Our people

Jatinder, in her job share with Jennifer Venis, is responsible for strengthening Peace Direct’s profile and influence by amplifying partner voices and championing ethical storytelling. They lead on partner content, major organisational reports and Peace Insight, ensuring Peace Direct’s voice and the work of local peacebuilders are visible, credible and influential.

Jatinder has over 17 years experience in publications and editorial communications in NGOs, think tanks and charities, having previously worked at Saferworld and the Yemen Policy Center. She is also the founder of the communications and editorial consultancy, Raining Words.

Jean joined Peace Direct in October 2025. She supports the International Programmes and Research team, as well as the local partners in the effective financial management of the international programme and research portfolio.

She has worked in the Humanitarian, Relief and Development Sector for 15 years in finance functions across a number of charities both in Uganda and UK including The White Ribbon Alliance, Relief International UK, Standard Chartered Bank Sustainability department, Care International UK, Y Care International and All We Can.

Jean is an ACCA Fellow and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Accounting.

Claudia is the Executive and Finance Coordinator at Peace Direct, where she provides support to the CEO, Senior Leadership Team, Trustees and Finance department.

Before joining Peace Direct, Claudia built a successful career as a professional freelance opera singer.

She holds two Master’s degrees in Opera and Vocal Studies from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, along with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Queen Mary University of London.

Tatiana is the Senior Programme Development Officer at Peace Direct, where she supports funder engagement, programme development and fundraising efforts, with a focus on institutional funders, trusts and foundations. She works to secure funding, strengthen partnerships that enable locally-led peacebuilding in conflict-affected contexts, and mobilise resources for peace that lasts.

Tatiana previously worked for the French government and several international development and peacebuilding organisations. She brings experience in foreign policy, grantmaking, and youth empowerment across Europe and the Middle East, having lived and worked in Paris, The Hague, London and East Jerusalem.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Geography and a master’s degree in International Politics from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, in France.

Amanda is a Senior Programme Officer at Peace Direct. She supports the day-to-day roll of out of the Local First programme, and is responsible for managing relationships with partners in Mali and Afghanistan. Amanda has previously worked for other peacebuilding organisations, including the Kofi Annan Foundation and International Alert, working with civil society and peacebuilding practitioners from multiple contexts spanning Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and South/Southeast Asia. Her areas of interest and expertise include preventing and countering violent extremism, youth-led peacebuilding practices, and art-based interventions. She holds an MSc in Humanitarianism, Aid and Conflict from SOAS, University of London, United Kingdom, and a BA in International Development and Political Sciences from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Luisa supports the learning and impact team at Peace Direct, working with our partners to strengthen knowledge and capture learning to advance locally led peacebuilding. Her role includes supporting partner Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) processes in the DRC, Mali, Sudan and Afghanistan.

Luisa previously completed a Mercator fellowship focused on Youth, Peace and Security, working with UNU – CPR in New York and UNFPA in Dakar. She holds a BA in Political Science from Sciences Po Paris and Free University Berlin and a Master’s degree in International Security with minors in Conflict Resolution and Human Rights from Sciences Po Paris and Columbia University New York.

Pamela is responsible for supporting our Policy and Advocacy Manager with our advocacy efforts in the UK. She is working closely with a select number of our partners (including Afghanistan, DR Congo, Mali and Sudan) to support their development of targeted, long -term advocacy strategies that can be implemented nationally and internationally.

Pamela co-founded Revive Congo, a registered charity in the UK which aims to educate and equip young people between the ages of 4-21 in DR Congo, through supporting the primary education of orphans and running IT Skills workshops for young adults.

She holds an undergraduate degree in Law and wrote her dissertation piece on ‘To what extent DR Congo has responded to the urgent need for reforms in order to better protect women from rape.’ She also holds an LLM in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.

Amal is the Global Campaign Coordinator at Peace Direct.

She oversees the co-creation work that brought together ten local peacebuilders from around the world as co-creators of a campaign that raises awareness about local peacebuilding. Her work focuses on designing the overall journey, looking after the progress of the campaign creation, facilitating weekly co-creation sessions, collaborating with design agencies, and organising the co-creators group. 

