Deputy Head of Communications
As Deputy Head of Communications and RSH Partnerships Lead, Nastasya is responsible for developing and implementing the company’s strategic communication plans, building relationships with key…
Business Development
Daniela Fernandes
Daniela Fernandes
Business Development Officer
Daniela joined the Business Development team at SDDirect in November 2023 as a Business Development Officer. She is joining us from the International Governance and Risk Institute (GovRisk) where she…
Business Development

Finance and HR

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Chris Watts
Finance Director
Chris joined SDDirect in April 2016 as Finance Director. His responsibilities include all aspects of the financial management of SDDirect, including financial reporting, budgeting, pricing,…
Finance and HR
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Inci Bilen
Accountant
Inci joined SDDirect in February 2022 as our Accountant. She works with the Finance Director to run the Finance Department and is responsible for all bookkeeping with the aim of progressing into…
Finance and HR
Khalida Omar
Khalida Omar
Project Accounts Assistant
Khalida joined SDDirect as a Project Accounts Assistant. She graduated with a BSc in Marketing and Management in 2018 and an MSc in Global Media Economics in 2019. She gained her passion for numbers…
Finance and HR
Kim Evans
Kimberly Evans
Assistant to the Senior Leadership Team
Kim joined SDDirect in February 2024 as the Team Assistant to the Senior Leadership Team. Her role consists of supporting the Directors and Associate Directors by coordinating the efficient running…
Finance and HR
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Naomi Asuo
Recruitment Lead
Naomi has over 10 years of experience within Recruitment, Employability and Training with skills in stakeholder management, project management and team leading.  Naomi is involved in supporting…
Finance and HR
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Nicola Holden
HR Manager
Nicola is the HR Manager at SDDirect. Since joining she has worked closely with our Programmes and Business Development teams to provide resourcing and compliance support to a wide range of projects…
Finance and HR
Rebecca Thomlinson
Rebecca Thomlinson
International Recruitment Specialist
Bex Thomlinson is the International Recruitment Specialist for the Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub, providing resourcing support by facilitating recruitment and onboarding for project staff,…
Finance and HR
Seerat
Seerat Fatima
Office & HR Coordinator
Seerat joined SDDirect in January 2021 and plays a key role in managing the organisation's internal recruitment, onboarding processes, and HR database. She is passionate about ensuring employee…
Finance and HR

