Staff and trustees
Our staff and trustees are at the heart of Saferworld’s work. Their skills and expertise ensure that we continue to be a leading conflict prevention and peacebuilding organisation. We have over 150 staff members working across our programme, policy, advocacy, advisory 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.
Stephanie Blair, Chair
Stephanie has more than 30 years experience in practitioner and academic leadership roles with a strong background of peace and conflict responses, partnerships and localisation. She is passionate about working the nexus spaces and finding creative solutions to the thorniest global challenges. She was instrumental in the creation of Canada’s Peacekeeping Training Centre, and the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres.
She served in senior roles with the OSCE and UN throughout the Balkans crises and beyond. She is a published academic and following her Academic Directorship of Cranfield University’s Masters of Security Sector Management, continues her ties to academia as a Professor (Honorary) of Security and Strategy, at the Security and Strategy Institute, University of Exeter, where she takes great personal reward from mentoring the next generation.
Most recently Stephanie runs an independent consultancy specialising in security and justice; peace, stabilisation and intervention; and fragile and conflict-affected states. As a chair, 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 and was elected as chair in 2020. Stephanie holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London and a Master’s degree in Global Security from Cranfield University.
Fabienne Arminjon, Treasurer
Fabienne Arminjon has more than 25 years’ experience in Finance and Operations Leadership roles in large private companies (Arthur Andersen, Allianz Trade) and in the INGO sector (Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children, Christian Aid). She currently works as Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Services at VSO where she is responsible for Finance, IT, Procurement, Internal Audit and Public Fundraising. She is passionate about ensuring strong financial and risk management, enabling organisations to bring positive changes for the most vulnerable, building peace and social justice.
Toby Arul-Pragasam, Trustee
Toby has over 17 years of experience, including with the UK Government’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund and in providing research, monitoring, evaluation and learning services in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kenya, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He established his own coaching and consulting practice in early 2022, and joined Saferworld’s Board of Trustees in late 2022.
Toby holds an MSc in international public policy, a postgraduate diploma in public financial management and is professionally certified as an executive coach from University of Reading’s Henley Business School.
Victoria Egbetayo, Trustee
Victoria is Lead, Global Public Policy, Advocacy & Partnerships at the Global Partnership for Education (hosted by the World Bank). She brings a strong background in public policy, advocacy and partnerships, including working to empower women and girls and ensure their voices and experiences are amplified in their communities and advocacy spaces. Victoria previously worked for a wide range of global development agencies and organisations including the African Union, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Commonwealth Foundation. She’s also worked as lead strategist on G8/G7, G20 and built strategic partnerships and mobilised financing from regional development banks, UN agencies, and private sector and foundations.
Victoria holds a BSc in anthropology and MSc in development administration and planning.
Imogen Parsons, Trustee
Imogen Parsons has 20 years of experience of working in conflict-affected contexts, including Afghanistan, Libya, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Sahel.
Until recently she was a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Conflict and Terrorism Group at RUSI, on secondment from the UK civil service. Previously she was also the Head of the Joint Sahel Department, a fully integrated FCO/DFID Department overseeing the UK’s diplomatic and development engagement across the Sahel.
She holds a PhD in international relations from LSE and a masters degree in development studies from SOAS University of London.
Nana Toure, Trustee
Nana has 30 years of experience working in sustainable development in the context of crisis and post-crisis. She is particularly passionate about peacebuilding and stability, working with governments, civil society, academia and the private sector on the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. Throughout her career, she has led capacity building and dialogue initiatives to support national and regional stabilisation plans in conflict-affected regions in Africa. She has also worked in several international organisations such as the African Development Bank and USAID. She recently served the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the Regional Director for West and Central Africa, overseeing UNDP’s Sahel programme.