She previously worked with organisations dedicated to strengthening citizen action and reporting on civic space violations, especially on Freedoms of Assembly, Expression and Association.

Malcolm supports the Peace Direct finance team with a specific focus on Programmes and partner support, although the remit extends to general team support as required.  

Malcolm worked in the City and Internationally in the financial services (reinsurance and life assurance) sector for over 20 years initially in finance and ultimately serving as a Chief Executive.  

Between 2005 and 2011 he lived in France and in 2012 returned to live in London and transitioned to the not-for-profit sector. He has undertaken several overseas assignments, including working with the Global Fund in Senegal and was Interim Director of Finance and Resources at the Disasters Emergency Committee for 18 months in 2018 – 2019. 

He joined Peace Direct as a consultant in September 2022. 

Ebou leads and manages partnerships and projects in Myanmar, Sudan and Nigeria. He leads locally led peacebuilding initiatives with a focus on social cohesion and violence prevention.
He has over 15 years’ experience in operations, management, and coordination of disasters/humanitarian relief and community-based development & social cohesion interventions. He focuses on capacity strengthening and cooperation. Prior to joining Peace Direct, Ebou has worked at The Gambia Red Cross Society, IFRC – Sahel Country Cluster (Dakar), Muslim Aid UK – London, and MA UK – Myanmar.
Ebou holds an MA in Diplomacy (University of Birmingham, UK), MSc in Peace and Development Work (Linnaeus University, Sweden), and a BSc (Hons) Disaster Management (Coventry University, UK).

Enrica is responsible for leading and managing research projects, as well as coordinating with other teams within Peace Direct on research opportunities. She currently manages the ‘Pamoja Kwa Amani Ya Beni’ project, funded by the Carnegie Corporation to improve coordination among early warning and atrocity prevention networks in Eastern DRC. She is also supporting Peace Direct’s research work on Decolonising Systems.  

She has previously consulted on monitoring, evaluation, research and learning, providing technical assistance and advice around aid effectiveness in programmes on peacebuilding, conflict prevention, P/CVE and democratic processes. She specialises in mainstreaming gender and inclusivity in research, and has supported among others the UK’s FCDO and ICAI, the World Bank, UN agencies, INGOs and foundations. 

Enrica holds an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Development Studies from the Graduate Institute, Geneva. She has a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Nottingham, UK. 

Gilah is responsible for accompanying local peacebuilding partners in Colombia, Pakistan and Syria. She supports their development and implementation of locally owned initiatives aimed at preventing violence, responding to crises, and fostering resilient and inclusive civil society ecosystems.

Gilah holds an MA in Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies from King’s College London, and a BA in Modern Languages and Cultures (Arabic and Spanish) from Durham University.

Jasmine is responsible for communicating our work and approach to policymakers, funders, and our peers in the peacebuilding sector. She supports the production and dissemination of our research publications, as well as our advocacy communications. She also participates in our external sector communications networks, and curates our quarterly newsletter, The Peacebuilder. 

Jasmine has prior experience in communications and engagement for the Cultural Competency programme at King’s College London, and in programme development for Identity Literacy and conflict transformation at the OICD. She holds a BSc in Anthropology from UCL, and an MA in Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies from KCL.

Jennifer is responsible for supporting the International Programmes team in their day to day work with partners, and for coordinating our atrocity prevention work. 

Jennifer is also a co-designated Safeguarding Lead within Peace Direct and can be contacted through [email protected] with any safeguarding concerns or queries. 

She has over 10 years experience working in human rights, with a particular focus on the rights of women, children and young people in Latin America. Before joining the Peace Direct team, she was Programmes Manager for an NGO working in Colombia, supporting local partners to build safer communities through youth advocacy, psychosocial support and rights education. 

Jennifer has an MA in Human Rights from UCL and a BA in Law (Jurisprudence) from Oxford University. 

Jennifer, in her job share with Jatinder Padda, is responsible for strengthening Peace Direct’s profile and influence by amplifying partner voices and championing ethical storytelling. They lead on partner content, major organisational reports and Peace Insight, ensuring Peace Direct’s voice and the work of local peacebuilders are visible, credible and influential.

