HALO - Key Persons
Adam joined the HALO Trust in 2008, and since then has worked on operations in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, Georgia, Afghanistan and Mozambique, most recently setting up HALO demining operations in Eastern Ukraine. Before joining HALO, Adam worked as a journalist at the British Broadcasting Corporation. He studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and Tbilisi State University. In 2016, he took up post as Executive Director of HALO USA and in 2021 became HALO's Director of Capability.
Anastasia joined �鶹��Ƶ with nearly 20 years of experience spanning non-profit management, fundraising, communications, and politics. She is currently serving as the Executive Director of the ESA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the video game industry. Previously, she served in leadership positions with distinguished organizations such as American Humane Association and Foundation Fighting Blindness. Prior to her career in non-profit philanthropy, Anastasia worked in politics in her home state of Ohio.
Andrew worked for HALO from 2003 to 2012. He was Program Finance Officer in Angola, Senior Operations Officer in Afghanistan, and Vice President of HALO USA, and he performed the initial fieldwork to establish HALO's program in Colombia. Andrew now lives in Washington, DC and works at the Department of Justice as a finance director. He has a BA in economics from the University of Chicago and an MS in finance from Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School.
Job Titles:
- Head of Region - Middle East ( West Bank, Syria )
Former professional opera singer, who has worked for HALO since 2005. Has managed demining operations in Mozambique, Angola, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Georgia. As Regional Director for Europe he was responsible for developing private fundraising for Kosovo and Nagorno Karabakh and from 2017-2020 was Director of Private Fundraising & Communications.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit & Finance Committee
Barney is a former British soldier whose career culminated in 2012 as Commander of the Field Army. He has widespread experience of both military and humanitarian operations in Africa, the Middle East, South and South East Asia, including running the British contribution to the Tsunami Relief effort in 2004. Since leaving the army he has been Executive Chairman of the Countryside Alliance and chaired CAFOD's Development Board. He is now a director of Burstock, the international consultancy he established in 2015 and Chairman of UK Fisheries Advisory Board. He also writes history, his most recent book (Berlin: The Story of a City) being published in 2020. Knighted in 2010, he also holds awards from France, the United States and Hungary.
Basak is a partner in Fundamental Equity within Goldman Sachs Asset Management, serving as co-head of Emerging Markets Equities. She is also a portfolio manager for the Emerging Markets Equity Fund. Prior to assuming her current role, she was head of Latin America and EMEA Equities based in London. Basak joined Goldman Sachs as an executive director in 2011. She was named managing director in 2017 and partner in 2022. Before joining the firm, Basak worked at HSBC Asset Management in London as a portfolio manager for frontier markets, covering Asia and Eastern Europe. Earlier in her career, she was an emerging market equities research analyst at Alliance Bernstein for eight years working in various capacities.
Job Titles:
- Head of Region - South Asia ( Sri Lanka, Myanmar )
Belinda completed her technical training across Cambodia, Afghanistan, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Georgia. Subsequently, in eastern Ukraine Belinda helped oversee 200 deminers and established a new forward operations base. As Deputy Programme Manager in Abkhazia she helped coordinate HALO's emergency response to a large ammunition store explosion. Then, as Sri Lanka's Programme Manager Belinda grew the programme from 700 to 1,100 staff. Today as HoR Belinda is committed to seeing Sri Lanka soon become mine free and to responding to the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. Prior to joining HALO Belinda worked as a scientist in Antarctic marine ecology and commercial fisheries management.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Palm Active Partners
Brad Tirpak is a managing director of Palm Active Partners in charge of managing various investment partnerships. He has been a professional investor since 1996 with roles at Credit Suisse First Boston, Caxton Corporation and Sigma Capital Management. Prior to his investing career, he founded a telecommunications company based in Mexico City. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Full House Resorts and sits on the board of Liberated Syndication Inc. Brad has supported HALO's mission since he first encountered the organization while travelling through Cambodia in 2001.
Calvin has worked for HALO since 2007 in Nagorno Karabakh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Angola, Somaliland and Afghanistan in both mine clearance and weapons and ammunition management. He was Regional Director for Southern Africa from 2012-16 where he witnessed Mozambique clear its last known minefield. Calvin has represented HALO at the IMAS Review Board. He has an MA from the University of Edinburgh and has attended the University of Cambridge's Advanced Leadership Programme. He was Head of Region for Afghanistan, the Middle East and North Africa before taking on the Director of Programmes role in 2021.