Medinat Abdulazeez Malefakis, Trustee
Medinat Abdulazeez Malefakis is a senior lecturer at the NADEL (Centre for Development and Cooperation) at the ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal University of Technology). She is an academic and policy expert in terrorism, violent conflicts, humanitarian displacement and peacebuilding. Before NADEL, she was a Junior Fellow at the Collegium Helveticum of the ETH, Nigerian Research Expert/Facilitator at the Centre for Security Studies (ETH), and conflict analyst (West, East and Southern Africa) at the Norwegian Refugee Council in Geneva.
Medinat is the board chair for Build UP, leads the Nigeria country portfolio for the Global Survivors Fund, sits as a member of the Independent Review Panel for the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) in Geneva. She joined the Board in January 2024, and also serves on the Board of Saferworld Europe.
Soheila Comninos, Trustee
Soheila currently works as an independent consultant for John Hopkins University’s SNF Agora Institute, providing strategy development support on a global democracy project. She brings over 15 years of international experience in human rights philanthropy and advocacy, and humanitarian protection. Most recently, as a Senior Program Manager at the Open Society Foundations (OSF), she developed and funded strategies and initiatives focused on criminal justice, security and rights, and the protection of human rights defenders, supporting civil society, activists and marginalized communities worldwide. Additionally, she was a member of the Steering Committee of the Peace and Security Funders Group, where she worked to strengthen connections between democracy, human rights, peace, and development funders.
Prior to her tenure at OSF, Soheila served as Protection Director at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and led humanitarian programs providing protection and assistance to victims of armed conflict and violence in Central Africa, Libya, Iraq, and Sudan.
Soheila holds a Master’s degree in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS, University of London, and a Diploma in Political Science from the Institute of Political Studies of Paris (Sciences Po).
Julie Brethfeld, Trustee
Julie is an expert on peacebuilding, conflict prevention, conflict sensitivity, local security and gender. For the last 20 years, she has been working with think tanks, NGOs, consultancies, multi-stakeholder networks and government organisations in management positions, on policy advice, strategy development, participatory research, as well as project design and management. Julie has been working in and on contexts such as South Sudan, Ethiopia, Nepal, Central Asia, the Western Balkans, the UK and Germany. Currently, she is part of the Ukraine Task Team at KfW Development Bank in Frankfurt.
Alison Harley, Trustee
Alison is a senior leader with over 25 years of experience in governance, crisis management and advocacy. Currently Country Director for WWF in Myanmar, Alison focuses on delivering environmental operations in fragile and conflict situations. She sits on the Peace and Environment Thematic Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, and is an advocate for environmental peacebuilding.
Alison studied law (LLB) and qualified as a UK Barrister-at-Law. She worked as a legal journalist before joining the environmental sector. She has spent much of her career advocating to and negotiating with governments and believes strongly in the power of partnerships and coalitions for impact. Alison has extensive trustee experience, having sat on non-profit boards in the education and health sectors. She has lived and worked in Asia for over 18 years including in China, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia.
Ashika Gunasena Serasundera, Trustee
Ashika is the Chief Executive Officer and a founding Director of Chrysalis, a Sri Lankan organisation working to empower women and youth by fostering inclusive growth. Chrysalis is known for its work promoting gender equality, inclusive business, inclusive governance and ending gender-based violence. Ashika was instrumental in establishing Chrysalis as an Affiliate of CARE International. She previously worked for over 22 years in senior management positions, including as the Assistant Country Director of CARE in Sri Lanka. She is also a member of the CARE International Assembly.
Ashika’s ability to navigate complex situations, manage diverse partnerships, her excellent communication skills and her commitment to excellence has enabled her recognition as a leader in the sector locally and globally. Ashika has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the Flinders University of South Australia and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations.
Dr Roger Hearn, Trustee
Dr Roger Hearn is currently the Director of Relief and Social Services with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), overseeing programmes in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Previously, Dr Hearn served as Regional Director for the Middle East and Eurasia with Save the Children, as well as Deputy CEO with Red Barnet (Save the Children Denmark). Earlier in his career, he served as Country Director for UNRWA Syria, overseeing the largest humanitarian agency in the country before and during the onset of the conflict. His other roles include Regional Director for CARE International and Senior Researcher with the World Health Organization.
