ICM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Donor Compliance and Grant Management Lead
- Humanitarian Engagement and Climate Advisor
Aigul Kasymova joined ICM in 2023. As Donor Compliance and Grant Management Lead, Aigul is responsible for overseeing all stages of the award management process and in carrying out due diligence and sub-awards to ICM partners.
Prior to joining ICM, Aigul worked for over 13 years in international development with focus on grant management cycle, program design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, research, and resource mobilisation. She has previously worked in Afghanistan, Georgia, Italy, Kosovo and Kyrgyzstan.
Aigul holds a MSc from the University of Edinburgh, BA from the American University of Central Asia and was a Hansard Scholar at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chief Executive of the New Zealand College of Midwives
- Regional Board Member - Western Pacific
Alison Eddy was elected to be the Western Pacific Regional Board Member in June 2023. As a Regional Board Member, Alison is responsible for sharing experiences from her region and steering the Board in meeting its strategic and governance responsibilities together with the other Board members. The Regional Board Member is a spokesperson for ICM in regional strategic partnerships and at national meetings and events for ICM's member associations in the region.
Alison is currently the Chief Executive of the New Zealand College of Midwives. She has broad midwifery practice experience, from community-based case-loading midwife-led continuity of care settings to tertiary hospital care. She also has experience in policy and contract management roles within the Ministry of Health in New Zealand.
Alison is a Registered Midwife and holds a Master's degree in Public Health from Otago University.
Alison's work has included significant advocacy within her own country for midwives to achieve fair and reasonable pay and sustainable working conditions. She has served on numerous committees and in governance roles and has significant experience in developing and leading programmes which support the ongoing development of midwifery as a profession. She has an interest in advancing the health system settings and policies which are needed for the midwifery profession to thrive.
Ana Gutierrez joined ICM in 2023. As Communications Lead, Ana is responsible for ensuring that ICM successfully leverages its communications channels to deliver on its Triennial Strategic Plan.
Prior to joining ICM, Ana led communications in nonprofit organisations, focusing on gender equity in the health workforce and menstrual health. She volunteered internationally in various health-related settings, bringing a diverse perspective to her work. Ana also manages her own business, promoting indigenous Mexican craftwork to empower women in small artisan communities.
Ana holds a master's degree in Global Health from Kings College London and has a background in clinical nutrition. Originally from Mexico and now residing in Spain, she is motivated to catalyse change through creative communication.
Bruna Bimbato joined ICM in 2022. As the Events Coordinator, Bruna is a dedicated professional with a passion for fostering connections through events and digital communications.
With a background in advertising, Bruna brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role, having graduated with a degree in Advertising. Her journey in the field has equipped her with strong communication skills and a creative edge.
Coleen Gonner joined ICM in 2023. As the Operations Administrator, Coleen is responsible for managing membership-related tasks and travel administration, contributing to the efficient operation of ICM's global head office.
Prior to joining ICM, Coleen worked at the Center for Culture and Development - The Netherlands (CCD-NL) as a content writer and office manager, enhancing the organization's online presence and efficiently managing various administrative duties. At the Center for African Justice, Peace, and Human Rights (CAJPHR), Coleen was a Project Assistant. In this role, she organized projects and events, maintained effective communication channels, produced comprehensive reports and managed various administrative tasks.
Coleen holds a Bachelor's degree in International Studies from Leiden University. Her studies allowed her to develop a profound understanding of global issues, including international relations, environmental challenges, social justice, and multiculturalism. Coleen's dedication to feminism, social justice, and women's empowerment fuels her enthusiasm for being an integral part of ICM.
Job Titles:
- Head of Programmes & Partnerships
Elizabeth (Zab) Franklin joined the midwives' team at ICM in 2024. As a midwife advisor Zab provides professional and technical midwifery expertise and contributes to the development and implementation of global strategies to improve psychological and physical outcomes for mothers and newborns.
