Board of trustees
Julia Palca
Read more
Chair of Trustees
Chair of Council at City, University of LondonJulia is a solicitor by background and remains a part time judge. She is currently also the Chair of City, University of London, and has chaired Macmillan Cancer Support and The Royal Free Charity. She has served as a trustee for several other charities. For many years she was a partner at Olswang LLP (now part of CMS LLP) and before that she started up the in-house litigation department at Mirror Group Newspapers.
I wanted to join MAG because what MAG does transforms the lives of war-torn communities and gives them a better future. It is such a special organisation because it is entirely focussed on putting communities and people (both those we help and our staff) first.
Peter Jones
Read more
Vice Chair
Former chief operating officer at the UK Government Foreign and Commonwealth OfficePeter is a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute. He served in the British Diplomatic Service for over thirty years, including as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Chief Operating Officer and Defence and International Security Director. Overseas, Peter served in the UK Delegation to Conventional Arms Control Negotiations in Vienna, British Embassies in Germany and Italy, and as British High Commissioner to Ghana, and non-resident British Ambassador to Togo and Burkina Faso. Much of his diplomatic work was concerned with the international security agenda.
MAG’s work matters. Landmines have a profound impact on communities affected by them. I’m proud to have been involved in arms control work earlier in my career, and delighted to have the chance to contribute to MAG’s success.MAG is a dedicated organisation, engaging highly talented and committed people in the UK and around the world. Its work makes a positive difference to communities affected by conflict and its legacy.
Angela Mulholland-Wells
Read more
Trustee (Treasurer)
Angela is a qualified accountant with over 15 years spent in senior finance roles in industry, a significant amount of that time working in private healthcare. In more recent years she has worked in the not-for-profit sector and was previously Director of Finance at MAG, before making the decision to move back into healthcare in 2021. Angela now works for the NHS as the Director of Finance for a large acute hospital foundation trust in the North West.MAG delivers much valued and needed work to many communities around the world. I am really pleased to have the opportunity to contribute by re-joining MAG in a new capacity as Trustee
Harbinder Kaur
Read more
Trustee
Senior HR and organisational development specialistHarbinder Kaur is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and is a senior HR and organisational development specialist. She has worked with Care International UK, Care India and Christian Aid. She is a trustee at Shelter and provides support to the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. Harbinder is also member of a small group that is working to set up a permanent memorial to humanitarian workers who have died in the course of their work.
I admire MAG’s highly technical and professional work in complex environments and want to contribute to its continued success. But it sees beyond the purely technical work to the wider impact on communities and livelihoods. It has great expertise and is highly respected in the field.
Judith Greenwood
Read more
Chair of the Governance, Nominations & Review Committee
Independent ConsultantJudith is an independent consultant and was the first Executive Director of the CHS Alliance. Based in Portugal, she has over three decades of experience in the humanitarian sector. Between 2002 and 2015, Judith held senior management positions at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva and in the field, including in the Occupied Territories, Sudan, and Chad. She has worked for Concern Worldwide in Sudan, Angola and for the International Rescue Committee in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, East Timor, Indonesia and Afghanistan. A health professional by training, she holds a Master’s degree in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries from the London School of Economics.
Having worked in Angola, I have seen first-hand that before during and after a conflict, landmines and other unexploded ordnance can devastate the lives of people and communities affected by crisis. The work of MAG helps to save lives, build futures and above all, gives hope to people who have had to endure so much suffering.
Nesta Hatendi
Read more
Trustee
International development consultantNesta holds an M.A. (University of Michigan) and extensive work experience in international development and humanitarian sectors. In Sub Saharan Africa, Nesta worked in the Ministry of Education and US Peace Corps in Zimbabwe. She was also Country Director with Voluntary Service Overseas and Regional Director with HelpAge International. A former Expert Advisor on Ageing to the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa, Nesta is currently a resource person for the INIA Satellite Centre on Ageing for Sub Saharan Africa. Her INGO board experience includes World Animal Protection and Conciliation Resources.
Due to my lived experiences, I can relate to the organisation's vision of a safe future for men, women and children affected by conflict and insecurity. Without organisations like MAG, our contribution to international development and humanitarian work would be less rewarding and successful since MAG is a crucial player in building more harmonious societies recovering from violent conflict.
Renata Dwan
Read more
Trustee
Deputy Director and Senior Executive Officer of Chatham HouseRenata Dwan is Deputy Director and Senior Executive Officer of Chatham House and is a former Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) in Geneva, with over 15 years’ experience working in peacekeeping and crisis management.
John Malik
Read more
Trustee
Chief Operating OfficerJohn is currently Chief Operating Officer at Rothschild Wealth and has 17 years' experience in advising emerging and developing market corporates, financials and sovereigns. Previously, John practiced law at Allen & Overy.
MAG's mandate is practical: the benefits to impacted communities are real and there is a palpable sense of the contribution that one can make. That's both unique and motivating.
Frances Milner
Read more
Trustee
Executive Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships at Cancer Research UKFrances has a wide experience of senior leadership, fundraising and marketing success over 25 years including Philanthropy, Major Giving, Corporate Partnerships, Events, Regional Fundraising, Volunteer Management and fundraising strategy.
Listed in Fundraising Magazine’s “25 Most Influential” in 2018, Frances is a strong, passionate fundraising development professional and has led several pioneering fundraising initiatives within the UK and internationally.
Khaleel Desai
Read more
Trustee
Head of Governance, IRWKhaleel is IRW’s Head of Governance and Company Secretary. He sits on the Board of Directors and is an advisor to the Trustees, to whom he has a direct reporting line. Khaleel joined Islamic Relief in January 2018 where he has headed up a newly created department within IRW which includes IRW’s legal team, internal audit function and the compliance and security group.