Dr Hearn has a strong interest in peacekeeping, informed by his work with the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor and his doctoral research on peacekeeping in Southern Africa. He also lectures on disaster management in Copenhagen.
Susana Klien, Chief Executive Officer
Susana Klien is Saferworld's Chief Executive Officer, where she oversees the organisation's development and growth as well as operations and programmes. Susana has more than 20 years' experience of working in the policy, advocacy, development, human rights and peacebuilding sectors, and a track record of developing effective organisational, programme and advocacy strategies and leading organisational change processes. Susana previously worked at Saferworld as the Director of International Programmes between 2015 and 2022. Prior to this she was the Interim Chief Executive and Head of Programmes at Womankind Worldwide. Most recently, she was Head of Grant Programmes at Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.
Tamara Duffey-Janser, Director of Policy and Programmes
Tamara began her role as the Director of Policy and Programmes in May 2024. Prior to this, Tamara was Saferworld's Head of Conflict Advisory Unit and previously Head of Central and South East Asia overseeing the Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Myanmar country programmes. Tamara has over 25 years of research, training, and programming experience in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and peacekeeping and community security and community policing in a number of conflict-affected and post-conflict contexts, including Tajikistan and Kosovo.
Ann Lomole, Director of Finance and Operations
Ann Lomole joined Saferworld in January 2025 as Director of Finance and Operations. She has over 20 years of experience in financial and operational leadership, spanning strategic financial management, governance, compliance and organisational transformation. Before joining Saferworld she worked as the Senior Finance Director at Internews, and before that she worked in Head of Finance roles at Stiftelsen Flowminder, Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Medecins sans Frontières. She has also worked in other finance roles at Save the Children, Medair Switzerland, Leonard Cheshire and Graeae Theatre Company.
Abigail Connolly, Funding Team Co-Leader
Abigail is the Funding Team Co-Leader based in the UK. She joined Saferworld in 2023 as a policy and research funding specialist and now leads strategic funding partnerships across the organisation, with a focus on philanthropy. She has twenty years of experience with non-governmental organizations promoting gender equality, human rights, peaceful societies, and climate justice. At Oxfam GB and ShelterBox, she led humanitarian funding efforts, working closely with governmental and philanthropic donors. Abigail is a Rotary Peace Fellow with an MA in Peace Studies from International Christian University, Japan, and a BA from the University of Leeds, UK. She has published research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mothers.
Ali Ahmed Hersi, Regional Director Africa
Ali joined Saferworld in June 2018 as Country Director for Somalia and Somaliland before stepping into his role as the Regional Director for Africa in April 2025. He has over 20 years’ experience in leadership, programme design and implementation in various civil society organisations. Ali holds a master’s degree in peace and justice, which he completed on Fulbright and Rotary international ambassadorial scholarships, and another master’s in international relations from Warsaw University, Poland.
Awfa al-Naami, Yemen Country Manager
Awfa has expertise on peacebuilding, community programming and women’s inclusion in peacebuilding. She previously worked as a Gender Project Manager for Saferworld in Yemen and as a Gender Advisor for the National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response, where she coordinated Food, Security and Livelihoods programming. Awfa has worked on gender-related projects with the Japan International Cooperation Agency and holds an MBA.
Claire Devlin, Conflict Advisory Unit Team Leader
Claire joined Saferworld in February 2020 as the Senior Conflict and Security Adviser in the Conflict Advisory Unit. She has 15 years’ experience in the humanitarian and development sectors. Her focus is on conflict sensitivity and security and justice. She works with a range of humanitarian and multi-mandate organisations and institutions to promote both conflict sensitivity and progress on the localisation agenda in conflict-affected contexts.