Prior to joining ICM, Zab accumulated 30 years of experience as a clinical midwife, including nearly 20 years as a lactation consultant (IBCLC) and 15 years in project leadership. Zab has worked in New Zealand, the UK, Saudi-Arabia and Sweden and her experience spans a variety of settings from home to hospital birth.
Her work within health systems has focused on increasing quality of care, particularly in the postnatal period. Zab believes in the importance of advocating for mothers and families to receive person-centered support with breastfeeding/ infant feeding and the transition to parenthood.
Zab trained as a midwife in her home country New Zealand and splits her time between The Hague and the west coast of Sweden. In her free time Zab can be found sea kayaking, walking, hanging out with friends and travelling between her various homes.
Job Titles:
- Operations and Project Administrator
Enith Cañola joined ICM in 2022. As Operations and Project Administrator, Enith is responsible for providing administrative and financial support to the Operations & Finance and to the Programmes & Partnerships Teams.
Prior to joining ICM, Enith worked for both small and global organisations, which gave her the opportunity to learn the strategic processes of every area of an organisation.
Enith has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, is very passionate about her work and always strives to liven ICM up with positive and cheerful energy because she believes that a sparkly team is a healthy team.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Head of Community Health & Donor Funded Programs With Aga Khan Health Services
- Regional Board Member - Eastern Mediterranean
Farida Shah was elected to be the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Board Member in June 2023. As a Regional Board Member, Farida is responsible for sharing experiences from her region and steering the Board in meeting its strategic and governance responsibilities together with the other Board members. The Regional Board Member is a spokesperson for ICM in regional strategic partnerships and at national meetings and events for ICM's member associations in the region.
Farida currently works as the Head of Community Health & Donor Funded Programs with Aga Khan Health Services in Pakistan. She has more than 20 years of experience in public health and the development of midwifery programmes in South Asia, South and the Horn of Africa. Her expertise includes midwifery development of education policies, strategies, training curricula, quality assurance standards, assessment guidelines, and implementation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lesotho South Africa, and Somalia. She completed a one-year consultancy with the World Health Organization in the Horn of Africa as a consultant for Reproductive Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH).
Farida holds a Diploma in Midwifery, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Aga Khan University and a Master's degree in Public Health. She has been inducted into the Delta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society of Nursing.
Farida believes in lifelong learning and always challenged herself and has gone out of her comfort zone to work for the improvement of the midwifery profession, women's and children's health.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Office Manager
- Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive, Chief Midwife & President
Fernanda joined ICM in 2024. As Executive Assistant, Fernanda is responsible for providing administrative support to the Chief Executive, Chief Midwife and President.
Prior to joining ICM, Fernanda worked in the private and public sector in Ecuador, focusing in trade and health policy. Additionally, Fernanda has experience in developing projects with children in rural areas. She is passionate about promoting sustainable development and social justice through evidence-based policy-making.
Fernanda holds a Bachelor in Political Science and International Relations and a Master's degree in Development Studies.
Job Titles:
- Head of Advocacy and Communications
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- Graphic Designer
- Digital Communications Coordinator
Inma Nuñez joined ICM in 2024. As Graphic Designer Coordinator, she is responsible for creating designs that embody and communicate ICM's mission. Through her work, she visually represents ICM's values and commitment to supporting midwives globally.
Prior to joining ICM, Inma worked as a graphic designer, web designer, and illustrator for various companies, translating their stories into compelling brand identities, illustrations, and user-friendly digital experiences. She holds a background in Audiovisual Communication and two master's degrees, one in Graphic Design and Digital Art and another in Web Design.
Inma's passion lies in illustration. She enjoys sharing her expertise by creating tutorials on social media, where she teaches fellow digital creators the skills and techniques she has mastered throughout her career.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Registered Nurse
- Chief Midwife
- Professor
Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE joined ICM in 2023. As Chief Midwife, Jacqueline is responsible for championing the interests of midwives globally, elevating the profession's profile, and ensuring that all women and gender diverse people have equitable maternity experiences and outcomes. She is dedicated to advancing a well-resourced, educated, regulated, and enabled midwifery workforce, supporting midwives and health systems worldwide.