Technical

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Barry Smith
Co- Director, Technical Team
As Deputy Technical Director, Barry Smith co-leads SDDirect’s consultancy and research staff. He is also a Principal Consultant in the Governance and Inclusive Societies team and Equal Education…
Technical
Besinati Mpepo
Besinati Mpepo
Co-Director, Technical Team
In January 2023, Besinati joined Social Development Direct as Co-Director of the Technical Team, providing strategic and operational leadership across SDDirect’s gender equality and social inclusion…
Technical
Amanda Bangura
Amanda Bangura
Principal Consultant
Amanda provides technical advice and leadership to SDDirect's work in the field of Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response as part of SDDirect’s GBV Portfolio team. She is the Country Co-…
Technical
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Anna Gawn
Head of Safeguarding Portfolio
Anna joined SDDirect’s technical team in August 2022 and is a Principal Consultant in the Safeguarding Portfoilo. Anna brings over 15 years of experience in the international development and…
Technical
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Alix Clark
Head of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)
Alix Clark is a Senior Technical Specialist at SDDirect, specialising in Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) aware monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) approaches. Alix sits within the…
Technical
Alina Rosenfeld
Alina Rosenfeld
Principal Safeguarding Consultant, RSH
Alina is a Principal Consultant providing technical safeguarding support to the Resource and Support Hub.  She brings a decade of experience to the Safeguarding Portfolio and has extensive…
Technical
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Andrea Watkins
Principal Consultant in Safeguarding
Andrea is a Principal Consultant in the safeguarding team at SDDirect. With a background in social care and child protection, Andrea brings more than ten years’ experience providing technical…
Technical
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Anisha Saggu
Technical Specialist
Anisha joined SDDirect in October 2021 as a Technical Analyst, with a focus on the Governance and Inclusive Societies portfolio, including work on the Disability Inclusion Helpdesk. Anisha’s…
Technical
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Ann Kangas
Principal Consultant
Ann leads SDDirect’s work on safeguarding which includes work on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), child safeguarding and wider issues around bullying and harassment. …
Technical
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Chris Hearle
Principal Consultant in Green Economies and Infrastructure
Chris works as a Principal Consultant in the Green Economies and Infrastructure team. He has extensive experience in international development, across a range of social development-related areas…
Technical
Clare Hollowell
Clare Hollowell
Principal Consultant for GBV in Emergencies (GBViE)
Clare joined SDDirect as a Principal Consultant in the Gender-Based Violence team, with a specialism in GBV in Emergencies. She has a wealth of experience in NGOs, consultancy, donor governments and…
Technical
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Danielle Cornish-Spencer
Head of Equal Education Portfolio
Danielle joined SDDirect’s technical team in 2019, and works as the Head of Portfolio for Equal Education and Principal Consultant in Safeguarding. Danielle brings over 15 years of experience in…
Technical
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Dr Emma Grant
Associate Director, Technical Team
Emma is a social development and governance professional with over 20 years’ experience in advisory, research and management/leadership roles spanning a range of issues and sectors, including…
Technical
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Dr Erika McAslan Fraser
Associate Director, Technical Team
Erika provides technical advice and leadership to SDDirect’s work on gender-based violence (GBV). She has over twenty years of experience of working on social development.  Erika has produced…
Technical
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Emma Haegeman
Head of Governance and Inclusive Societies Portfolio
Emma is the Head of the Governance and Inclusive Societies Portfolio, which houses SDDirect’s work on health; disability inclusion; women’s political participation; women, peace, and security; and…
Technical
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Faraz Hassan
Head of Green Economies and Infrastructure
Faraz is Head of the Green Economies and Infrastructure Portfolio with over 10 years’ experience focusing on the role of planning, community engagement, and technology in creating more inclusive and…
Technical
Gemma Ferguson
Gemma Ferguson
Principal Consultant
Gemma Ferguson is a Principal Consultant in the GBV team. She brings two decades of experience working at the intersection of media and social development, with a special focus on gender, social…
Technical
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Hanna Smit
Senior Technical Specialist in Gender-Based Violence and Safeguarding
With a background in humanitarianism and social development, Hanna provides technical and research expertise to SDDirect’s Gender-Based Violence and Safeguarding portfolios. As the GBV AoR…
Technical
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Inez Ksiazek
Eastern Europe Hub Manager – Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub
Inez joined SDD in May 2022 as the Eastern Europe Hub Manager for the Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub, bringing in technical expertise in safeguarding and extensive project management skills.…
Technical
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Jo Feather
Associate Director, Technical Team
Jo Feather is a Principal Consultant in the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Portfolio. She has been working in gender and social development for over 20 years specifically on violence against women and…
Technical
Joanne Creighton
Joanne Creighton
Principal Consultant in Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies & GBViE Lead
Joanne leads SDDirect’s Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Emergencies work. She is a senior member of the GBV portfolio and Director of the GBV AoR Helpdesk: a research and advice service for…
Technical
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Kate Bishop
Associate Director, Technical Team
Kate leads SDDirect’s portfolio of work on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in development and humanitarian contexts. She is a member of the senior leadership team on the global ‘What Works to Prevent…
Technical
Katy Bobin
Katy Bobin
Senior Technical Specialist
Katy Bobin is a Senior Technical Specialist at SDDirect, providing Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning expertise to the Resource and Support Hub (RSH). Katy brings 15 years of experience in the…
Technical
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Kavita Kalsi
Senior Technical Specialist in Digital and Green Economies and Infrastructure
Kavita Kalsi is a Senior Technical Specialist at SDDirect. She leads our work across the Digital thematic area and is a researcher in women’s economic empowerment. She has 12 years’ experience in the…
Technical
Loulou Shah
Loulou (Louise) Shah
Senior Technical Expert - Safeguarding
Loulou joined SDDirect in March 2023 as Safeguarding Technical Expert (Principal Consultant), bringing with her over 15 years of experience in international development and humanitarian work. First…
Technical
Lucia
Lucia Solda
Technical Specialist in MEL and Research
Lucia is a Technical Specialist in Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL) and Research. In this role, she contributes to the delivery of a range of cross-cutting gender equality and social inclusion…
Technical
Lusungu Kalanga
Lusungu Kalanga
Principal Consultant
Lusungu provides technical advice and leadership to SDDirect's work in the field of Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention as part of SDDirect’s GBV Portfolio team. She is the Country Co-Lead for SDD…
Technical
Nanette Brew-Butler
Nanette Brew-Butler
Deputy Team Leader for Resource and Support Hub
Nanette joined Social Development Direct in May 2023 as the Deputy Team Leader for Resource and Support Hub, working closely with the Team Leader and Programme Manager to facilitate the delivery of…
Technical
Nilanjana Bhattacharjee
Nilanjana Bhattacharjee
Technical Specialist
Nilanjana currently serves as a Technical Specialist for Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL) and Research and sits within the MEL unit at SDDirect. Through this role, she contributes to the…
Technical
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Naomi Clugston
Senior Technical Specialist in Governance and Inclusive Societies and Gender-Based Violence
Naomi is a Technical Specialist who works across our Governance and Inclusive Societies and Gender-based Violence portfolios. She primarily focuses on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), women’s…
Technical
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Olivia Jenkins
Technical Specialist
Olivia is a Technical Analyst with a focus on SDDirect’s Green Economies and Infrastructure portfolio. She provides research and technical inputs across a wide variety of gender and social inclusion…
Technical
Onyeka Nneli
Onyeka Vivian Nneli
Technical Analyst
Onyeka joined Social Development Direct in November 2023 as a Technical Analyst with a focus on Governance & Inclusive Societies and Gender-Based Violence portfolios. She has over 3 years…
Technical
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Rebekah Martin
Senior Technical Specialist, Climate Justice Lead
Rebekah is our Climate Justice Lead and a Senior Technical Specialist with a particular focus on our Governance and Inclusive Societies Portfolio. She provides technical support on disability…
Technical
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Tina Musuya
Head of Gender-Based Violence Portfolio
Tina provides technical advice and leadership to SDDirect's work in the field of Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention. She helps to ensure that the work of in-house staff and consultants is…
Technical
Valeria Miglio
Valeria Miglio
Technical Specialist
Valeria joined SDDirect in March 2024 as a Technical Specialist in the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) portfolio. She brings an academic background in international development and…
Technical
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Veronica Ahlenback
Senior Technical Specialist
Veronica Ahlenback is a Technical Specialist in SDDirect’s Gender-based Violence portfolio. She is particularly interested in Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) approaches in GBV focused…
Technical
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Maria Vlahakis
Head of Governance and Inclusive Societies Portfolio
Maria is part of the Gender-based Violence (GBV) team at SDDirect. She is a social inclusion and gender equality professional with strong feminist values, specialising in violence against women and…
Technical