Cameron has worked for HALO since 1999 managing operations in Kosovo, Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Mozambique and Cambodia. Cameron spent five years as the Regional Director for Central Asia, leading HALO's Afghanistan programme, and is now Head of Region for South East Asia. Cameron holds a Masters degree in International Security Studies from the University of St Andrews.
Chris has worked for HALO since 2006, managing operations Somaliland and in western Cambodia. He went on to manage HALO's programme in Kosovo in 2009, set up and manage HALO's PSSM programme in Ivory Coast in 2011 and coordinate HALO's HQ Logistics 2014/2015. Prior to becoming Programme Manager in Angola, Chris was HALO's Regional Director for North Africa.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, HALO USA
Chris Whatley joined HALO in June 2019. Prior to HALO, Chris served as Executive Director of the United Nations Association of the United States. Chris previously served as Deputy Executive Director of The Council of State Governments (CSG) and began his career as a field-based officer for the International Republican Institute (IRI), leading programs in Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Job Titles:
- Head of Philanthropy, HALO USA
Diana joined HALO Trust in late 2019 and brings 24 years of experience in philanthropy and programming from several prominent organizations. She started her career with two different UN Agencies in Albania and Kosovo where she worked first-hand in humanitarian relief and is very passionate about mine action post-conflict. At HALO, she oversees plans for U.S. philanthropy and communications, manages foundation and corporate partners and works closely with executive leadership.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Governance & Nominations Committee
- Member of the Remuneration Committee
- Founding Director of Yale 's International Leadership Centre
- Member of Governance & Nominations Committee
Emma Sky is the founding Director of Yale's International Leadership Centre. She is an acclaimed author, consultant, and member of the Wilton Park Advisory Council. Emma has served as political advisor in key roles including; to the Commanding General of US Forces in Iraq, to the Commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and to the US Security Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. Prior to that, Emma worked in the Palestinian territories for a decade, managing projects to develop Palestinian institutions; and to promote co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians.
Job Titles:
- Head of Region - Europe ( South Caucasus )
- in 2014 As the Technical Officer
Fiona joined HALO in 2014 as the technical officer in Côte d'Ivoire, and has since managed the programme plus those in Sri Lanka and Lao PDR. Following that, she headed up HALO's global training team for two years before becoming Head of Region for the South Caucasus in 2021. Fiona was a British Army Ammunition Technician for nine years, specialising in explosives safety and bomb disposal.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of International Operations and Policy
Greta Lundeberg is Vice President of International Operations and Policy at The Boeing Company. Since joining the company in 2014, Lundeberg has served as Vice President for Strategy and Advocacy and as Senior Director for International Government Operations, where she supported Boeing's Chairman and CEO in his capacity as Chairman of the President's Export Council. Prior to joining Boeing, Lundeberg served under two National Security Advisors as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Legislative Affairs on the White House National Security Council. Prior to her role at the White House, Lundeberg held various positions at the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Trade Representative's Office, and in the U.S. Senate.
James Cowan was a soldier.�� He joined The Black Watch from Oxford in 1986, serving in Berlin, Northern Ireland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Hong Kong. ��He helped plan the Kosovo operation in 1999. ��He commanded in Iraq in 2004 and 2006. ��He planned the military Olympic security operation of 2012. ��In 2015 he become HALO's CEO.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the US Board
- Vice President of Defense Systems Operations at the Aerospace Corporation
Jamie M. Morin serves as vice president of Defense Systems Operations at The Aerospace Corporation. He previously served as Assistant Secretary and Chief Management Officer of the US Air Force. Prior to his appointment to the Department of Defense, he served as a senior staff member on the Senate Budget Committee.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Governance & Nominations Committee
- Member of the Remuneration Committee
- Nurse
- Member of Governance & Nominations Committee
Jane is a nurse, most recently sitting as a Registrant Chair on panels of conduct and competence hearings for the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council. Her last NHS post was on the board of NHS Camden Clinical Commissioning Group. She spent 34 years as an officer in the Army Reserve, retiring in 2015 as a Colonel. Jane has visited most HALO programmes since she joined us in 1993 as a medical advisor. Jane remains involved in developing training and validation programmes for the minefield paramedics and procuring medical equipment. She is the Vice Lord-Lieutenant for Greater London and previously the Colonel Commandant of the QARANC.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Audit & Finance Committee
John is UK Chairman of Rothschild & Co where he has been a corporate financier for over 35 years. He has been a Governor of Bow Boys School in Tower Hamlets and was the Founding Chairman of the Rothschild & Co Bursary which provides financial support to academically gifted students from challenging backgrounds to enable them to attend university outside London. John has a BA (Hons) in Business Law from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Governance & Nominations Committee
- Chairman of Governance & Nominations Committee
John served 33 years with the Foreign Office where his overseas postings included Syria, Baghdad and Islamabad. He worked extensively with UK Armed Forces on deployed operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and was a senior member of the national security community in the UK, contributing to the design and implementation of UK defence and security strategy. John retired from Government service in 2017 and set up international risk advisory company Palmer & Paling Ltd, which advises clients including the International Institute for Strategic Studies and HSBC on geo-political due diligence. He has a number of charitable interests; from supporting former service personnel, to education. His interests include the Scottish Highlands, classical literature and the outdoor life.