Prior to joining ICM, Jacqueline served as the first Chief Midwifery Officer for the NHS in England and was one of two National Maternity Safety Champions appointed by the Department for Health and Social Care. She has held senior positions in clinical practice, education, leadership, and management, including Consultant Midwife, Director of Midwifery, Head of Nursing, and Professor of Midwifery. Jacqueline has also supported the education of midwives internationally through conference contributions and publications. She was recognised as one of the Health Service Journal's most influential people in health in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024, she was also celebrated as one of the NHS's 75 most significant nurses and midwives in 2023 and is included in the Nursing Times' Leaders 2015 list for pioneering and inspirational professionals.
Jacqueline is a registered nurse and midwife, holding honorary doctorates from Worcester and Winchester Universities in the UK and a visiting Professorship in Midwifery at Kings College London and London South Bank University. She chairs the maternity advisory group for the Health and Race Observatory in England, serves on the Women of the Year management committee, acts as Midwifery Ambassador for the ‘Saying Goodbye' charity, and holds key roles as Patron for Baby Lifeline and the Caribbean & African Health Network UK. Outside her professional life, Jacqueline enjoys spending time with her family, engaging in charitable activities, and advancing midwifery education and advocacy.
Job Titles:
- Digital Communications Coordinator
Jessica White was seconded to the ICM from Direct Relief in 2024. As the Global Midwives' Hub Lead, she spearheads initiatives leveraging geospatial data to connect midwives worldwide, advocate for the midwifery profession, and improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.
Prior to joining ICM, Jessica spent 15 years working in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), providing spatial analysis, data management, and mapping solutions across diverse sectors-from supporting humanitarian medical aid in underserved communities to advancing real estate operations. Throughout her career, she has remained committed to enhancing spatial data literacy through training and education.
Jessica holds a master's degree in Geographic Information Science and Cartography, with a thesis focused on advancing women business owners in Hi-Tech and Biotech industries. In her free time, she loves exploring-both in person and through maps-and is passionate about living an intentional, joy-filled life that contributes to making the world a better place.
Kate joined the ICM in September 2024 as a Midwifery Advisor. She is a midwife and recently completed a MsC in Global maternal Health. She has extensive experience in education, training, clinical practice, research and leadership and she has provided leadership and training to organisations globally to support the development of midwifery practice and respectful maternity care.
Kate's most recent role was as a Consultant Midwife in the UK, where she supported women and families making complex birth plans , provided clinical leadership in intrapartum settings and supported national projects to support early career midwives and multi-professional training teams, both in and out of hospital.
Kate also spent two years strengthening midwifery practice in India, supporting a program that ensured nurses and midwives were trained to ICM's Essential Competencies in Midwifery practice. This program included supporting midwives in public and private healthcare settings and developing a midwife-led birthing centre.
Kate recently moved to The Hague with her family and is looking forward to supporting the ICM in enhancing maternal health and gender equity globally. In her spare time, Kate is an avid football follower and likes to follow her teams to as many games as possible!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Regional Board Member - Southeast Asia
Laxmi Tamang was elected to be the Southeast Asia Regional Board Member in June 2023. As a Regional Board Member, Laxmi is responsible for sharing experiences from her region and steering the Board in meeting its strategic and governance responsibilities together with the other Board members. The Regional Board Member is a spokesperson for ICM in regional strategic partnerships and at national meetings and events for ICM's member associations in the region.
Laxmi is one of the co-founders of the Midwifery Society of Nepal (established in 2010), and a nurse-led stand-alone birthing centre established in 2006. With over 25 years of experience in sexual and reproductive health and rights, she has worked in clinical, community, and academic settings.
Laxmi played a pivotal role in shaping competency guidelines for midwives' licensure exams during her time at the Nepal Nursing Council. She has served on the boards of women-led organizations like Beyond Beijing Committee Nepal and the Safe Motherhood Network Federation. Laxmi also co-founded the Community Leadership Nepal Foundation, dedicated to empowering girls and women in trafficked, marginalized rural areas.