Twitter: @ClaireAustine
Deborah Crowe, Head of Programmes
Deborah joined Saferworld as Head of Programmes in April 2024. She has 30 years’ experience in programme design, strategy and implementation with a range of NGOs, UN Women and bilateral agencies. In the past five years she worked for the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), where she was responsible for humanitarian demining and armed violence risk reduction and risk education in Central, Southern and East Africa (South Sudan, Somalia, Somaliland, Chad, Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya). She also led the Sudan refugee response for Plan International on the Chad/Sudan border zone.
Elizabeth Bourne, Head of Communications
Elizabeth is Head of Communications, overseeing Saferworld’s communications, marketing and external profile. She joined Saferworld in 2012 as Communications Officer and has since led on delivering Saferworld’s first organisational communications strategy, redeveloping Saferworld’s website and building and managing Saferworld’s global communications team to support Saferworld’s funding, programme and policy objectives. She has an MA in International Relations (Peacebuilding) from the University of Birmingham.
Twitter: @bourneshort
Read articles and publications from Elizabeth
Gulmira Torokulova, Central Asia Regional Programme Manager
Gulmira joined Saferworld in March 2023 and is responsible for providing strategic direction and overseeing our Central Asia regional programme in line with the organisational strategy. Gulmira has more than 25 years of experience in managing and implementing diverse projects and programmes in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia on issues such as: education, HIV/AIDS, supporting women’s political participation and addressing gender-based violence.
John Mucheru, Kenya Country Manager
John joined Saferworld as Kenya Country Manager in 2022. He has over 15 years' experience in various international NGOs across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America – including in leadership positions. He holds a BA in Political Science from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, MBA from the University of Nairobi and is currently an MA Candidate in Development Studies at Mount Kenya University.
Jordan Street, Head of US/UN Program
Jordan joined Saferworld in 2017 and is the Head of the US/UN Program. Prior to this, he served as the Senior Policy and Advocacy Lead at Saferworld USA. He covers peacebuilding, peacekeeping and counter-terrorism policy and is based in Washington DC. He has a Master's degree in International Relations and Global Issues from the University of Nottingham, and previously worked for a number of NGOs in Washington DC and New York. He leads Saferworld’s advocacy at the United Nations in New York. He has written extensively on the impact of counter-terrorism policy on peace, human rights and civic space, with recent work focused on the negative effects of counter-terrorism at the United Nations.
Bluesky: @jordanstreet.bsky.social
"Leon" Yu Liang, Beijing Operations Manager
“Leon” Yu Liang is the Operations Manager of Saferworld's new Beijing office. He has over 20 years of experience working in media and NGOs. Leon started his career in 2000 as a journalist with China Daily and other media outlets. Later in 2009 he joined the Internews China programme and more recently, he worked as a China Adviser for Global Witness. Leon holds a master's degree in journalism, communication and development studies from the Ohio University and another in linguistics from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Léonie Northedge, Senior Advisor Middle East and North Africa
Léonie joined Saferworld in 2014. Previously a Programme Manager and Interim Head of Middle East programmes, she has worked extensively with partners in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia. Before Saferworld, Léonie worked at Chatham House, where she was a Research Associate on the Middle East and North Africa. She speaks Arabic and French, and has a BA in Arabic and Islamic Studies.
Twitter: @leonieleonie
Lottie Massey, Funding Team Co-Leader
Lottie is Saferworld’s Funding Co-Team Leader, based in the UK, and joined Saferworld in January 2022. She has a background in designing and implementing programmes on peacebuilding, youth engagement, gender, advocacy, and social cohesion, with experience in institutional resource mobilization from donors such as FCDO, the EU, Global Affairs Canada, Sida, Danida, USAID, and the German FFO.
Before joining Saferworld, Lottie worked in Lebanon, Jordan, and Yemen for various organisations, including Search for Common Ground and GIZ. She holds a Master’s degree in International Security, with a focus on the Middle East and Women’s Rights, from the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), and a Bachelor’s degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of York.
Lucy Atim, Sudan Country Director
Lucy joined Saferworld in July 2021 as the Sudan Country Director. With over 15 years of experience, she brings in a wealth of knowledge as she leads our work to promote peacebuilding Sudan. Lucy has worked with international organisations and development consulting firms all over Africa, Asia and US. She holds an MBA from Colorado State University and a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from Makerere University, Uganda.