Programmes

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Emma Wokowu
Associate Director of Programmes
Emma is Associate Director of Programmes at SDDirect. Working as part of the executive management team, Emma provides leadership and oversight on all corporate support services across the business.…
Programmes
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Stefania Battistelli
Head of Programmes
Stefania joined SDDirect in January 2022 as Head of Programmes, responsible for day-to-day programme operations, risk management and technical delivery of contracted projects. She also oversees key…
Programmes
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Beatriz Esteves
Senior Programmes Manager
Beatriz has over eight years’ experience in international development. Since joining SDDirect, she has provided Project Management support to projects of varying sizes and complexities, including…
Programmes
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Hirushima Ariyarathna
Programmes Coordinator
Hiru joined Social Development Direct in January 2020 as part of the Programmes team and has worked across a wide range of thematic areas over many different projects of varying sizes and complexity…
Programmes
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Jacob Pigg
Programme Officer
Jacob joined the SDD programmes team in 2022 as a programmes officer, supporting the management and delivery of a number of projects across the SDDirect portfolios. In 2022, Jacob graduated from…
Programmes
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Pierrot Lee
Senior Programme Manager
Pierrot has extensive experience providing project management support to development programmes across multiple contexts and for various funders. Since joining SDDirect has worked as Programme…
Programmes
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Sharene Wakefield
Programmes Manager
Sharene is a Programmes Manager at SDDirect and has extensive experience managing international development and humanitarian programmes.   Since joining SDDirect she has provided project…
Programmes
Thomas Corser
Thomas Corser
Programmes Manager
Tom joined SDD Programmes team in June 2022 and is responsible for managing a portfolio of projects to help maximise SDD’s impact and ensure delivery to high and professional standards. Since joining…
Programmes
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Veronica Martinez Tamayo
Programmes Manager
Veronica Martinez Tamayo has over 8 years’ experience in international development operational management. Veronica is responsible for designing and implementing project management structures,…
Programmes
Isadora Brizolara
Isadora Brizolara
Programmes Coordinator
Isadora joined SDDirect in June 2022 as a part of SDDirect’s Programmes team to support the coordination and delivery of a varied project portfolio. She brings cross-sectoral experience delivering a…
Programmes