Laxmi holds a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of New South Wales in Australia, and a doctorate in medicine from the University of Sydney.
Laxmi's passion lies in midwifery, as she believes it empowers women from the moment of conception to the end of life. Her work with rural and remote Nepalese women facing suppression and oppression has inspired her to contribute to the field of midwifery and empower women from the very beginning.
Job Titles:
- Governance and Regional Senior Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Regional Board Member - Europe
- Research Fellow at King 's College London
Lia Brigante was elected to be the Europe Regional Board Member (RBM) in June 2023. As a Regional Board Member, Lia is responsible for sharing experiences from her region and steering the Board in meeting its strategic and governance responsibilities with a global focus, together with the other Regional Board Members. The Regional Board Member is a spokesperson for ICM in regional strategic partnerships and at national meetings and events for ICM's member associations in the region.
Lia is a midwife with more than a decade of experience including clinical leadership, research, policy and advisory roles.
Lia currently works for the Royal College of Midwives, contributing to improvement of maternity policy and midwifery practice across the United Kingdom and internationally. She works closely with the European Midwifery Association (EMA) and represents ICM on WHO Guidance Development Groups. Lia is currently a member of the WHO STAGE Midwifery Working Group supporting the global transition to midwife-led continuity models of care.
In her development role as Consultant Midwife in Public Health at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London (UK), Lia led the Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) maternity portfolio including an innovative model of community-based care integrated with early years services.
Lia has conducted research on midwife-led settings provision, the role of consultant midwives and ‘higher risk' women's experiences of midwife-led continuity of care, as co-investigator of the POPPIE trial at King's College London as part of her Master's in Implementation Science.
Lia is a visiting research fellow at King's College London and is a visiting lecturer for MSc programmes in global and public health at King's College London and City University of London.
Job Titles:
- Advisor for Association Strengthening
- Midwife Advisor - Association Strengthening
Liselotte Kweekel joined ICM in 2021. As Midwife Advisor for Association Strengthening, Liselotte is responsible for supporting member associations with capacity building and fostering communication and collaboration among members across regions to strengthen the profession and build networks. She also supports member associations in humanitarian settings to become emergency prepared, resilient, and responsive.
Prior to joining ICM, Liselotte worked for over ten years as an independent midwife in the Netherlands. She served as the international policy advisor for the Royal Dutch Organisation of Midwives and led several twinning projects internationally. Her experience extends beyond project development; she personally understands how to build strong professional communities through twinning.
Liselotte graduated as a midwife in 2009 in Rotterdam. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology from Leiden University and a Master's degree in Medical Anthropology and Sociology from the University of Amsterdam.
Job Titles:
- Chief Midwife
- Head of Programmes & Partnerships
Madelon Cabooter joined ICM in 2025, as Head of Programmes and Partnerships. Madelon is responsible for maintaining and growing ICM's strategic partnerships and achieving ICM's programmatic priorities, while contributing to the strategic direction of ICM, as part of the Senior Leadership Team.
Madelon has 30 years of experience, working for multilateral organizations with a focus on health system innovation and child protection and survival, in Central and Eastern Europe, South America and Sub Sahara Africa. She is a versatile professional experienced in programme management, designing and leading communication and (humanitarian) fundraising campaigns, as well as advocacy and resource mobilization strategies. The past ten years Madelon spearheaded various partnership teams, building strategic relationships with corporates, multi- and bilateral organisations and private partners. Throughout her career, Madelon has dedicated herself to making a positive impact to the lives of women and children living in underserved communities or affected by humanitarian crises.
Madelon holds a Mater's degree in Public Administration from Leiden University and Erasmus University Rotterdam and has completed an MBA module on Transition, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Nyenrode Business University. She also serves as a Board Member promoting child rights education in the Netherlands.
