Our Team

Gabriella Brent

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Gabriella Brent

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Gabriella is the CEO of Amna, bringing years of experience in programme design, community-led mental health initiatives, and systems change. Formerly serving as Director of Programmes, Gabriella has been deeply involved in shaping and scaling Amna’s innovative, trauma- and identity-informed approaches that centre the experiences and needs of communities affected by conflict, displacement, and systemic injustice.

Her commitment to this work is deeply personal—rooted in her own family’s refugee history and a dedication to breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma. With a background spanning mental health, criminal and family justice, and social advocacy, Gabriella has worked closely with communities to develop healing-centred programmes that disrupt oppression and foster resilience. From frontline work as a therapist and facilitator to leading large-scale initiatives, her approach remains rooted in care, co-learning, and collaboration.

Zarlasht Halaimzai

Founder

Zarlasht Halaimzai

Founder

Zarlasht is the Founder and former CEO of Amna. A former refugee from Afghanistan, she has developed programmes that promote resilience in vulnerable populations in several countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, the United Kingdom, and Greece.

Zarlasht has trained in Childhood and Adolescent Counselling and Psychotherapy at the University of Cambridge and is pursuing a master’s degree in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy from The University of Oxford. She is multilingual and was selected as a Kathryn Davis Peace Fellow to study Arabic at Middlebury College in 2016.

Zarlasht has written for several publications including the Guardian, Washington Post, The Independent, Huffington Post, and the New Statesman. Her work has been profiled by the Psychologist Magazine, NPR, Grazia, International Business Times, She Owns Success, and Ground breakers and was the recipient of the 2017 Future Shapers Award from Marie Claire Magazine.

She is a fellow of the Obama Foundation.

Natalia Kyrkopoulou

Deputy CEO/Director of Organizational Development

Natalia Kyrkopoulou

Deputy CEO/Director of Organizational Development

Natalia is Director of Organizational Development, Deputy CEO and co-founder of Amna Greece, Natalia is Amna’s chief representative for all dealings with Greek agencies, including local government and non-governmental organisations. She has several years of experience in the field, both at large international NGOs and local grassroots organisations, and is Amna’s leading advocate for developing sustainable programmes within Greece. Natalia also leads Amna’s capacity building arm, which provides consultancy and training to organisations to assist them in implementing practices of service delivery and staff care that are both trauma-informed and identity-informed. She speaks French, Greek and English.

“It is so important now to keep focused on the ongoing humanitarian situation here in Northern Greece. The challenges the refugees still face are enormous and complex. We’ve been focusing on the challenge of integration, and for that we need help from two sides: we need practitioners who can communicate with the refugees in their own language; and we need local people who understand the Greek social services system and who can advocate on behalf of the refugees here in Greece.”

Fatima Ribeiro

Director of Fundraising and Communications

Fatima Ribeiro

Director of Fundraising and Communications

Fatima Ribeiro brings over a decade of experience in the international development sector. She has held leadership roles across fundraising, communications, and strategy, leading impactful, award-winning campaigns that have inspired change and driven meaningful impact. Throughout her career, Fatima has been dedicated to connecting communities with causes that matter.

At Amna, she blends strategic vision with the power of storytelling to amplify the voices of displaced communities, ensuring their experiences are heard and valued. Alongside crafting innovative strategies, Fatima leads efforts to secure the vital funding needed to advance Amna’s mission of healing and belonging, creating lasting change for refugees and displaced communities worldwide.

Cristal Palacios Yumar

Director of Programmes and Learning

Cristal Palacios Yumar

Director of Programmes and Learning

Cristal Palacios brings over 20 years of experience in arts-based MHPSS and peacebuilding to her role as Director of Programmes and Learning. Previously, Cristal led Amna’s Systems of Care programme as manager. A licensed clinical psychologist, she earned her degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in 2002 and holds an MSc in Applied Peace and Conflict Studies from Ulster University, where she is currently completing a PhD at the Transitional Justice Institute. She is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Cristal’s practice is rooted in her lived experience of migration from Venezuela and her deep engagement with community-led healing across the Americas and Europe. Before joining Amna, she worked as an independent consultant with organisations including USIP, DCAF, and Beyond Conflict, advising on culturally responsive, trauma-informed psychosocial programmes for communities affected by conflict. She is also the founder of Psicodiáspora, a network of Venezuelan psychologists in the diaspora.

