ACTION ON POVERTY - Key Persons
Alex has been working in the overseas development sector since 1988, following degrees and experience in Agriculture, and Product Marketing and Management. After working with Christian Aid and VSO in rural Sierra Leone, she first joined Action on Poverty in 1993 as a Programme Manager, playing a leading role in Action on Poverty's expansion overseas. Alex worked for Oxfam for several years, where she was responsible for relationships with some key institutional donors, securing new £1 million grants.
She later returned to Action on Poverty as the Programme Development Manager, inspiring and supporting the charity's development with passion and commitment to its work on sustainable enterprise and employment with marginalised people. She has experience in East, West, and Southern Africa as well as South East Asia in the design, implementation and monitoring of programmes and in action research. Having lived and worked overseas, Alex is grounded in the work, challenges and needs of small NGOs working on livelihood development and is a champion of their valuable contribution. Alex took over as CEO in July 2015 and enjoys being a ‘hands-on' CEO, increasing the depth and outreach of Action on Poverty's work to women and people with disabilities and catalysing impact more widely. She would like the private sector - at all levels, whether large scale corporates or informal micro-enterprises overseas - to have a transformational social and economic impact for vulnerable people.
Alex is also a fully qualified hot air balloon pilot and particularly enjoys flying those who have given a bit extra to others.
Amber has worked in the finance sector for over 8 years, specifically most recently as Head of Finance for Farm Africa. She brings relevant on-hand experience of the practical application of charity finance in an INGO and understands the nuances of working in East Africa. She believes that a charity's purpose should be to even the playing field of opportunity and empower communities and individuals to reach their full potential.
Anna started work as a teacher with VSO in Vietnam and was inspired by this experience to move into a career in international development. She spent 8 years living in Uganda and Mozambique, managing livelihood programmes for Concern Worldwide. More recently she was CEO of Mondo Foundation, supporting education projects in Nepal and helping women in Tanzania to set up small businesses. She joined Action on Poverty in 2023 and currently manages projects in Uganda.
She enjoys learning languages, Nordic walking and trying to tame her garden!
Baroness Alicia Kennedy, prior to joining the House of Lords, was former Deputy General Secretary of the Labour Party and strategic adviser to the Leader of the Her Majesty's Opposition. Alicia has dedicated her working life to politics and working for change within local communities, with her adult years being spent in civic service, working for the Labour Party at the highest level, in parliament and in local government.
Alicia is currently the Director of Generation Rent, campaigning to ensure every private renter has a safe, secure and affordable place to call home. She is an expert in campaigns and marketing and is credited with the introduction of innovative campaigning and community engagement techniques.
Although Alicia prefers behind the scenes roles, she has also served as an elected member in local government as a councillor in Lewisham, a school governor, and ran the mayoral referendum yes campaign for Lewisham. She was made a Life Peer in 2012.
Ben has spent his career engaging changemakers to tell stories with measurable impact. He currently serves as Communications Director at the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, working with companies to help fix broken systems around the world, and prior to this was Deputy Head of Conferences/External Relations at Chatham House. He led LBCG's Midstream and Downstream Divisions until 2015, and has served on the communications staff for gubernatorial campaigns, represented the UK's youth in the European Union, and sits on the board for Youth Voice Trust. A communicator in his own right, he has written for PRWeek, The Daily Caller and The Telegraph, and spoken at global conferences on everything from corporate comms to the death penalty.
Brian is a retired Agricultural Property and Banking Solicitor. Originally, he worked as a United Nations volunteer in Botswana and then with the Overseas Development Natural Resources Institute and Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Centres as a Livestock Nutritionist in many countries across Africa, Asia and Central America. Brian brings a long-term commitment to Action on Poverty, combined with legal knowledge and field experience.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Founding Member of the Gallus Edge CIC
David is founding Member of The Gallus Edge CIC, and former longstanding Director at The Springfield Centre. David played a leading role in the concept and application of ‘making markets work for the poor' (M4P) as an approach to help improve aid effectiveness. A specialist in economic reform and private sector development, David has applied M4P thinking to the design, review and evaluation of programmes in sectors as diverse as land, skills, financial inclusion, health and business advocacy. A consultant, adviser and trainer, David has worked in more than 30 countries for a range of bi-lateral and multi-lateral agencies, Foundations, and INGOs.
Dexter joined Action on Poverty in 2022, having previously worked at Xavier Project (Cohere), an organisation based in East Africa that supports refugees and refugee-led organisations. He manages our projects in Kenya and Tanzania, including our camel milk project that supports pastoralist women's livelihoods near Kenya's border with Somalia. He has a strong interest in supporting community-led initiatives, especially grassroots groups delivering aid and development projects for their own communities. He is currently based in Kenya.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director Europe and Advisory Board Member of Ignite Capital Partners
Dr Ajay K Agrawal is Managing Director Europe and Advisory Board Member of Ignite Capital Partners. He is an experienced entrepreneur in the biotech & pharma industry and currently sits on the board of directors of several companies in the UK and Europe.
Dr Agrawal was awarded with Bharat Samman Award (India Honours Award) for excellence in healthcare by the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation in New Delhi, India in 2015. He is a trustee of The Ramphal Institute, King's College London, which aims to advance knowledge and education in the Commonwealth countries in social, economic, governance and environmental policy areas for the benefit of both the public and policy makers.
He is very keen to grow support for Action on Poverty and our partners overseas.
Gladys joined APT in September 2023, bringing with her a passion for community projects that took root in her native Ecuador. Engaging with indigenous Andean communities and volunteering as a communication assistant in Quito's HIV support organisation, Gladys developed profound empathy for minorities and a love for travel. She dedicated five impactful years to immigration advisory work in Curacao, collaborating with human rights NGOs like Amnesty International and focusing on assisting immigrants and refugees from Haiti, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.
In 2008, Gladys relocated to London, transitioning from Pearson to the NGO sector as an NSC fundraiser. Thriving on connecting people with APT's purpose, she enjoys catalysing change. Gladys is passionate about sustainable development, social justice, and equality, and she is committed to not only maintaining but also expanding APT's resources. Her goal is to extend its reach to even more communities and projects in Africa, fostering positive change on a broader scale.
Helen is an international development and humanitarian expert with over 25 years' experience, predominantly in Africa. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of RefuSHE, the first and only organization in Kenya dedicated to working with refugee girls and young women, and has previously worked for the International Livestock Research Institute, Adeso, Farm Africa, and Christian Aid in senior management and leadership positions. Helen brings particular expertise on partnerships, livelihoods, social entrepreneurship, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Jake has over 40 years' financial and governance experience in both the corporate and charitable sectors. He was also Treasurer of CONCORD, the European confederation of international development NGOs, and is still involved internationally, providing governance advice to a global process working on development effectiveness under the aegis of OECD and the UN. In the UK Jake is Chair of Trustees of Mountain Rescue England and Wales; and more locally an Independent Person, an advisory role to Herefordshire Council. Jake's experience has suggested that smaller NGOs like APT have a better understanding than larger NGOs of the power relationships with their partners, and so can be more effective at helping people improve their own lives.
Job Titles:
- Programme Development Manager
Rose has over 20 years' experience in the international development sector. She founded an NGO in China and worked in Tibet with a US foundation before joining Action on Poverty in 2015. Rose's focus now is on developing and managing programmes on livelihoods and rights, particularly in Sierra Leone.