Lauren Luscombe, Head of Operations and Governance
Lauren joined Saferworld in May 2022. She brings a wide range of operational experience, having previously worked in both commercial and not-for-profit sectors. Before joining Saferworld, Lauren was the Antarctic Operations Manager at the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. At Saferworld, Lauren provides operational leadership and management across our offices globally.
Roy Isbister, Team Leader – Arms Unit
Roy leads Saferworld's work on conventional arms. He has more than 20 years’ experience in developing and implementing strategies to promote the adoption of responsible arms transfer control strategies nationally, regionally and internationally. On top of writing research papers, reports, policy briefings and articles on arms transfer control policies, Roy also regularly contributes to international media on arms issues. He was a long-serving member of the Board of the global Control Arms Coalition and is the Coordinator of the UK NGO Working Group on Arms.
Read articles and publications from Roy
Sairah Yusuf, South Asia Programme Manager
Sairah joined Saferworld in April 2018, she manages Saferworld's work on regional dialogue processes and economic connectivity in South Asia, with a focus on conflict sensitivity, partnership building, and programme design, adaptation, and learning. She has experience in developing and implementing programme and evaluation functions for partners and donors, including UNICEF, USAID, the EU, and the US Department of State, with experience working across South Asia as well as the Middle East and North Africa. Sairah holds an MPhil in politics from the University of Oxford.
Shelagh Daley, Team Lead, Policy and Advocacy
Shelagh joined Saferworld in 2012. Prior to her role as Team Lead for Policy and Advocacy, she served as the Advocacy Adviser to Saferworld’s international programmes, managed the global advocacy team, and led our engagement with the African Union and other regional bodies in Africa. She also led Saferworld's UK advocacy work and served as a co-team lead for the Women, Peace and Security Helpdesk and has worked extensively on conflict, gender, and East Africa policy. Prior to joining Saferworld, Shelagh worked at Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS UK) on including women in peace processes. She also has several years of experience in international marketing and campaigning.
Twitter: @shedales
Read articles and publications from Shelagh
Vyda Mowen, Head of People and Culture
Vyda joined Saferworld in 2020. As a Senior HR professional with wide geographical and sector exposure, Vyda has extensive experience in leading people and culture teams to design and implement human resources strategies to deliver effective outcomes, including talent management, employee relations, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, and performance management. She oversees the development and delivery of Saferworld’s people strategy and manages the provision of effective and professional HR service and advice.
Eva Tabbasam, GAPS Director
Eva is the Director at Gender Action for Peace and Security, a network of development, human rights, humanitarian, and peacebuilding INGOs, based in the UK. She is a gender expert with diverse experience in development, humanitarian, refugee and asylum matters, and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). Her expertise spans the realms of research, advocacy, policy, and programming, and she has worked with a wide range of stakeholders, including multilateral organisations, government agencies, donors, international and national NGOs, civil society groups, and women’s rights organisations, both within the UK and globally.
Khirad Kargasov, Programme Support Advisor
Since 2022, Khirad has been providing programme support and guidance on civil society partnerships, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), project implementation, and donor engagement across our global programmes. Khirad has been with Saferworld since 2014 as Area Programme Manager in Juba, South Sudan, and then later as Tajikistan Country Manager and Central Asia Regional Manager. He has substantial experience in community policy and community security.
Laureen Karayi-Nabimanya, Senior Gender Adviser
Laureen Karayi-Nabimanya is Saferworld's Senior Gender Adviser, bringing over 14 years of expertise in Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), gender, women's human rights, policy advocacy, and legal equality. Before joining Saferworld, Laureen worked at the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network), where she led regional programme work and supported advocacy initiatives focused on gender. She holds a Masters in Development Studies, Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Postgraduate Diploma in Gender Equality Studies and a Bachelor of Laws.