He joined IRW from Save the Children International where he was a member of their Legal and Compliance Team focusing on compliance and managing risk.
Prior to that, Khaleel was a legal advisor to various central UK government departments over 10 years in the UK Government Legal Department (as it became) including the Departments of Health, Education, the Treasury Solicitor’s Department and the Home Office. As a public administration lawyer he advised on policy, regulation, legislation and human rights. He was also the assistant solicitor to the Leveson Inquiry, a judicial inquiry into the UK press.
Khaleel qualified as a lawyer with Allen & Overy LLP in 2004, a global commercial law firm operating out of London.
Mark Grant
Read more
Trustee
Vice President of Global Safety, Risk, and Resilience at the Associated PressMark is currently the Vice President of Global Safety, Risk, and Resilience at the Associated Press, where he leads efforts to minimise organisational risks at one of the world's largest news agencies. Mark started his career as a Royal Marine, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. After his military career, Mark transitioned into managing security programs for various NGOs before consciously deciding to pivot focus to supporting media organisations. Mark has previously led and directed large-scale operations and programs at the BBC, CNN, Netflix, and Sky News.
“Having worked in high-risk, austere, and post-conflict environments for more than twenty years, it would be an honour to use my experience, knowledge, and passion to contribute, support, and guide MAG ensuring ongoing impact on the communities and people it protects, globally.”
Patrick Costello
Read more
Trustee
Former EU official in the European Parliament, European Commission and External Action ServicePatrick Costello serves as an EU official for 27 years (1996-2023) working in the European Parliament, European Commission and External Action Service (EEAS) and served in a number of private offices including those of Chris Patten, Margot Wallström, Joseph Borrell and Karmenu Vella. Other posts includes EEA’s Head of Division for Election Observation, for Middle East, and Deputy to the Chair of the Political and Security Committee. He started his career as a human rights campaigner, and has also worked in UN missions.
“As someone who has devoted my professional life to international relations, fundamental rights and peace and security, I have always admired MAG’s work and want to contribute to its important work.”
Leadership team
Darren Cormack
Read more
Chief Executive
Darren joined MAG in 2008 and was appointed as CEO in 2020. Darren has worked for both the private and non-profit sectors in the UK and internationally, including in Cambodia, South Sudan, Sudan, Philippines and Indonesia.Shari Bryan
Read more
Executive Director, MAG US
Shari directs all aspects of operations for MAG US, working out of our United States headquarters in Washington DC. As Executive Vice President at the National Democratic Institute, she led a global non-profit organization with 1,300 employees in 65 countries, working directly with foreign political leaders and civic partners on issues related to democracy, governance, electoral integrity and conflict recovery. Shari has decades of experience managing relationships with donor aid agencies, including the US State Department, USAID, European governments and multilateral organizations.Louise McDonald
Read more
Director of People and Culture
Louise has a career spanning over 20 years working in both national not-for-profits and international organisations. She has held both operational and strategic HR roles for both Australian Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent. Louise has also worked for Oxfam International leading culture, diversity and inclusion, and employee relations at a global level. She holds an MBA (Change Management).Ria Ntabejane
Read more
Director of Finance
Ria joined MAG in 2018 from a practice background where she specialised in the not-for-profit sector. She has worked in Finance for more than a decade at an operational and advisory level. In addition to her leadership of MAG’s Finance team, Ria plays a leading role in the organisation’s treasury management and global tax compliance work.Greg Crowther
Read more
Director of Programmes
Greg first joined MAG as a Project Coordinator in 1999 and was appointed Director of Programmes in 2021. Before his appointment, Greg worked as Country Director, Regional Programmes Manager, and Regional Director with MAG, with extensive experience working internationally in countries, including Angola, Cambodia, Mali and Vietnam. Greg has also worked as a research and policy consultant with Action on Armed Violence.Jules Mason
Read more
Director of Governance and Business Transformation
Jules joined MAG in September 2021 as its first Director of Governance and Business Transformation. He overseas MAG’s logistics and procurement, risk management, digital technology/IT and governance arrangements. He also leads on insurance and internal audit. He has more than two decades’ experience working in senior management and leadership roles for a variety of national and international not-for-profit organisations including the British Red Cross, British Youth Council, Scope and the ONE Campaign. Jules is a former chair of school governors and has served as a trustee including at NCVO (where he was Vice Chair) and most recently at INASP (an INGO). He is Fellow of the RSA, has a BA in Accountancy and a MSc in NGO Management.Jon Brown
Read more
Director of Engagement
Jon is a former daily newspaper journalist who ran newsrooms on large evening newspapers in the UK and subsequently established a strategic communications consultancy, advising public and private sector clients on a diverse range of campaigns in relation to issues such as economic development, regeneration and public health. He leads MAG’s external relations and communications activity.Josephine Dresner
Read more
Director of Policy and Strategic Partnerships
Josephine first joined MAG as Business Development Officer in 2010 and was appointed Director of Policy and Strategic Partnerships at the end of 2022. Before her appointment, Jo worked in a range of policy and partnerships roles, and also as Country Director in both Myanmar and Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has specialised in the development of MAG’s armed violence reduction work at both policy and programme level. Jo has previously worked in private sector finance and local government, and is a Trustee of Manchester-based human rights organisation the Omega Research Foundation.Dean Anderson
Read more
Director of Global Fundraising
Dean has worked for more than 27 years in the voluntary sector, mainly in relation to international development and rights issues. His experience includes senior leadership roles at Amnesty International, ActionAid and War Child, and his expertise spans all aspects of fundraising, including high net worth individuals, trusts, corporates, large-scale funding development and team/organisational culture and leadership.
