SENSE INTERNATIONAL - Key Persons
Akhil is the Founder Director of Sense International (India). An authority on community-based rehabilitation of people with multiple disabilities, his expertise has been sought in numerous countries worldwide.
He is former Vice President of Deafblind International (DBI), a world association promoting services for people with deafblindness. He is also the founder member of the board of the National Trust for the Welfare of People with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities, and serves on various committees including: Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI); National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD); and International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI).
Akhil has over 30 years' experience in the disability sector. He has received many awards, including The Karmaveer Puraskar (2010); The Indian Association of Rehab Professionals Award (2011); and the IIM Lucknow-Laxmipat Singhania Leadership Award (2011) for outstanding services to deafblind people in India.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Management Specialist
- Interim Director
Edward is a distinguished management specialist with over 16 years' experience in the design, management, and implementation of multi-sectoral programmes. He joined Sense International Uganda in November 2019 initially as a Program Manager, where he strengthened program delivery with great sense of quality in mind.
Previously, Edward worked as a senior Program Management Consultant at Sanford World Health in Ghana and prior to this, he served as a Country Director for Spark Microgrants. He also served as a program manager/Global Health Corps for the USAID/Strengthening Decentralisation for Sustainability Program in Uganda.
Edward is passionate about helping people with deafblindness/multi-sensory impairments meeting their aspirations. This is his driving force for a continued engagement in the development work space.
Etelka joined the Sense International Romania team in 2007 as Programmes and Communication Coordinator. In April 2017, she took over the position of Director, supporting the development of early intervention, education and vocational projects, as well as promoting the rights of people with deafblindness in Romania.
With more than 20 years of NGO experience in Romania, Etelka has worked with the European Children's Trust and the Romanian Prader Willi Associations, as well as the Romanian Alliance for Rare Genetic Diseases. She has a degree in Communication Sciences and is currently enrolled in a Master's programme in international development and ethics of international relations.
Gillian was a trustee of Sense from 1996 to 2022, with breaks in 2005 and 2013. A parent of a young man with deafblindness, Gillian has an in-depth knowledge of deafblindness. She is a passionate advocate when talking to politicians, business people, service providers and the public, influencing and motivating political, financial and practical support for Sense. Gillian previously held management roles in sales and customer services, supported students with disabilities and worked as project manager for a design company. She is now working for NatCen (National Centre for Social Research) on the Office of National Statistics COVID-19 Infection Survey.
Kavita Prasad joined Sense International in August 2022 and is responsible for all of its operations and strategic growth and direction.
Previously, Kavita was CEO of DeafKidz International and Sound Seekers, organisations dedicated to supporting deaf children and adults in low-and-middle income countries in areas of protection, health and education. Prior to this, Kavita was seconded to the UN Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA) as Disability Advisor.
Kavita is passionate about disability equality and inclusion and has worked in various technical, programme management and programme development roles at headquarters and country-levels for organisations working with and for persons with disabilities, including Humanity and Inclusion and Leonard Cheshire Disability. Kavita has a Master's degree in Public Health.
Kiran is a Chartered Accountant, qualified with Deloitte in London, with over 35 years of experience in financial management, accounting, and audit. He has worked for several large multinational companies, gaining a strong commercial, strategic, and operational focus, including experience in complex matrixed organizational structures. Kiran's expertise lies in business planning and analysis, project accounting and governance, financial reporting and commercial decision support and technology financial management.
He serves as a Governor and Vice-Chair of the Finance committee at the University of West London and as a Governor at Windsor Forest Colleges Group, a Further Education and Sixth Form College with campuses based in Egham, Langley, Maidenhead, and Windsor. In April 2023, he became a Trustee of Sense International.
Job Titles:
- Head of Programmes
- Technical Expert
Lauren is a technical expert in disability-inclusive programming and disability inclusive safeguarding and has extensive experience working for small-medium sized international development charities in a senior role.
Lauren currently works as the Head of Programmes and Advocacy for Able Child Africa where she oversees a large portfolio of projects that ensure the inclusion of children with disabilities in East Africa. She is also the Co-Founder and Director of FACE Uganda, a small NGO working towards the empowerment of women in rural Uganda.