Sara Torrelles Vives, Civil Society Partnerships and Learning Adviser
Sara joined Saferworld in January 2020 as a Programme Support and Learning Adviser. She works with our programme teams to strengthen our partnerships, leads the revision of our programme partnership approaches, tools, and related resources, and supports the development of our organisational strategy on partnerships. Having previously worked for Conciliation Resources and Peace Direct, Sara has a strong peacebuilding background. Over the years, Sara has worked with various organisations in Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines.
Twitter: @SaraTorrelles
Shamsa Sheikh, IDEAS Coordinator
Shamsa joined Saferworld in April 2023 as the inclusion, diversity, equality, anti-racism and solidarity (IDEAS) Coordinator. In this role, she plays a pivotal part in supporting, engaging and collaborating across the organisation to deliver Saferworld’s IDEAS strategy.
Shamsa also works as Saferworld’s Safeguarding Coordinator. In this capacity, she focuses on promoting and embedding safeguarding policies, practices and feedback mechanisms throughout the organisation, including in human resources, international programmes, operations and organisational management.
Board members
Agnieszka Paczyńska, Chair
Agnieszka Paczyńska is Professor at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University. Her research focuses on the relationship between economic and political change and conflict, globalisation and local conflicts, post-war reconstruction, and peace and conflict pedagogy.
Agnieszka previously worked at the US State Department, the Brookings Institution and Search for Common Ground, and has been affiliated with Warsaw School of Economics, the Marie Curie-Skłodowska University, American University in Cairo and the German Institute for Sustainable Development.
She has conducted programme evaluations for the UN Peacebuilding Fund and International Alert, and conflict assessments for USAID and the US State Department. Agnieszka joined Saferworld in 2014 and was elected Chair of the Board of Directors of Saferworld USA in 2023. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Virginia.
Stephanie Blair, Treasurer
Stephanie has more than 30 years experience in practitioner and academic leadership roles with a strong background of peace and conflict responses, partnerships and localisation. She is passionate about working the nexus spaces and finding creative solutions to the thorniest global challenges. She was instrumental in the creation of Canada’s Peacekeeping Training Centre, and the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres.
She served in senior roles with the OSCE and UN throughout the Balkans crises and beyond. She is a published academic and following her Academic Directorship of Cranfield University’s Masters of Security Sector Management, continues her ties to academia as a Professor (Honorary) of Security and Strategy, at the Security and Strategy Institute, University of Exeter, where she takes great personal reward from mentoring the next generation.
Most recently Stephanie runs an independent consultancy specialising in security and justice; peace, stabilisation and intervention; and fragile and conflict-affected states. As a chair, 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 and was elected as chair in 2020. Stephanie holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London and a Master’s degree in Global Security from Cranfield University.
Tabatha Thompson
Tabatha Thompson is the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives at The Horizons Project, an organising platform working to break down siloes and build broad-based coalitions among organisers, peacebuilders and democracy practitioners working to advance a just, pluralistic, and peaceful democracy. Before Horizons, she served as the acting director for the Program on Nonviolent Action at the United States Institute of Peace. Her field experience includes capacity-building and research work in West and East Africa, Latin America, Tunisia, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.
Tabatha has a background in community organising, leadership development, and political campaigns. She holds a Master’s degree in human rights, humanitarian policy, and conflict resolution from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor’s degree in international affairs and modern languages from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
She is a member of the Truman National Security Project, the Foreign Policy for America’s NextGen Initiative, and Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation. She has published articles and developed content for The Washington Post, Inkstick, and the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Godfrey Allen
Godfrey Allen is a former CEO and Managing Director of several public, private and charitable UK organisations that specialise in community economic development and crime reduction. He currently serves on a London- based National Health Service Trust, is the England and Wales Council Member of the International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates, and is an Independent Member of the Council of the recently formed City St George’s, University of London. Godfrey holds a MSc in Public Service Management and is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, the Chartered Institute of Management, and the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
Staff
Jordan Street, Head of US/UN Program
Jordan joined Saferworld in 2017 and is the head of US/UN Program. Prior to this, he was the Senior Policy and Advocacy Lead at Saferworld USA. He covers peacebuilding, peacekeeping and counter-terrorism policy and is based in Washington DC. He has a Master's degree in International Relations and Global Issues from the University of Nottingham, and previously worked for a number of NGOs in Washington DC and New York. He leads Saferworld’s advocacy at the United Nations in New York. He has written extensively on the impact of counter-terrorism policy on peace, human rights and civic space, with recent work focused on the negative effects of counter-terrorism at the United Nations.