At Amna, Cristal led the Systems of Care programme, partnering with institutions to embed trauma- and identity-informed practices into education, health, and other systems. She brings a unique lens shaped by her clinical practice, research, and a deep commitment to collective healing.

Outside of work, Cristal is a plant enthusiast, tea lover, and finds joy in dancing. She stays grounded through rituals that connect her to her Caribbean roots—seeking warmth, rhythm, and the sun wherever she can.

Walaa Abuzaiter

Director of Operations Risk and Safety

Walaa Abuzaiter

Director of Operations Risk and Safety

Walaa brings over 14 years of experience in the non-profit sector, including 11 years in senior management positions. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering and a Postgraduate degree in Business Administration from Edinburgh Business School. Walaa has extensive expertise in operations management, having served as Head of Base for Action Against Hunger, where she led the emergency response in Gaza, overseeing financial management, HR, security and risk management, and logistics in high-risk environments. Her background also includes Research, Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (RMLE), with a strong focus on policy, resettlement programs, livelihoods, protection, education, and mental health. Walaa has successfully collaborated with organizations such as Partners Global Washington, Action Aid, RefugeePoint, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, APS, and Right To Play, driving evidence-based decision-making through advanced data management tools like SPSS, Power BI, and Excel. With strong leadership, problem-solving, and facilitation skills, she consistently enhances organizational efficiency and ensures impactful program delivery in complex humanitarian settings.

Shiza Malik

Head of Communications

Shiza Malik

Head of Communications

Shiza is a strategic communicator with over 12 years of experience in international development, specializing in communications and campaigns. Before joining Amna, Shiza worked as Asia Communications Manager at the Malala Fund and Regional Media and Communications Lead at Oxfam in Asia, where she used compelling storytelling to drive fundraising, policy change, and awareness on critical global issues.

As an internationally published journalist, Shiza’s work has centered on human rights, gender justice, climate change, and rural development. She has a Masters in Media in Development from SOAS at the University of London and a Bachelors in Politics and Development from Queens University in Kingston Ontario, Canada.

Now, as Head of Communications at Amna, she brings her expertise in narrative change and movement-building to amplify refugee voices and advance trauma-informed healing.

Beyond her work at Amna, Shiza is the co-founder of Kynd Period, a social enterprise dedicated to providing safe, sustainable, and ethically produced solutions to period poverty.

Iliana Dimoni

Head of Finance, Risk and Compliance

Iliana Dimoni

Head of Finance, Risk and Compliance

Iliana has worked as Amna’s Head of Operations and was previously working as Finance Manager. She is passionate about guaranteeing that Amna can keep creating impact and supporting those in need.

Working at Amna for Iliana is similar to studying: she is constantly learning, having fun in a supportive environment and aiming to be her best every day!

Prior to joining Amna, Iliana has worked in the charity sector in London for eight years. She studied Finance and Accounting and has an MSc in Management of Creative Industries. She loves theatre, is a proud feminist and a mum.

Hejer Dhahbi

Monitoring & Evaluation Lead

Hejer Dhahbi

Monitoring & Evaluation Lead

Hejer is Amna’s M&E Lead. She has eight years of experience in project management and M&E in the MENA region. Before joining Amna, she was responsible for the implementation and evaluation of projects in relief, health, capacity building, and economic empowerment for programs in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey.

Hejer joined Amna because she believes that psychological support is a fundamental need for every trauma-affected community, and she wants to be part of the healing process that empowers vulnerable groups to reach a better future.

