WBG - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Public Affairs Officer
Amy joined WBG in March 2023, having previously spent 7 years working at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in both Brussels and London. While there she covered EU trade policy, coordinating the CBI's work with strategic partners in the business community and leading the CBI's analysis of the TCA governance structure. She later moved into the public affairs team, working on the CBI's B7 summit and COP26 campaigns. In 2022 Amy made a career move into the women's sector, joining Surviving Economic Abuse to follow her passion in advocating for women's economic empowerment. Outside of work Amy is passionate about pushing the boundaries of women's participation in sport, competing at long-distance events like iron-distance triathlons in which women are significantly under-represented.
Job Titles:
- Policy Engagement Officer
Angie joined WBG in January 2024 as a Policy Engagement Officer. The aim of her role is to coordinate the activities of the Policy Advisory Group and the Early Careers Network to boost engagement across our policy areas. She has a background developing Social Protection programmes for International Development agencies, and experience working for NGOs in the homelessness and healthcare sectors. She also holds an MSc in Gender, Development and Globalisation from the London School of Economics.
Angela is a Reader in Equalities and Public Policy at Glasgow Caledonian University and currently independent Chair of the Scottish Government's Equality and Budgets Advisory Group (EBAG). She was a member of the UKWBG Commission for a Gender Equal Economy and is also a Trustee of the Scottish Women's Budget Group. She has been engaged in the process of securing equality analysis in the Scottish Budget process since its inception in 1999/2000) and regularly gives evidence to committees of the Scottish Parliament - and elsewhere - on improvements in gender analysis of budget processes.
Job Titles:
- Events and Training Assistant
Chevon joined the Women's Budget Group in October 2023 as Events and Training Assistant. After finishing her MA in Human Rights at University College London, Chevon worked in the Humanitarian sector as a Programmes Officer. Working within conflict zones, she worked to ensure the efficient implementation of different programmes, both domestically and internationally. Her interests include International Human Rights Law and Ethnic Minority Rights in the UK.
Job Titles:
- Policy Engagement Officer
Ciara joined WBG in January 2022 after recently completing an MSc in Gender, Development and Globalisation at the London School of Economics. Previously, Ciara has worked for several years in the charity and non-profit sector in Ireland with organisations such as Rethink Ireland and on local projects with Galway Simon Community and the International Organisation for Migration.
Denise Fahmy is co-founder of Freedom in the Arts, a new organisation promoting freedom of speech and expression in the UK cultural sector. She has worked for 30 years in the arts with a specialism in visual arts. Denise worked for Arts Council England for 15 years, managing a portfolio of diverse arts organisations, from galleries to commissioning agencies.
Job Titles:
- Senior Local Partnerships and Training Officer
Liz joined the Women's Budget Group in June 2022. She is the Senior Local Partnerships and Training Officer. She has had a varied career including working for the British Science Association on projects aimed at getting disadvantaged pupils into STEM. She has worked as a freelance trainer and education consultant and was running a pub during the pandemic. She volunteers with the Fabian Women's Network. Liz has a PhD in History and Philosophy of Mathematics from the University of Liverpool.
Mary-Ann has been active in the Women's Budget Group for over twenty years, and was appointed as its first Director in 2017. Prior to this role, she was a freelance consultant specialising in women's equality and human rights and has been Director of the Fawcett Society and a Commissioner on the Women's National Commission. She is a trustee of Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre and of Just Fair. She has a PhD in Law from the University of Warwick.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director and Head of Research and Policy
Sara joined the Women's Budget Group in 2017 and has worked on various projects including research on female poverty, funding for the women's sector, affordable housing, economic circumstances of migrant women in the UK, the impact of Covid-19, and the impact of the cost of living crisis. Sara is currently coordinating WBG's work on the Local Data Project, on a Feminist Green New Deal, and the impact of the cost of living crisis on women. Sara has a PhD in Politics from the University of Sheffield.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director and Head of Research and Policy ( MAT Cover )
Zubaida joined WBG as Deputy Director and Head of Research and Policy in September 2023. Prior to this role she was the former CEO of The Equality Trust, and interim CEO and Deputy Director of The Runnymede Trust. Zubaida has worked in senior/management roles within think tanks, charities and government departments. She has also been a Commissioner on several national reviews. Zubaida is a member of Independent SAGE, the London Partnership Board, GLA Equality Diversity and Inclusion, Advisory Group, trustee at the Howard League for Penal Reform and a Fellow of the RSA.