Jennifer has a background in journalism, focusing on human rights and international justice, and was formerly the Multimedia Journalist and Content Editor at the International Bar Association. She holds an MA and BA in Creative Writing, from City, University of London, and Keele University, respectively. She is also a co-founder of the migraine sensitive yoga studio, Flowdrome.

Kit is Peace Direct’s Policy and Advocacy Manager, responsible for our advocacy efforts in the UK, aimed at key stakeholders including policymakers, donors and the peacebuilding and international development sectors. Previously at the Bond network, he coordinated cross-sector strategies for holding UK government to account for its delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2021 G7. 

In former roles, he has concentrated on international LGBT+ and minority rights, youth empowerment and the British Overseas Territories (BOTs), while living and working in Addis Ababa, Budapest, Glasgow and London. He holds an MPhil in Development Studies, for which his thesis focussed on pastoralism and post-development.  

As HR Manager, Lesley is responsible for the overall strategic direction of HR within Peace Direct, as well as our people-related processes and culture.  She comes to Peace Direct with over 25 years HR experience, spanning global and SME organisation across the private and charity sector. Lesley holds membership status of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD) from Middlesex University and an HND in Business and Finance.  She has worked in a homeless charity and more recently came to us from a charity focussing on research in environment and development. 

Manoela is an International Programmes Manager at Peace Direct, leading on the cross-country work and partnerships elements of our Local First programme in Afghanistan, Mali, DRC and Sudan.

With an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development from SOAS, University of London, and a BA in International Relations from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Manoela’s career has been focused on supporting programme implementation and helping to improve policy and practice in the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding sectors – while contributing to better integrating them through the ‘triple nexus’ approach. Her experience includes working with grassroots organisations, government institutions and INGOs, including International Alert, the British Council and the EU. Among her many interests, Manoela is particularly committed to advancing justice-based approaches to peacebuilding and examining how underlying grievances shape patterns of political violence worldwide.

Mélina is responsible for supporting Peace Direct’s research, including our work on Decolonising Systems and atrocity prevention research in the Great Lakes region. She is currently working on responsible partnership transitions to locally-led entities through the USAID-funded Stopping As Success project. 

Mélina previously worked at Demilitarise Education (@dED_UCATION), an organisation she co-founded whose mission is get universities in the UK to end their ties with the global arms trade. She is also a founding member of Minorities in Peace and Security, a network working to meaningfully engage marginalised communities in peacekeeping, peacebuilding, security & community engagement. 

Mélina holds a B.A in Political Science with a minor in History from the University of Miami, in Florida, and an M.A in Security and International Law from the University of Manchester.  

Mishal is responsible for generating and growing unrestricted income for Peace Direct, with a particular focus on major and mid-value donors, corporate partnerships and regular gifts through effective supporter journeys. She leads on building and nurturing strong, values-aligned relationships, developing compelling fundraising propositions, and delivering coordinated fundraising activities that maximise unrestricted support.

Mishal has prior experience in theatre fundraising and activism, where she focused on championing underrepresented voices in the arts. She holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Cambridge.  

Oscar is responsible for driving significant growth in audience and unrestricted income through digital channels, with a strong focus on supporter conversion, regular giving, and merchandise. He leads Peace Direct’s digital engagement
programme across email, paid social, search, and web, ensuring all digital activity enhances income, visibility, and advocacy goals.

He holds a BSc in Politics, Governance and History from Canterbury Christ Church University, and an MA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Manchester. 

Raaval is responsible for supporting Peace Direct’s research work on Decolonising the System. He facilitates online Platform4Dialogue discussions, conducts qualitative data analysis and drafts research reports. His work currently focuses on the “Decolonising Peacebuilding Practice” research project as well as supporting on the “Local Voices for Peace” and USAID funded “Stopping As Success” projects. 

Raaval has previously worked on research projects that advocate for the decolonisation of secondary school education in the U.K. Raaval holds an M.A in Social Anthropology with a focus on identity and belonging in ethnic minorities from SOAS, University of London and a B.A in History from the University of Cardiff.  