She has a BSC in Engineering, and prior to entering the humanitarian sector, she worked in the aeronautical and automotive industries as a project manager. Besides English, she is fluent in Arabic and French and aspires to learn more languages as she enjoys knowing different cultures and the way they see the world.

Randa Abumudallala

Partnerships and Network Manager

Randa Abumudallala

Partnerships and Network Manager

Randa is the Global Healing Network Coordinator at Amna, where she leads the Global Healing Network Program and provides strategic oversight and coordination for Amna’s partners and network members. Her work directly supports Amna’s core pillars of capacity strengthening and collective care by fostering healing-centered approaches for individuals and communities affected by conflict and displacement. In her role, Randa is responsible for establishing network strategy, designing programmatic interventions aligned with Amna’s mission, conducting research and data analysis, and enhancing cross-regional collaboration among partners.

With over 15 years of experience in development and humanitarian sectors within the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), Randa has held key roles in programs focused on livelihoods, gender, and emergency response. Prior to joining Amna, she served as Livelihood in Emergency Technical Advisor at Humanity & Inclusion (HI), Program Officer at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and Programs Coordinator at MA’AN Development Centre.

Randa holds an MBA from Palestine and a Master’s in Inequalities and Social Science from the University of Leeds, where her dissertation examined the challenges refugee women face in accessing the UK labor market.
Born and raised as a refugee in Gaza under occupation, Randa’s lived experience shapes her deep commitment to justice, resilience, and equity. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring new cultures, and spending time in nature.

Vassiliki Arabatzi

Community Programmes Manager

Vassiliki Arabatzi

Community Programmes Manager

Vassiliki is a pedagogist with a Master’s Degree in Intercultural Education and another one in Human Rights and Migration. She is also a certified NDI groups facilitator. She joined Amna because of the organisation’s stance towards equity and identities- informed practices.
Prior to Amna, Vassiliki worked as an educator and teacher’s trainer in Greece and Lebanon. In the past she also worked as cabin – crew, which enabled her to travel around the world.
Outside of work she enjoys reading, travelling and sea-side walks.

Oliver Goldsmith

Grants Manager

Oliver Goldsmith

Grants Manager

Oliver develops and manages Amna’s funding pipeline and coordinates all stages of the grant management process, in particular the development of proposals and the completion of reports.

Oliver is passionate about working with displaced and vulnerable people. He joined Amna after several years working with refugees in the MENA region and in the UK.

Oliver has previously held various fundraising roles at local, national and international organisations. With a focus on Grant Fundraising roles since 2018, his experience includes working as Fundraising Manager at XLP, a London-based youth charity, and as Trusts and Foundations Manager at Farm Africa.

He has worked as a Resettlement Expert with UNHCR in Amman, Jordan, and as a Legal Advisor for St. Andrew’s Refugee Services in Cairo, Egypt.

Wajihah Zaman

Programmes and Partnerships Officer

Wajihah Zaman

Programmes and Partnerships Officer

Wajihah is a Programmes and Partnerships Officer at Amna. She works across the teams in supporting Partnerships and Programmes when working with partner hubs around the world.

She joined Amna because of its values and the compassionate, empathetic care it provides to refugee communities.

Prior to joining Amna, Wajihah worked as a Fundraising and Social Media Officer. She also taught English to Afghan refugees which motivated her to support refugee communities.

She speaks Pashto in addition to English and has a Masters in Human Rights.

Alexandra Mylrea Lowndes

Programmes Officer

Alexandra Mylrea Lowndes

Programmes Officer

Alexandra supports Amna’s Systems of Care team as Programmes Officer.

Prior to joining Amna, she worked at the Mexican Embassy to the UK in London, and lived in Chile where she worked at the UN and in the Refugee and Resettlement department of the Government. She also has experience working in a variety of NGOs and teaching English. She has a degree in International Relations and Spanish from Sussex University and speaks Spanish and English.