Job Titles:
- Research and Data Officer
Emma joined WBG in August 2022 as a research and data officer on the Local Data Project. After a decade running a tuition business and online education platform, she undertook a career change alongside an MA in Social Policy at the University of Birmingham. She has experience working on education, climate change and social policy research projects at Bangor University and the University of Birmingham, and has volunteered for a refugee charity and her local Maternity Voices Partnership.
Job Titles:
- Head of Communications and Public Affairs
Erin leads WBG's influencing work getting their analysis and policy recommendations for a gender equal economy out to as large and diverse audiences as possible. Before joining WBG in October 2022, Erin was responsible for public affairs at Solace Women's Aid, a specialist domestic abuse and sexual violence charity where she specialised in tackling housing and homelessness issues for survivors of male violence. Prior to that she was Political Advisor and Researcher at the Women's Equality Party, supporting the Party Leader, developing policies, and campaigning for universal free childcare and an end to violence against women and girls.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research and Policy Officer
Ignacia joined the Women's Budget Group in July 2022, as Research and Policy Officer. She has Master of Public Administration from the London School of Economics and a Master in Economics from PUC-Chile. Previously, she worked for the Ministry of Education in Chile, implementing policies with a focus on social inclusion. Her interests lie in social policy, gender and inequalities.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Consultant
Janet Veitch works as a consultant in the UK and internationally on women's rights and gender responsive budgeting, having worked for ten years for the UK Ministers for Women, first as head of gender mainstreaming and then as Director of the UK Women's National Commission. She was a research assistant in the House of Lords and a specialist adviser to the Women and Equalities Select Committee. She is a founder member of the End Violence Against Women Coalition. She has previously served as Vice-Chair of Equally Ours, Chair of the Happy Baby Community for refugee mums, and as an associate adviser on gender for the British Council. She was awarded the OBE for services to women's rights in 2011.
Jules is currently completing an ESRC-funded PhD in Multidisciplinary Gender Studies at Cambridge, researching social norms and fathers' use of parental leave in comparative context. Her research interests comprise gender, equality, social policy, care, social reproduction and feminist theory and she co-convenes the Gender and Working Lives research cluster (@genderworkgroup). Prior to undertaking the PhD Jules worked in funding and has 11 years' experience in fundraising for social care, international development and higher education projects.
Job Titles:
- Head of Finance and Organisational Development
Rose joined WBG in 2021 from the Feminist Library. She has a background in supporting grassroots organisations in growth and development and has worked in activist movements engaged in feminism, social and environmental justice, food sovereignty, and workers' rights, in the UK and India. Rose is particularly interested in the rights of travelling communities and is herself a liveaboard itinerant boater. She has an MA in Continental Philosophy from the University of Essex and an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Co - Chair for Strategy and Fundraising
Ruth is Emeritus Professor of International Development at the University of Leeds, development economist and founder scholar and activist in the field of Gender and Development. Ruth's research interests are focussed on women's productive and reproductive work in the global economy, migration, ethnicity and labour organisation in Latin America, South East Asia and the UK. She also writes on social care and gendered economic policy and has extensive experience of working with international and UK women's organisations and NGOs in the global South and North.
Job Titles:
- Head of Training and Learning
Samah possesses over a decade of experience in civil society, international organisations, and the private sector. Specializing in areas like security sector reform, transitional justice, and feminist economics, particularly in the MENA region, she has developed expertise in gender equality, peace, and security. Adept in project management, research, grant writing, and advocacy, Samah is trilingual in English, Arabic, and French, with Spanish proficiency. Her prior roles include working at the Kvinna Till Kvinna Foundation and as MENA Research Associate for The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. She holds an MSc in Women, Peace, and Security from the London School of Economics and an engineering degree from the National Institute of Applied Science and Technology in Tunis.
Job Titles:
- Operations and Administration Officer
Sara joined WBG in April 2023 as Operations and Administration Officer. She has experience working in the not-for-profit and education sectors and has previously worked with organisations including the Latin American Women's Rights Service and the British Red Cross, where she gained valuable experience in humanitarian assistance, women's rights advocacy, and supporting marginalized communities. Sara is a founding member of the Board of Trustees for Latin Girls At Work, a UK-based charity with a mission to expand professional and social opportunities for Latin American women residing in the UK.
Viktoria joined WBG in December 2022 as Communications Officer, later transitioning to Press and Media Officer. She holds an MSc in Gender, Development, and Globalization from the London School of Economics and Political Science and has a background in advocacy and communications, working at various women's organisations in Germany, including UN Women Deutschland. In her current role, Viktoria strives to amplify WBG's messages across a broad spectrum of audiences through effective engagement with broadcast and traditional media channels