Bluesky: @jordanstreet.bsky.social
Tyler Pry, US Policy and Advocacy Associate
Tyler joined Saferworld USA in 2020. He develops and implements advocacy strategies to influence the US government’s response to conflict and insecurity in countries where Saferworld works. Focusing on Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen, he leads outreach to Congress and the State Department, encouraging greater engagement with civil society, and inclusivity in peace processes. He has a Master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics. He previously worked to promote and protect human rights in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen at Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.
LinkedIn Profile
Trustees
Jeremy Lester, Chair
Jeremy has extensive experience spanning four decades in senior EU roles in development and conflict prevention. As Chair, he brings a wealth of expertise to Saferworld Europe, steering the Board’s oversight.
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 countries and he supported programmes for several countries of the former Soviet Union following its collapse. Jeremy has also served on the boards of several NGOs, including the Quaker Council for European Affairs, Refugee Action, Oxfam Belgium and Conciliation Resources. Jeremy provides guidance on Africa, justice, human security, refugee issues, development, management, NGO administration and finance.
Fabienne Arminjon
Fabienne Arminjon has more than 25 years’ experience in Finance and Operations Leadership roles in large private companies (Arthur Andersen, Allianz Trade) and in the INGO sector (Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children, Christian Aid). She currently works as Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Services at VSO where she is responsible for Finance, IT, Procurement, Internal Audit and Public Fundraising. She is passionate about ensuring strong financial and risk management, enabling organisations to bring positive changes for the most vulnerable, building peace and social justice.
Julie Brethfeld
Julie is an expert on peacebuilding, conflict prevention, conflict sensitivity, local security and gender. For the last 20 years, she has been working with think tanks, NGOs, consultancies, multi-stakeholder networks and government organisations in management positions, on policy advice, strategy development, participatory research, as well as project design and management. Julie has been working in and on contexts such as South Sudan, Ethiopia, Nepal, Central Asia, the Western Balkans, the UK and Germany. Currently, she is part of the Ukraine Task Team at KfW Development Bank in Frankfurt.
Medinat Abdulazeez Malefakis
Medinat Abdulazeez Malefakis is a senior lecturer at the NADEL (Centre for Development and Cooperation) at the ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal University of Technology). She is an academic and policy expert in terrorism, violent conflicts, humanitarian displacement and peacebuilding. Before NADEL, she was a Junior Fellow at the Collegium Helveticum of the ETH, Nigerian Research Expert/Facilitator at the Centre for Security Studies (ETH), and conflict analyst (West, East and Southern Africa) at the Norwegian Refugee Council in Geneva.
Medinat is the board chair for Build UP, leads the Nigeria country portfolio for the Global Survivors Fund, sits as a member of the Independent Review Panel for the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) in Geneva. She joined the Board in January 2024, and also serves on the Board of Saferworld Europe.
Stephanie Blair
Stephanie has more than 30 years experience in practitioner and academic leadership roles with a strong background of peace and conflict responses, partnerships and localisation. She is passionate about working the nexus spaces and finding creative solutions to the thorniest global challenges. She was instrumental in the creation of Canada’s Peacekeeping Training Centre, and the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres.
She served in senior roles with the OSCE and UN throughout the Balkans crises and beyond. She is a published academic and following her Academic Directorship of Cranfield University’s Masters of Security Sector Management, continues her ties to academia as a Professor (Honorary) of Security and Strategy, at the Security and Strategy Institute, University of Exeter, where she takes great personal reward from mentoring the next generation.