Ben Du Preez

Trainer and Coordinator

Ben Du Preez

Trainer and Coordinator

Ben is one of Amna’s Trainer and Coordinators, providing capacity-building and wellbeing support to other humanitarian and grassroots organisations working with refugees.

Before working with Amna, Ben spent fifteen years developing survivor advocacy projects, supporting survivors of torture, trafficking, detention and statelessness to speak-out for the changes they wanted to the political systems that shaped their daily realities.

Alongside his work at Amna, Ben is training as an Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist. He is also a great lover of sardines, all-things-audio and steam-rooms.

‘I am passionate about working with communities to come together to practice shared healing and grow their collective power in solidarity with eachother. For me, this is completely dependent on spaces built on trust, relationality and play – principles that are all actively celebrated at Amna.’

Ahmad Al-Faour

Trainer & Regional Coordinator

Ahmad Al-Faour

Trainer & Regional Coordinator

Beyond his humanitarian efforts, Ahmad is also a leather craftsman and actively engaged in various art, cultural, and environmental initiatives. He believes that transformation happens when communities keep developing better access for its members to be involved.

He is an intergenerational Palestinian refugee who was born and live in one of the Palestinian refugees camps in Lebanon and has firsthand experience of how it can look like to be a child or a caregiver in times of war, displacement, and societal distress.

Ahmad has been involved in humanitarian and development work for almost 19 years now, he has served as a coordinator, trainer, and counsellor, supporting vulnerable communities through child protection, education, and youth empowerment initiatives.

He has played a key role in creating safe spaces for children and designing large-scale training programs that promote social participation and community restoration. His work includes developing child safeguarding materials, national youth strategies, policies, and governance structures in collaboration with key stakeholders.

Today, he is supporting Amna’s mission and coordinating Baytna program in Lebanon, where it’s an opportunity for Ahmad to continue fostering a sense of safety, belonging, agency, and joy for everyone.

Hadi Althib

Trainer & Facilitator

Hadi Althib

Trainer & Facilitator

Hadi Althib (BSc, MA, Essex) is Amna’s Systems of Care Trainer and Facilitator, where he designs and delivers trauma-informed trainings for frontline professionals and community-based caregivers across war-affected regions. His work advances Amna’s mission to embed healing, belonging, and co-regulation at the heart of psychosocial support systems, especially in settings impacted by war, displacement, and adversity.

A Syrian mental health and child protection specialist with eleven years of leadership across twelve countries, Hadi brings a deep understanding of community-rooted healing. At Amna, he leads on co-developing training content aligned with Amna’s strategic pillars, including capacity-building, local ownership, and culturally resonant care practices.

Previously, he worked with UNESCO, UNODC, Beyond Conflict, and the White Helmets, and has been featured in TIME Magazine. Hadi’s lived experience of war and exile informs his research on trauma, masculinity, and parenting in displacement contexts. He is a Saïd Foundation and Jusoor Scholar, with an MA in Childhood Studies, and has trained in war trauma psychotherapy and neuroscience.

Outside of work, Hadi is a good cook and badminton player and loves to do video editing. He thrives on turning complex psychological theory into creative, life-affirming resources for healing and connection.

Grace Boutros

Trainer and Facilitator

Grace Boutros

Trainer and Facilitator

Grace Boutros is a Lebanese ECD and MHPSS specialist with over 9 years of experience in program design and coordination, research, content development, and building on capacities. With a background in clinical psychology,

With a background in clinical psychology, Grace has extensive expertise in play-based approaches, community and playback theatre, and analytical techniques. She has contributed to several research papers and innovative and contextual resources such as the HEPPP (Health, Early Learning, and Protection Parenting Program), the Urjouha Parenting Platform, the MHPSS for frontliners course, and the Nawwara for Wellbeing website.

Grace led national and regional initiatives focusing on advocacy, gender-based violence (GBV), mental health, and responsive parenting, often in collaboration with global partners.