Jose Agostinho, known as Zeca, joined HALO's board of Trustees in February 2021 after a long career with HALO in Angola. He joined HALO Angola in 1995 and had been the Deputy Programme Manager since 1999 until he departed HALO in 2018. Zeca had a wide reaching role in the programme and oversaw personnel, legal matters, finance, reporting, logistics, and donor and Angolan government liaison. He also visited hundreds of minefields and destroyed hundreds of landmines and other explosives items.
Job Titles:
- Head of Congressional Affairs & Strategic Engagement, HALO USA
Kristen joined HALO Trust in 2017 while finishing her Master's of Public Administration at American University. Previously, Kristen taught argumentation and public speaking courses in the Communication Studies Department at Western Washington University and coached the school's competitive debate team. Drawing from a background in politics and the non-profit sector, Kristen now manages HALO's Congressional advocacy and public policy engagement in the U.S.
Job Titles:
- Head of Weapons and Ammunition Management
Lawrie Clapton has worked for HALO since 2018, working primarily in Somalia and North Africa. Lawrie took up the post of Head of WAM in January 2021, and is leading new WAM project development in Africa's Great Lakes region.
Job Titles:
- Director of Human Resources
Lisa joined HALO in March 2022 and brings with her a wealth of experience from the public, private and not for profit sectors. She has worked across the UK, India, and Middle East. Prior to joining HALO, Lisa was an Executive Director and Board member for an NHS commissioned community healthcare provider. As a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and qualified Change Management Practioner, Lisa has a passion for making organisations a great place to work and will support our national and international teams throughout their time with HALO.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit & Finance Committee
- Member of the Governance & Nominations Committee
- Member of the Remuneration Committee
- Member of Governance & Nominations Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Ex Officio
Jonathan Evans brings a wealth of experience from the public and private sectors. Following a career in the UK Security Service, including six years as Director General of M15 from 2007 - 2013, he became a non-executive director of HSBC Holdings from 2013 - 2019. He chaired the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) from 2018 - 2023 and is now Chair of the Public Interest Committee at KPMG UK and a Non-Executive Director or advisor to several high-growth tech companies. Jonathan sits on the House of Lords as a cross-bencher. He is Chair of Kent Search and Rescue, a member of the Council of Reference of the Westminster Abbey Institute and a Visiting Professor at Kings College London.
Louise Vaughan has worked in the media and for NGOs for 20 years. She started her career at BBC Radio Scotland and then became a features writer at Scotland on Sunday. She reported from Rio de Janeiro for the Independent before becoming an editor on The Sunday Times. In 2008, she went to work for the Control Arms coalition campaign for an Arms Trade Treaty. She has also led media relations for a UK charity working with families affected by child sexual exploitation. She joined HALO in 2015 and has an MSc in Conflict, Security & Development from the University of Leeds.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Member of the Audit & Finance Committee
- Trustee
Lucía is a consultant to business and charity executives. For 15 years, she Chaired the Friends of The Courtauld Institute and served as a member of The Courtauld's investment committee. She is a Trustee of the literacy charity Worldreader, Governor of a central London primary school, and previously was a member of the International Advisory Board of the University of North Carolina. Earlier in her career, as an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs, she advised telecom, media and utility companies in Europe and Latin America. Lucía was a Morehead Scholar at UNC and has an MBA from Harvard University.
