About Diversity in Development

 John worked for eighteen years at the interface between education and international development, in his role as Deputy Secretary-General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and more recently as Interim Director at the UK Collaborative for Development Research. He is also a Chartered Company Secretary, and served two spells as Secretary / Chief Operating Officer at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, and six years as Director of Research Services at Brunel University. 

John is Chair of two other UK charities concerned with international development and student integration with the community. These are Student Hubs , and The School Club Zambia. He is also a Trustee of Our Moon Education.

Ellie Evelyn is the Senior Events Officer at the Coalition for Global Prosperity. She also held the role of Senior Operations Officer at the Coalition and was integral to the first running of their bespoke Future Leaders Programme. Previous to this Ellie has a background in international relations, graduating with 1st Class Honours from the University of Lincoln in 2021.

Her specific area of interest is the economic development of the Democratic Republic of Congo; she did a deep dive on this subject area for her recent final year dissertation project entitled ‘How has the transition from a colonial world to a globalised world maintained neo-imperialist international politics? The Democratic Republic of Congo as a case study.’    

Jennifer is a senior leader with over 15 years' experience running global campaigns, programmes and communications strategies - most recently for The United Nations' Secretary General's office working for social impact agency Purpose and The ONE Campaign, managing global COVID-19 pandemic campaigns. 

Prior to that she was Head of Digital Engagement for The British Royal Family, managing their worldwide presence online and on social media. In the Non-Profit sector she's worked for Comic Relief on Red Nose Day and Sport Relief campaigns. As a trained senior journalist she's worked for the BBC in News Online, Radio 2, 6 Music, 5live and TV Entertainment.    She has also worked with several corporate brands and at various communications agencies. 

In her personal life she is a keen cyclist, loves live music, attends dance and philosophy classes and is studying for a certificate in international development. She lives in London and has a Beagle puppy named Bowie.

 Kirsty has worked in international education for over a decade, and currently works at Brunel University London as Associate Director, Global Engagement.

Having lived in multiple countries and speaking several languages, international relations and development are at the core of Kirsty’s professional and personal journey, and have given her a passion for creating opportunities for all, regardless of background, identity or circumstances.  

Lizzie has over a decade of experience in advocacy, campaigns, policy, and communications, and has spoken at the United Nations and political conferences. She currently leads strategic advocacy for a leading UK foundation supporting women and girls. Previously, she worked in international development, experiencing first-hand some of the barriers of entering and progressing in the sector - but also how greater involvement of people from different backgrounds can change hearts and minds in their broader social circles, improving public understanding of development. 

Lizzie is also a trustee of a Manchester-based charity that creates opportunities for children and young people. 

 Mike is an experienced social and market researcher, whose past interests have included student volunteering and the experience of non-traditional students in higher education. 

Mike is currently based at Middlesex University, where he works on various projects with a focus on NHS workforce evaluations and the student experience. 

He has previously worked in research roles for two national charities. 

Natasha is Head of Strategic Communications at UCL (University College London), having previously worked at environmental charity Global Action Plan and the Association of Commonwealth Universities. 

Natasha has a BA (Hons) in English Language and Literature from King’s College London, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Sheila is a Programme Officer at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, working on Health Institutional Capacity Strengthening of African public health institutes. Her background is in international development with a focus on public-health research. 

She has previously worked with UK funders of international development research at the UK Collaborative of Development Research, convening a UK government cross-funder group on Epidemics Preparedness and Control research during the Covid-19 pandemic and leading development of safeguarding guidance for the UK international development research sector. 

She also previously worked with WHO Rwanda supporting the Disease Prevention and Control team, with a focus on malnutrition. Sheila also holds an MSc in Global Health Nutrition from the London School of Hygiene &Tropical Medicine. 

Denise is a Project Supervisor within BDO LLP’s International Development team, where she supports the delivery of sustainable economic development projects across emerging economies in East Africa, including Rwanda and Somalia. Her role spans business development and project management across the Public Financial Management and Aid Oversight teams.

At BDO, she also works as a Co-Lead of the Social Mobility Network, managing a team committed to promoting and celebrating diversity within the firm. In addition, she supports with event management for the Women Working in Development network, established in 2017 by BDO and the Centre for Development Results to connect women across the sector and support talent development.

Prior to joining BDO, Denise worked at Crown Agents as an Assistant Consultant within the Government Systems Strengthening cluster.

Denise holds a Postgraduate Degree in International Development and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Politics from the University of Manchester.