Merette Khalil joined ICM in 2024. As the PUSH Campaign Lead, Merette is responsible for managing this multi-stakeholder, multi-pronged demand-generating midwifery advocacy campaign. The campaign's main goal is raising awareness about women-centered care and the role of midwives in its delivery.
Prior to joining ICM, Merette worked for the World Health Organization. In her last role, Merette led White Ribbon Alliance's latest What Women Want for Health and Wellbeing campaign, mobilizing upward of 1.3 million demands to inform a novel community-driven holistic women's health agenda. Merette is a committed and experienced advocate for women, children and adolescent's health and leadership- she served as co-chair PMNCH's Evidence and Accountability Working Group and co-led the million-voice campaign on What Young People Want. Merette founded YourEgyptianDoula to fight for the elimination of obstetric violence in her home country, Egypt and the Region. She also co-founded Women in Global Health Egypt advocating for women's leadership and gender equality in health.
Merette is a multi-lingual health systems researcher with her Bachelors and Masters of Science in Public Health and Health Systems Management.
Job Titles:
- Finance
- Head of Operations
- Climate Advisor
- Humanitarian Engagement and Climate Advisor
Neha Mankani joined ICM in 2023. As Humanitarian Engagement and Climate Advisor, Neha provides technical support on humanitarian response and climate action and contributes to association strengthening projects and programmes.
Prior to joining ICM, Neha, a global health practitioner and midwife based in Pakistan, has had extensive experience in sexual and reproductive health, maternal and neonatal health clinical practice, programming, and midwifery advocacy at both local and global levels. She has received notable awards, including the Heroines of Health Award by Women in Global Health in 2021 and the Woman of Courage Award from the US Embassy in 2023 for her emergency response midwifery work in Pakistan. Neha's midwifery practice has focused on low-resourced settings, reproductive health in crisis situations, and emergency response in climate-affected communities.
Neha holds a Master's Degree in Public Health, focusing on reproductive and family health from Columbia University, a Bachelor's in Social Sciences from the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan, and a diploma in Community Midwifery. Outside of her professional life, Neha is passionate about contributing to gender and health equity and enjoys spending her free time engaged in community service and advocating for women's rights.
Job Titles:
- Finance
- Head of Operations
- Head of Organisational Projects
Nikkie Yeaman joined ICM in 2022. As Head of Operations & Finance, Nikkie is responsible for ICM's financial management, operations, membership administration, and is part of the Senior Leadership Team.
Prior to joining ICM, Nikkie spent almost 20 years working for a European Trade Association, where she gained valuable experience in the day-to-day management of finance, operations, governance, events and team development. As a people person who fully subscribes to the Servant Leadership model, Nikkie has been able to develop long lasting relationships during her career, through her ability to facilitate engagement and two-way communication both internally and externally across various stakeholder groups.
Nikkie's dog Mr. Dinky along with her 2 sheep and 4 pigmy goats keep Nikkie entertained in her spare time, although they have taken more of a back seat following the arrival of her first grandson.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the National Council of Nursing
- Regional Board Member - Africa
- Regional Board Member - Africa / Chief Executive and Head Office
Olive Tengera was elected to be the Africa Regional Board Member in June 2023. As a Regional Board Member, Olive is responsible for sharing experiences from her region and steering the Board in meeting its strategic and governance responsibilities together with the other Board members. The Regional Board Member is a spokesperson for ICM in regional strategic partnerships and at national meetings and events for ICM's member associations in the region.
Olive is currently working as a lecturer and is the Head of the Midwifery Department at the University of Rwanda. She has more than 18 years of midwifery experience in teaching hospitals and universities.
Olive has a Master's degree in Midwifery and Women's Health and is currently working on her doctorate (PhD) with a focus on antenatal care. Her research interests are midwifery education, maternal, newborn, and child health as well as sexual, reproductive, adolescent health and rights.
Olive has a strong local and international network. She collaborates with several partners in midwifery education and research including different grants with Belgian universities such as University College Leuven Limburg (UCLL), Artevelde University College of Ghent (AUCG), and the University of Michigan through the Center for International Reproductive Health Training (CIRHT).