As a passionate believer in the power of art and a dedicated advocate for all human rights, Grace is committed to fostering more connected communities, nurturing children and youth, and empowering women and caregivers.

Our Board

Cristina M. Finch

Chair

Cristina M. Finch

Chair

Cristina M. Finch currently serves as the head of the Gender and Security Division at DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance. Cristina is a human rights lawyer and advocate with more than twenty five years of experience in advancing human rights in the areas of women’s and LGBTI rights, hate crimes, and discrimination. She is the former head of the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department at OSCE ODIHR and former managing director for the Identity and Discrimination Unit at Amnesty International USA, where she was at the forefront of successful efforts to expand human rights protections against sexual and gender-based violence.

Kate Adams

Vice Chair

Kate Adams

Vice Chair

Kate Adams is a high-level expert in child rights policy and advocacy with over 15 years of experience and the Founding Director of ‘The Y Syndicate’.

As former Special Representative to the UK at the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), she led efforts that secured a £430 million UK pledge and raised a record $4 billion through the G7 and Global Education Summit. In her role as Senior G7 Strategy Lead, Kate ensured five years of G7 education commitments and co-founded GPE’s youth program. She also launched an Education and Climate Change declaration at COP28, endorsed by 40 countries.

Kate has advised leaders like former Australian PM Julia Gillard and sits on the Global Council for STiR Education. She played a key role in expanding the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative to include marginalized groups, influenced UK policy against overseas orphanages, and developed NATO’s strategy for Children Affected by Armed Conflict.

Karim Bereksi

Treasurer

Karim Bereksi

Treasurer

Karim is the board’s treasurer and an international development consultant. He advises clients including The World Bank, UN agencies and FCDO on a range of issues, working across a range of geographies; with a continued focus in fragile and (post-)conflict states. With a strong background in audit and finance, Karim focusses on assignments designed to help donors reduce fiduciary risks through improved oversight and governance mechanisms.

Karim holds a BSC in Mathematics and Finance and is a Chartered Accountant.

Abdulkarim Ekzayez

Trustee

Abdulkarim Ekzayez

Trustee

Abdulkarim is a medical doctor and an epidemiologist from Syria. In 2013, Abdulkarim was training to be a neurosurgeon when his residency was interrupted by the war. He then worked in field hospitals in Aleppo and Idlib before joining Save The Children, where he led the health response in North West Syria until 2017. He is currently pursuing a PhD in health systems in war settings at King’s College London, in addition to his work as a research associate with the Conflict and Health Research Group at the same university. He is also an Associate fellow at Chatham House and serves on the board of two other organisations, Shafak, and Eyes to the Future.

Niloufer Memon

Trustee

Niloufer Memon

Trustee

Niloufer Memon is a Partner with The Bridgespan Group, a non-profit advisory firm that provides decision making support to philanthropists and non-profits across the world. Niloufer has over 15 years of experience in strategy consulting having advised organizations in India, the United States, Africa, UK, and Southeast Asia across several issue areas, including in education, sustainability, and healthcare. She has expertise in strategy development, systems change, capacity building and operating model design. Her clients include CAMFED, WHO, Omidyar Network, Landesa, Mothers2Mothers, and National Geographic Society. Niloufer is deeply passionate about serving organizations that are working to drive intersectional gender equity in the world. She serves as an advisor in residence to Led By foundation – the only nonprofit that provides mentorship to Muslim women in India with a vision to increase representation in the private sector- and to Step-By-Step, a women founded nonprofit helping rural artisans navigate an increasing online sales ecosystem.

Prior to joining Bridgespan, Niloufer worked at Dalberg Global Development Advisors where she was primarily focused on a multi-stakeholder engagement designed to accelerate digital payments in India for financial inclusion. She has also advised the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other corporates in the healthcare and pharmaceutical space.

Niloufer holds a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from BITS-Pilani in India. She lives in New York, and she speaks English, Urdu and Hindi.

Quick donate

Donate