Associates

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Alice Kerr-Wilson
Associate
Alice is an independent consultant with almost two decades experience working to advance women and girl’s rights in Africa, Asia and Europe. She has a particular focus on strengthening the capacity…
Associates
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Amy Harrison
Associate
Amy is a gender, social development and governance specialist with extensive experience providing technical, research, training and facilitation support to development policy and programming. She has…
Associates
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Amy Oyekunle
Associate
Amy Oyekunle is the National Safeguarding Lead on the Partnership for Learning for All (PLANE) project. She is a gender and development professional with over 15 years experience in non-governmental…
Associates
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Celine Mazars
Associate
Celine is a social scientist, with more than 20 years of professional experience in Social Development, Gender, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, with a special focus on violence against…
Associates
Deborah Livingstone
Deborah Livingstone
Associate
Deborah is a social development and local governance consultant with over 20 years’ experience, specialising in gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), local governance, and climate…
Associates
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Dr Eleanor Nwadinobi
Associate
Dr Eleanor Nwadinobi  joined SDDirect in 2012 as a Gender Advisor. She is currently Senior Adviser in the SDDirect team that is supporting delivery of the Nigeria Resource and Support Hub (RSH…
Associates
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Jeanne Ward
Associate
Jeanne Ward is an internationally recognized expert on gender-based violence (GBV). She provides technical leadership, training, assessment and evaluation support to UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs/CBOs and…
Associates
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Oge Chukwudozie
Associate
Oge Chukwudozie is the Global Safeguarding Advisor for Resource and Support Hub (RSH) providing technical guidance and support to RSH teams in MENA, South Asia and Africa regions. Prior to taking on…
Associates
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Emma Bell
Associate
Emma is a SDDirect Senior Associate with significant experience in gender, violence against women and girls, women’s rights, HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH). She holds a BSc Econ in…
Associates
photo of Julienne Corboz
Julienne Corboz
Associate
Julienne is an SDDirect Senior Associate with 20 years of experience working in research, evaluation and capacity building. She has a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Melbourne and after…
Associates
Lealem Mersha
Lealem Mersha
Associate
Lealem is a senior gender equality and governance expert with a focus on gender and inclusion, political economy of development, civil society, and migration within the Horn of Africa. Currently…
Associates
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Lorraine Wapling
Associate
Lorraine has twenty years’ experience working in the development sector focusing in particular on the promotion of disability inclusive development from a human rights perspective. She has…
Associates
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Lyndsay McLean
Associate
Lyndsay is an SDDirect Senior Associate with over 25 years' experience working in international development as a policy-maker, researcher and consultant. She has particular expertise on gender,…
Associates
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Mandy Littlewood
Associate
Mandy is an SDDirect Senior Associate and leading quantitative researcher with 20 years experience of survey statistics in social policy/gender research. She has extensive experience in collecting…
Associates
Image of Manjola Kola sitting outside
Manjola Kola
Associate
Manjola brings more than 20 years’ experience in formal and non-formal education in developing, conflict, post-conflict and natural disaster-affected countries, in Africa, Asia and Balkans. She is a…
Associates
Sabine Garbarino
Sabine Garbarino
Associate
Sabine is a SDDirect Senior Associate with almost 20 years of experience in gender, diversity and inclusion. Her most recent work focuses on facilitating women’s economic empowerment and inclusive…
Associates
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Sally Neville
Associate
Sally has over 20 years of experience working to promote gender equality and support women and girls’ empowerment, primarily through the generation and use of evidence.  She has a particular…
Associates
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Sara Petersson
Associate
Sara Petersson brings over 16-years of experience working in international development overseeing, coordinating, and managing large development programmes and portfolios with a specific focus on…
Associates
Sosena Lemma
Sosena Lemma
Associate
With over two decades of dedicated service in the development sector in Ethiopia, Sosena Lemma has emerged as a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience. As a leader in capacity development…
Associates
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Susan Wilkinson-Maposa
Associate
Dr Susan Wilkinson-Maposa has 28 years of experience supporting international development organizations in south, east and west Africa, as well as in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. She delivers…
Associates
Susi Taylor
Susannah Taylor
Associate
Susi has twenty-four years’ experience in the international development and humanitarian sectors, both in the non-profit and private sectors. She has specialised in strategy development, complex…
Associates
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Tasneem Salam
Associate
Tasneem Salam is a senior socio-economist who has worked for many years in economic development and urban and rural poverty alleviation programmes in both developed and developing countries. She…
Associates
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Tope Ogundipe
Associate
Tope is currently working with SDDirect as a regional specialist on the FCDO-funded Digital Access Programme to help create more inclusive, safe and secure digital access for excluded and underserved…
Associates
Tsinu Amdeselassie
Tsinu Amdeselassie Worku
Associate
Tsinu is a consultant working as gender and social inclusion advisor, a qualified trainer, a lawyer, and researcher. She has an extensive experience in empowering female leaders, young women, workers…
Associates
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Victoria Schauerhammer
Associate
Victoria is a social development specialist with extensive experience in providing technical advice, research and evaluation services on gender equality and social inclusion. She has a proven track…
Associates
WJ
Wejdan Jarrah
Associate
Wejdan is an experienced humanitarian and development leader with a Master’s degree in psychological counselling and over 15 years’ experience working in the non-profit sector. She has expertise in a…
Associates