Lauren is interested in disability data and worked as an International Development Research Portfolio Manager for the FCDO and Economic and Social Research Council funded disability centre at UCL. She is also a Co-chair of the Bond Disability and Development Group, and the Co-coordinator of the disability inclusive safeguarding Task Group at the International Disability and Development Consortium.
Lisa has 25 years experience in Financial Services, having worked across a variety of sectors including Banking, Technology and Big Four Consultancies. Her main focus has been on Business Development and helping organisations to grow and transform their businesses.
Lisa first became involved in Sense International a number of years ago, having joined a group that trekked to Montblanc and then subsequently the following year to Kilimanjaro. She also ran the London Marathon for Sense International in 2004.
Lisa's interests include travelling and the Spanish language. She joined Sense International as a Trustee in 2023.
Lord Levy has committed his life to work in the charitable sector and is currently President of Jewish Care, Barnet & Southgate Colleges, JFS and JLGB. Previously he was President of Volunteering Matters and Chairman of the Academies Trust in Education.
Lord Levy is helping Sense International to host events and provide guidance to the charity's leadership.
Maria has over 25 years' experience in the international development sector, mainly with international networks of NGOs and professional associations. A seasoned project manager, she has worked on policy influencing, advocacy, governance and organisational change, covering thematic areas including environmental management, gender, human settlements, food and agriculture, and health. She is multilingual and has worked in Latin America, Africa and Europe.
Since 2014, she has worked as an independent consultant supporting NGOs with fundraising, strategic advice, governance and management. A recent assignment includes being the Executive Director of US-based Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH International), which provides quality eye health to people in need worldwide. As a socially committed citizen she is a Trustee of the Hope Centre, a Northampton charity working on poverty and homelessness, and of Age International. Maria was born in Bolivia and holds an MSc in Urban Environmental Sciences from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Mythily is a solicitor and a partner at Fladgate in London, one of the UK's top 100 law firms.
Mythily was first introduced to the work of Sense International in India in 2008 and has been involved ever since. She has organised several awareness and fundraising events in India, and has developed a keen awareness of Sense International's work and the people we support.
Mythily has been a Trustee of Sense since 2017. She became a Trustee of Sense International in 2021.
Job Titles:
- Director
- in 2016 As Programme Manager
Naomi has over 10 years' experience serving marginalised communities, especially people with disabilities and adolescent girls, by empowering them to access health, education and other social services in Tanzania. Her expertise includes project management, advocacy and policy influencing. Naomi believes in the power of information and knowledge in transforming communities.
Naomi joined Sense International Tanzania in 2016 as Programme Manager. She took over the role of Country Director in June 2019, leading the team in fundraising, advocacy, education, health and livelihood interventions for people with deafblindness and their families. She has previously worked with RTI International (USAID Tusome Pamoja project in Tanzania), Femina Hip and Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT).
Naomi is also working on research as part of her interest in community work. She has participated in several studies and co-authored a topic in a book entitled ‘Methodological Reflection on Researching Communication and Social Change'.
With 20 years' experience in international development, Nick has a strong track record in planning and project design, monitoring and evaluation, barriers analysis, inclusive organisational development, influencing and political analysis, strategy development, fund management, innovation and knowledge management. Nick also has a deep understanding of and expertise in multiple thematic areas, including education, health, livelihoods, infrastructure and child protection, including in fragile and emergency settings.
Nick has led multi-year, flagship projects for UNDP, DFID, Save the Children, UN Women and WHO. Nick utilizes his deep understanding of inclusive development, as well as strong links with key stakeholders across the international development sector to help shape flagship initiatives and foster strategic partnerships. While Nick has considerable experience of working with UN agencies, the private sector and governments to strengthen inclusion, his work remains rooted in and informed by his continuing work with civil society organisations at the global-, national- and local-level.
Rex was part of a group that trekked to Annapurna Base Camp in 2018 to raise funds for Sense International. The group of 27 trekkers raised over £450,000 for Sense International. Following this, Rex became a Trustee in 2019 and Chair in September 2022
Rex is an entrepreneur and has had a career in the insurance industry, owning and building a successful insurance brokerage which he sold and exited in June 2020. He is currently employed by Adler Fairways Insurance Brokers, within the management team, with a focus on business development.