Lucy joined HALO in 2017 and completed operational training in Cambodia, Somaliland, Georgia and Abkhazia. She was then posted to Afghanistan, Cambodia and most recently Libya, overseeing the delivery of projects including mine clearance, weapons and ammunition management and IED clearance. In 2021 she took up the position as Chief of Staff. Before joining HALO, Lucy worked in sustainable travel and international development. She has a BA Hons in Chinese, an MPhil in racial and ethnic conflict and holds IMAS EOD Level 3 and IEDD Level 2 qualifications.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
Marcie has worked in PR, communications and marketing roles across a variety of sectors, including charity, finance, business services and the public sector. Before joining HALO in 2023, Marcie worked in an interim capacity with organisations including IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health), AstraZeneca and Kimberly Clarke. She is passionate about joined up communications and committed to strengthening HALO's internal and external communications to help raise awareness and meet engagement and fundraising goals.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
- Managing Director and Head of Europe
Mark Aedy is a Managing Director and Head of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Investment Banking and on the Management Committee at Moelis & Company, the global independent investment bank. He has over 35 years experience, building and managing investment banking franchises and advising clients on a range of strategic merger, acquisition and capital markets transactions. Previously, Mark served as Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa Corporate and Investment Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and was a member of the Global Corporate and Investment Banking Executive Committee. He is the Senior Independent Director of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Mark holds a B.A. (Honours) degree from Durham University.
Job Titles:
- Head of Region - Europe ( Ukraine )
Mike joined HALO in 2014 in Cambodia. He has managed operations in Mozambique and Somaliland, following which he was programme manager for Somalia and in 2017, Nagorno Karabakh. Mike became Europe's Deputy Head in August 2018 and is now Head of Europe (Ukraine). Prior to joining HALO, Mike spent five years in the Royal Air Force and holds a MSc in International Relations.
Mick joined HALO as Director of Finance in April 2017 and brings a wealth of public, private and not for profit experience to the organisation, including Finance, Project Management, Systems Development, Logistics and ICT. Mick is a keen weekend golfer and enjoys spending time with his young family.
Nicholas started his role as the Zimbabwe Programme Manager in January 2023. Prior to Zimbabwe, he was Head of Region for the Middle East, covering Iraq, Yemen, and Libya. He was previously HALO's Programme Manager in Laos and Operations Manager in Ukraine. Before HALO, he served as a British Army Officer for over ten years, specialising in Explosive Ordnance Disposal. In his free time, he enjoys long walks on the beach and patting dogs.
Nigel spent his early career as an officer in the British Army and has since gone to lead a variety of ventures around the world. He joined HALO in 2002 as chief fundraiser based in New York and spent many months each year working on programmes in Afghanistan, Cambodia, South Sudan and Angola. He went on to work at the United Nations in a variety of roles including business development advisor for Africa at UNOPS and is now a management consultant. Nigel is a chartered engineer, has an MBA in strategic planning and lives with his family near Toronto, spending any spare time outdoors enjoying the Canadian countryside.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit & Finance Committee
Paddy Beeley was an Army Officer and then worked in emerging markets at J P Morgan and Morgan Stanley for 18 years. He left in 2004 to set up his own emerging market fixed-income consultancy. In 2009-10 he worked part-time as a volunteer for HALO, training in Cambodia and Angola and then working in Afghanistan. He has a good working knowledge of mine clearance. Paddy has a degree in Classics from Trinity College, Cambridge and lives on a remote hill farm on Exmoor.
Job Titles:
- Global Head of Programme Communications
Paul has lengthy international experience working in journalism and communications. He was a reporter on The Times in the UK, before running communications for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Before HALO, he was communications and advocacy director at the global justice NGO Namati. At HALO he helps to tell our story.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit & Finance Committee
Pippa has spent 40 years focussing on large scale transformations and turnarounds across a wide range of industries and with a particular focus on retail and consumer goods businesses. She was a founding Partner of AlixPartners in Europe in 2003 and remains a Senior Advisor. Pippa has led significant transformations and turnarounds including Courtaulds Textiles plc as Chief Financial Officer, MFI plc as Chief Restructuring Officer, Co-op Group as Deputy CEO and most recently Executive Director of John Lewis, part of the John Lewis Partnership. Pippa is also currently a non-executive Director of the Metropolitan Police. Previous roles include Arcadia plc, Hilton International, Ladbrokes plc, Hays plc and the Foreign Office. Pippa has a Zoology MA from Oxford University.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Member of the US Board
Rexon has nearly two decades of experience working in global diplomacy and national policymaking. He has worked at the highest levels of the U.S. government, including as chief of staff to secretary of defense Chuck Hagel, the deputy to U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, a director on the president's National Security Council staff, and extensive experience at the U.S. State Department. Rexon is a currently partner at The Asia Group, a strategy and capital advisory group that works companies in markets across the trans-Pacific region, as well as a nonresident senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Ruth first joined HALO in 2018 as Head of Partnerships and became Director of Strategy in 2022. Based in Scotland, Ruth manages the team that oversees HALO's government relationships and advocacy. This includes increasing engagement with new donors, connecting with local partners and maximising academic research.