Richard is responsible for ensuring that Peace Direct’s data, systems and digital infrastructure effectively support high-quality fundraising, communications, and organisational decision-making. The role leads on the management, development and integration of our CRM and systems, maintaining accurate, secure and compliant data, and providing insight and advice that improves supporter care, operational efficiency and impact.

Richard graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a BA in Media Arts and has a background in web, print and data management, with over 15 years’ experience working in the non-profit sector. He has previously worked with Kidscape, NHS Lambeth and Minority Rights Group, as well as smaller freelance projects, and volunteered for the Campaign Against Arms Trade. 

Ruby ensures that learning is embedded in Peace Direct’s internal and external work. She collaborates with our global partners to strengthen knowledge, capture learning and measure impact to advance locally led peacebuilding, and our advocacy work, while supporting staff in organisational learning. Ruby comes to Peace Direct with almost 20 years’ global experience in public policy research and advocacy, deliberative conversations, community engagement and institutional development. 

With an M.A. in International Affairs and B.A. in French and Linguistics, from the University of Ghana, Ruby specialises in strengthening capacity for conflict prevention and peace processes, in places of political polarization, religious differences, ethnic, racial and gender divides. She has worked extensively within Africa and the South Pacific; Israel and the United States, using innovative ways of reflecting, learning, documenting, and sharing knowledge.  

Ruth leads the delivery of Peace Direct’s communications strategy, ensuring all outputs are well‑planned, aligned with organisational income and awareness‑raising goals and in line with our ethical approach to communications and decolonising aims. She oversees the production of key publications, supports partnership communications, and strengthens the organisation’s voice through responsible, decolonised storytelling.

Before Peace Direct, Ruth has worked with various INGOs after obtaining an LLM in International Human Rights Law, Ruth has spent time advocating for change in the hospitality industry to support the mental and physical wellbeing of employees. She also volunteers to support refugees find legal representation as well as helping them resettle in new communities. 

Sam is responsible for liaising with trusts and foundations to secure funding for Peace Direct and our partners. 

Having graduated with an MA in International Development from University of Sussex, he then worked in Madagascar for the charity SEED Madagascar and for WWF, developing projects and seeking funding from various donors.  

Charlotte Divin leads Peace Direct’s Netherlands office and provides strategic oversight for the Local First programme across Afghanistan, eastern DRC, Mali and Sudan. Her work focuses on strengthening locally led peacebuilding ecosystems and ensuring that learning from in country programming informs national, regional and international decision-making.

Charlotte has supported civil society organisations for over a decade, working with grassroots groups, national and global networks, and serving on organisational boards. She has also worked as an independent consultant, providing organisational development and accompaniment to CSOs operating in complex and restrictive environments.

She holds a Master’s degree in Bilingual Studies of the Laws of EU Member States from Université Paris X and an LLM in International Law and Security from the University of Glasgow.

Kloé is Peace Direct’s EU Representative, responsible for our advocacy efforts with EU institutions and member states in Brussels.

Kloé has over 10 years of experience working for international peacebuilding organisations. She has supported civil society actors in designing and implementing inclusive peacebuilding programmes and advocacy efforts, bridging research, practice, learning, and policy.

Kloé has lived and worked in Brussels, London, Bishkek, and Nairobi. She is fluent in English and in French.

Ben is a non-resident scholar with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Previously, he served as the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Social Movements Advisor, the first such position anywhere in the U.S. government. He is a Term Member in the Council on Foreign Relations and a Truman National Security Fellow.

Ben’s expertise on social movements and resourcing of movements draws on two decades spent in academia and civil society working with movements, NGOs, and donors. Ben has served as a Program Officer with the Open Society Foundations, an electoral observer with The Carter Center, a board member of the University of Chicago’s Human Rights Program, and an advisory committee member of the Leading Change Network. His research has been supported by a Harvard Program on Negotiation Graduate Research Fellowship and as a USIP-Minerva Peace and Security Scholar. His publications include ‘Dollars and Dissent’, ‘Liberating the ‘Enemy”, ‘Nonviolent Resistance’, ‘Darfurian Voices’,  ‘Surviving Success: Nonviolent Rebellion in Sudan’, ‘¿Que Bolá Cuba?’, and ‘The Founding Myth of the United States of America’. Ben holds a B.A. with honors from the University of Chicago, a M.P.A. from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and a Ph.D. from The Fletcher School at Tufts University. He and his wife, Dr. Nadia Marzouki, are the parents of twin girls.