Rex served Oshwal Association of the UK, the largest Jain community charity in the UK, from 2002 as a Trustee and then as President from 2012 to 2016. During his tenure, the community acquired 2 centres to serve members' needs more locally. He encouraged volunteers to embrace professional standards in community work and fostered a strong spirit of collective team working. A firm believer in equality, he also championed inclusion for members with disabilities and special needs.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Regional Programme Director for Latin America
Ricardo has worked for Sense International since 2007. He has a Law Degree with specialisation in Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. He also has a MA in Social Management, a Certificate of Participation in the Stanford Executive Program for Non-profit Leaders and has recently concluded a Diploma in Public Management and Public Policies. Ricardo has been a consultant for a UNDP project based in Rome, Italy; Coordinator for the Disability Program at the Peruvian Ombudsman; and Chairman of the National Council of People with Disability - CONADIS.
In 2007, Ricardo joined Sense International as Regional Programme Director for Latin America and then, from 2009, as General Director for Peru. He is a national speaker on issues relating to public policies, advocacy, inclusion and disability, author of articles for papers and specialist magazines, consultant on social issues for government entities and private companies, and a member of the Working Table on Disability and Rights and DbI Ibero Latin America Network.
Job Titles:
- International Equity Sales Specialist
Richard Cooper is an International Equity Sales specialist and has spent over 20 years in the City of London. He has been a Trustee of Sense International since January 2018, and a member of the Sense International India Board since January 2021. Richard also has interests in motor sport and hospitality.
Richard first became involved with Sense International in 2004, after joining a trek in Romania. Since then, Richard has participated in a number of further treks for Sense International in Romania, Spain and Scotland.
In 2012, Richard was able to attain funding from the CLSA Chairman's Trust which enabled the funding of three resource centres and a home visit programme in Jarkhand Province, India.
Richard is married, to Sieona, and they have three children, Christopher, Charles and Felicity. Richard's other interests include financial and political history, cooking, wine and golf.
Richard Kramer was appointed Sense and Sense International Chief Executive in July 2018, having joined Sense as Deputy Chief Executive in 2013.
Prior to joining Sense, Richard worked at Turning Point, the social enterprise organisation, for ten years. He held a number of director-level posts, including leading the business function, Connected Care, which involved service users in the design and delivery of services across England.
A qualified solicitor, Richard has worked for public affairs consultancy NCVO, and was Mencap's Head of Campaigns for four years. Richard was also a Trustee of Respond for ten years. He is currently a director of Whitefield Academy, which supports children with specialist educational needs, and a board member of the Campaign to End Loneliness and vice-chair of the Disabled Children's Partnership.
Richard joined Sense International in July 2021. Before this, Richard worked as a Senior Technical Advisor & Regional Representative for East Africa with Deaf Child Worldwide - the leading international development organisation on childhood deafness. He has over fourteen years' experience in the social development sector as an advocate, facilitator and researcher with a special focus on human rights, disability and inclusive development.
Richard holds a Master of Business Administration and is currently finalizing another Master's Degree in Human Rights. He also has a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Sociology. Richard is a seasoned professional on matters of disability and development, as well as governance. He has served in several state corporations in Kenya.
Sunil is a director of Urba-Life which develops and operates purpose-built student accommodation in the UK. He is also a director of St Katherine Group which is involved in property funding and developing.
Previously he was CEO of GBST Ltd until 2010 and COO of Wilco International Ltd until 2002, both of which provided mission critical, enterprise-wide transaction processing solutions to global investment banks and securities brokers.
Sunil qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Touche Ross & Co in 1984 and worked with them as a Management Consultant until 1988 when he left to become the Financial Controller at County NatWest Investment Management.
Sunil has supported Sense International since 2002. He became a Trustee in 2017 and has been Treasurer since 2019.
Suzi has over 14 years' experience across the public, private and third sectors. Her research covering sustainable livelihoods and resilience, in Uganda, pushed her to work for several NGOs in London on civic action, education and advancing children's rights. Suzi has worked on multi-year projects for The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNDP and the World Bank.
She has a strong track record in political analysis, project leadership and influencing policy at the international level, most recently as a representative at the UK Delegation to NATO. Suzi holds a BA in International Business and an MSc in International Development. Since 2021 she has been working on EU financial services policy, and has been based in Brussels since 2018.