Before HALO Ruth held senior HR roles, most recently with Oxfam, where she provided HR leadership for Oxfam's work in the Middle East and North Africa region. Ruth has an MA in Human Resource Management from Oxford Brookes University and is a Chartered member of CIPD.
Job Titles:
- Director of Global Philanthropy & Communications
Sarah has over 15 years experience leading philanthropy and communications programmes for global charities, including new market development.��She holds a Masters in Charity Marketing and Fundraising from CASS Business School, London and joined HALO in 2020. Sarah works with our philanthropic and corporate partners to grow HALO's funding for innovation and rapid response.
Job Titles:
- Head of Programme Development
Simon joined HALO in Cambodia in 1998 and was subsequently involved in survey and clearance in Kosovo, Abkhazia, Eritrea and Sri Lanka. He left HALO in 2004 to become Co-Chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition, which successfully campaigned for an international ban on cluster bombs. He re-joined HALO in 2013, first as trustee and then as a director. Since 2015, he has been involved in setting up new country programmes across Africa and the Middle East, including in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya. He is the author of eight novels and winner of the 2010 Ian Fleming award. He holds a Masters degree in English Literature.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and EVP of the International Conservation Caucus Group
Susan Lylis is co-founder and EVP of the International Conservation Caucus Group (ICCF) which fosters political will for conservation governance across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Previously Susan was Executive Director of the ICCF Conservation Council-comprising of over 40 NGO, corporate and multilateral organisations providing expertise to ICCF Group-supported caucuses around the globe. She also serves on the steering group of the Global Initiative To End Wildlife Crime.
Job Titles:
- Head of Region - Southern Africa
Susanna joined HALO in 2014. After training in Zimbabwe, Nagorno Karabakh and Afghanistan she became a Location Manager in Cambodia and then was the Programme Manager of HALO Laos for two years. Susanna worked globally within the Capability Department on training and R&D projects before becoming head of HALO's southern Africa region in 2021. Susanna has a BA in Geography and a post-graduate degree in Law.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director of Programmes - West
Tom joined HALO in Mozambique in 1996 and has managed operations and surveys in the field in Afghanistan, the Caucasus, Kosovo and Zimbabwe. Between field postings he has spent 7 years in headquarters serving as Desk Officer for Central Asia (2000 - 2004) and South East Asia (2004 -2007). Tom was regional director for Africa until 2021. He holds a BA LLB from the University of Cape Town.
Job Titles:
- Head of Region - Latin America
Tom trained with HALO in Somaliland in April 2011 and subsequently spent time managing operations in Georgia, Cote d'Ivoire, Mozambique and Afghanistan. Returning to Somaliland as Programme Manager in 2015 he overseen the establishment of HALO's Southern Somalia Programme. Tom is currently HALO's Regional Director for Latin America and is IMAS-EOD3 trained. Prior to HALO, he worked in Outdoor Education after attending university in the English Lake District.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director of Programmes - East
Tom has worked for HALO since 2008 in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Georgia. As Regional Director, he covered HALO's programmes in the West Bank and Ukraine before becoming deputy director of Capability and then Deputy Director of Programmes with responsibility for the Eastern hemisphere in 2021.
Job Titles:
- Head of U.S. Public Policy at Cloudflare
Zaid A. Zaid is the Head of U.S. public policy at Cloudflare, and was previously the head of North America for strategic response policy at Meta. Zaid has broad and diverse government service experience. Most recently, he served on the Biden/Harris transition team for the State Department and international development agencies. In the Barack Obama administration, he served as special assistant to President Obama and associate White House counsel. He also served as the senior attorney advisor to the general counsel at USAID. As a career foreign service officer, Zaid served in Egypt, Iraq, Tunisia, and at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. In addition to his legal experience in the government, Zaid worked in private practice at Wilmer Hale after three federal clerkships.