Bridget Moix serves as the US Board Chair for Peace Direct. She is General Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and leads 2 other Quaker organizations affiliated with FCNL: the FCNL Education Fund and Friends Place on Capitol Hill.

She brings with her 25 years of work on international peace and conflict issues, with a focus on US foreign policy and locally-led peacebuilding. She previously served as US Executive Director for Peace Direct and was on the founding US Peace Direct Board. She has also worked with the Quaker United Nations Office, the US Agency for International Development, Oxfam America, the Casa de los Amigos in Mexico City and the Quaker Peace Centre in Capetown, South Africa.

Bridget holds a PhD from George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution and has taught courses on peacebuilding at various universities. She has two teenage sons who challenge her peacemaking skills every day, and she lives with them in Washington, DC.

Colleen serves as the Treasurer of Peace Direct US. 

In 2012, she joined Aprio. During her tenure, she has supported clients in a variety of ways, including managing financial operations, facilitating month-end and year-end closes, and managing financial statement audits. Colleen has also conducted many reviews of clients’ financial operations and activities, with a focus on identifying and mitigating risks, and enhancing processes. She has served as interim CFO for clients, acted as the project manager on an accounting system implementation, and assisted clients in adopting new accounting guidance. Prior to joining Aprio, Colleen served as Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis for National Geographic Ventures, a subsidiary of the National Geographic Society. She was also Director of Financial Planning and Analysis in the Society CFO’s Office and worked for several years in the Controller’s Office. Prior to joining National Geographic, Colleen performed audits of not-for-profit organisations at KPMG. In recent years, Colleen has presented to key industry conferences, including the Greater Washington Society of CPAs’ Not-For-Profit Symposium and has attained the AICPA’s Not-for-Profit Certificates I and II. Colleen earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

Kehinde A. Togun is the Managing Director of Public Engagement and Partnerships at Humanity United (HU). He is one of four senior executives leading the foundation. He was previously HU’s senior director for policy and government relations. Prior to the foundation, he was a senior director at The Arkin Group, specialising in international risk management, business intelligence, and strategic advisory. He has also served as Deputy Director of PartnersGlobal’s Sub-Saharan Africa team where he led the portfolio of anti-corruption, governance, and security reform programmes on the continent. Prior to joining Partners, he worked at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), with stints on the Eurasia, Middle East and North Africa, and Southern and East Africa teams. Kehinde also served as the Monitoring and Evaluation officer for NDI in Iraq; and during Nigeria’s 2011 elections, he trained and advised civil society in the Niger Delta as they monitored the electoral process. Kehinde is a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for International Policy and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He serves on the steering committee of the Peace and Security Funders Group as well as the boards of Peace Direct-US, Partners West Africa-Nigeria, and the Center for Racial Justice in Education.

Nikki Duncan is an international business executive with over 15 years of experience managing complex programs designed to strengthen economies, empower communities and improve lives. Nikki has worked in over 26 countries, 16 of which are on the African continent. 

Nikki currently works for Amazon on the Worldwide Social Responsibility team where she supports supply chain sustainability activities within the company’s Devices and Web Services business lines. Prior to Amazon, Nikki served as the Chief of Party (Project Director) for USAID’s Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) project in DRC. Implemented by Global Communities, the objective of USAID’s Clean Gold Project is to establish commercially viable, responsibly sourced artisanal gold supply chains that originate in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Over the last decade, Nikki has been cultivating and managing partnerships between bilateral donor agencies, governments, companies and communities to advance shared economic and social development initiatives. Prior to joining Global Communities, Nikki served as the Director of International Corporate Responsibility for Walmart Stores Inc. where she was responsible for developing strategies to support charitable giving, community and employee engagement in the 27 countries where the company has retail operations. 

Nikki holds a M.A. in International Economics and Development from Johns Hopkins University, School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS), specializing in International Development and International Economics, as well as a B.S. in Foreign Service from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service with certificate in African Studies.