Most recently Stephanie runs an independent consultancy specialising in security and justice; peace, stabilisation and intervention; and fragile and conflict-affected states. As a chair, 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 and is the current chair of Saferworld UK Board of Trustees. She holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London and a Master’s degree in Global Security from Cranfield University.
Susana Klien
Susana Klien is Saferworld's Chief Executive Officer, where she oversees the organisation's development and growth as well as operations and programmes. Susana has more than 20 years' experience of working in the policy, advocacy, development, human rights and peacebuilding sectors, and a track record of developing effective organisational, programme and advocacy strategies and leading organisational change processes. Susana previously worked at Saferworld as the Director of International Programmes between 2015 and 2022. Prior to this she was the Interim Chief Executive and Head of Programmes at Womankind Worldwide. Most recently, she was Head of Grant Programmes at Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.
Staff
Gulmira Torokulova, Central Asia Regional Programme Manager
Gulmira joined Saferworld in March 2023 and is responsible for providing strategic direction and overseeing our Central Asia regional programme in line with the organisational strategy. Gulmira has more than 25 years of experience in managing and implementing diverse projects and programmes in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia on issues such as: education, HIV/AIDS, supporting women’s political participation and addressing gender-based violence.
John Mucheru, Kenya Country Manager
John joined Saferworld as Kenya Country Manager in 2022. He has over 15 years' experience in various international NGOs across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America – including in leadership positions. He holds a BA in Political Science from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, MBA from the University of Nairobi and is currently an MA Candidate in Development Studies at Mount Kenya University.
Tamara Duffey-Janser, Director of Policy & Programmes and Director of Saferworld Europe
Tamara began her role as the Director of Policy and Programmes in May 2024. Prior to this, Tamara was Saferworld's Head of Conflict Advisory Unit and previously Head of Central and South East Asia overseeing the Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Myanmar country programmes. Tamara has over 25 years of research, training, and programming experience in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and peacekeeping and community security and community policing in a number of conflict-affected and post-conflict contexts, including Tajikistan and Kosovo.
Alexandra Blaise Balmer, Director of Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility (CSRF) South Sudan
Alexandra is the Director of the Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility, which promotes the integration of conflict sensitivity throughout all programmes, operations and policy decisions in South Sudan. Alexandra has 15 years' experience working on humanitarian, development and peacebuilding programmes in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific. Before joining the Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility, she was Country Director for DanChurchAid, and has previously worked for other NGOs including Lutheran World Federation and Care International (Australia).
Claire Devlin, Senior Conflict and Security Adviser
Claire joined Saferworld in February 2020 as the Senior Conflict and Security Adviser in the Conflict Advisory Unit. She has 15 years’ experience in the humanitarian and development sectors. Her focus is on conflict sensitivity and security and justice. She works with a range of humanitarian and multi-mandate organisations and institutions to promote both conflict sensitivity and progress on the localisation agenda in conflict-affected contexts.
Twitter: @ClaireAustine
Charlotte Watson, Conflict and Justice Adviser
Charlotte joined Saferworld as a Conflict and Security Adviser in January 2016. She has over 15 years’ experience working on conflict and peacebuilding with a specific focus on security and justice and conflict-sensitive development. Before joining Saferworld, Charlotte spent over a decade working with various organisations and institutions from USAID, PwC to the Institute for Security Studies. She also worked as a Technical Conflict Adviser for the Ugandan Office of the Prime Minister.
Elizabeth Kirkham, Arms Unit 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. She 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
Natalia Chan, Conflict and Security Adviser
Natalia joined Saferworld in February 2020, and leads on providing strategic and technical support to the Conflict Sensitivity Facility for Sudan. Natalia also works closely with the Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility in South Sudan and provides support to Saferworld’s conflict sensitivity helpdesks and Saferworld programmes. Natalia is the co-chair of the South Sudan Working Group of UK-based NGOs.