Apart from being an active member of the Rwanda Association of Midwives, Olive is also a member of the National Council of Nursing and Midwifery of Rwanda and serves as an appointed committee member of the licensing examination committee.
Job Titles:
- Projects and Grants Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Regional Board Member - Americas
Samara Ferrara Belart was elected as Americas Region Board Member in June 2023. As a Regional Board Member, Samara is responsible for sharing experiences from her region and steering the Board in meeting its strategic and governance responsibilities together with the other Board members. The Regional Board Member is a spokesperson for ICM in regional strategic partnerships and at national meetings and events for ICM's member associations in the region.
Samara currently works as a professional home birth midwife in Mexico. Samara is a certified Blissborn Hipnosis Childbirth Educator who also teaches sexual education classes. From 2021-22 Samara worked at the Public Hospital for Maternal Infant of High Specialty in Nuevo León, México.
Samara holds a Bachelor's degree in Reproductive Health and Midwifery from the Florencia Nightingale School, México. She also has a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from Texas A&M University, USA.
Samara was part of ICM's Young Midwife Leader Programme (2016 cohort). Her project focused on strengthening midwifery in México. In 2017, Samara collaborated with the Population Council on a study mapping private care midwifery services México. She has attended midwifery conferences in Germany, Indonesia, Canada, Denmark, and spoken at events in Mexico and Paraguay.
In 2018, Samara was sponsored to assist the Aspen Health Ideas Festival, was a panellist at the WHO Midwives Voices in Washington DC, and a speaker at the ICM Regional Conference in Paraguay.
Samara is a mother to three amazing home-born human beings and is passionate about herbal medicine, body-mind connection, nature and biology.
Job Titles:
- President
- President of the Board
- Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine
Sandra Oyarzo Torres was elected to be ICM's President in June 2023. She has previously held the role of ICM Vice-President (2020-2023) as well as Regional Board Member from Latin America (2014-2020). As the ICM President, Sandra is responsible for the overall leadership and governance of the Confederation. The President leads the Board to perform its duties and support effective relationships with the Chief Executive and the Head Office. The President acts as a spokesperson for ICM in strategic global partnerships and at global meetings and events.
Sandra Oyarzo Torres has worked as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Chile since 1998. She has taught across the five-year degree curriculum of the Midwifery School and currently teaches post graduate students at the Department of Education in Health Sciences. Since 2022, Sandra has held the position of Director of Student Affairs at the Faculty of Medicine.
Sandra is a Registered Midwife and holds a Master of Education in Health Sciences. She is also a Master Trainer of Competency Based Education.
In 2019, Sandra was elected a Heroine of Health by Women in Global Health (WGH) and WHO and co-founded the first WGH chapter in Latin America. During 2020 she became a WGH Board Member advocating for strengthening the leadership of midwives and women at decision- level in health care.
Job Titles:
- Board and Projects Assistant
Sheilah Nanyonga joined ICM in 2022. As a Finance Administrator, Sheilah manages all aspects of Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable. She is in charge of the finance mailbox, reviews project expenditures, and collaborates with the operations and finance team to achieve ICM's strategic goals.
Before joining ICM, Sheilah worked in finance and operations as an Assistant Finance Advisor and Compliance Officer. She also successfully managed two construction projects to completion.
Sheilah holds a Master's Degree in Finance and Accounting from the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and a Bachelor's in Office and Information Management from Makerere University Business School.
Sigrid Engström joined ICM in 2018. As the HR Lead she is responsible for the day-to-day HR operations.
Prior to joining ICM, Sigrid worked with project support and administration at Uppsala University and The Armed Forces in Sweden. Sigrid has a degree in Human Resource Management and has also studied communications, leadership and gender studies.
After living three years in The Netherlands and working at the ICM Head Office in The Hague, Sigrid returned to her home country Sweden in early 2021 and works from there.