Our people
Windle Trust International’s staff, volunteers and trustees are passionate, dedicated people with a wealth of skills and experience.
Executive Leadership Team
-
David is a WTI alumnus who studied for an MSc Education and Training at the University of Reading. He has worked as an education professional for more than 20 years, joining WTI in 2005 and becoming the Executive Director in 2020. He became the CEO in 2023.
As a former refugee, David believes that access to quality education at all levels has the potential to transform lives. He also holds an MBA from the University of Nottingham, and an MA Educational Research from Durham University.
In 2024 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Reading.
-
Ros, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, has worked in the charity sector since qualifying as an accountant 30 years ago. One of the original trustees of the award-winning charity MANGO, Ros also served as Head of Finance for Oxfam and worked in the UK education system as CFO for an academy trust.
At WTI, Ros plays a critical oversight role with budget development and risk mitigation, and ensures that WTI’s financial operations remain transparent, accountable and fit for purpose.
-
Loke is an outstanding teacher with a wealth of experience and knowledge of educational systems.
He understands education programme management in fragile and conflict contexts and his education expertise includes classroom teaching and pedagogy; the preparation of teaching and learning materials for teachers and head teachers;and expertise in English Language teaching.
Loke has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Makerere University, the oldest university in East Africa, and a Masters in Development Studies.
-
Alex is the Director of International Development and Engagement, leading partnership development and supporting programme strategy. He also manages WTI’s Postgraduate Programme.
With more than 15 years experience of educational contexts in the UK, East Asia, and East Africa, Alex brings knowledge of international education systems and their relationships to education systems in the UK. Alex holds undergraduate and Master’s degrees from the University of Nottingham.
Programme and Scholarships Team
-
Galdino is an experienced trainer and educator. He has nearly 30 years’ experience in managing national and international development organisations and holds an MA in Development Studies from Kampala University. With solid institutional leadership skills, he has supported conflict-affected communities in South Sudan and Sudan to respond to the effects of conflict, insecurity, displacement, marginalisation and gender inequalities that drive poverty.
-
Sahra is a governance and development specialist with a strong background in peacebuilding, political analysis and institutional reform. Having worked as a consultant for various national and international organisations, leading research and advocacy initiatives focused on inclusive governance and peacebuilding, she is committed to advancing inclusive development and strengthening democratic institutions.
-
Thomas is a dedicated and results-orientated Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) Manager with more than seven years’ experience at WTI, where he set up WTI South Sudan’s first MEAL department. Holding a BSc in Economics and a postgraduate diploma in Monitoring & Evaluation, Thomas brings an analytical eye to WTI projects. He has Certificates in Safeguarding and the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and is a member of WTI’s Safeguarding Committee.
-
Sairah manages our flagship Postgraduate Programme supporting conflict-affected scholars to study Master’s courses in the UK, and is helping develop our Somaliland projects. With global education experience including in France, Thailand, Uganda and the UK, Sairah has taught in displaced community contexts as well as in top international schools, and co-founded a teacher training charity in East Africa. Sairah is the Safeguarding Focal Person for the UK Office and Chair of WTI’s Safeguarding Committee.
-
Stephen has more than two decades’ humanitarian work experience with international and national NGOs, focused on educational development in the fragile context of South Sudan. He has expertise in Disability Inclusion and Inclusive Education, and is dedicated to enhancing access to, and the quality of, education for children with disabilities. He joined WTI in 2023.
-
Arkano coordinates and manages programmes in Sudan. A former refugee, Arkano is motivated by a compassion to serve conflict-affected people, especially those who are internally displaced, refugees and otherwise marginalised. He believes that education is a key that unlocks dreams. Before joining WTI, he worked in a broad range of programme development roles with national and international NGOs in Sudan, as well as having worked as a Primary School teacher.
-
Abdalla is the Programme Officer in Khartoum. With experience in education for both adult and young learners, he plays an important role in the coordination and implementation of several education programmes in Sudan. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Neelain University and Masters of Arts in General Translation from University of Bahri. His previous work experience has enriched his skills and capacity to provide support to WTI and our beneficiaries.
Finance Team
-
Rania joined WTI’s Sudan office in 2020. A Finance and Administration professional with eight years’ experience within national and international organisations in the humanitarian and development sectors, Rania manages WTI’s financial processes, ensures donor compliance and supports administrative functions to enhance organisational effectiveness.
Rania takes pride in contributing to impactful, mission-driven programmes.
-
Monica joined WTI as Head of Finance in 2023, but this was not her first contact with the organisation. A WTI alumni, she was supported by WTI and the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission to study for an MBA at Glasgow Caledonian University in 2007. Her undergraduate specialism at Bugema Adventist University was Finance and Management Information Systems. Monica’s dream is to see every child across the world with access to quality education.
-
With WTI since 2015, Maku has managed donor funds including GESS, ECW, Open Society Foundation, Unicef, among many others. His duties encompass everything from donor financial reporting and internal control management to preparing and managing payrolls, government taxes and staff benefits.
Maku holds an accounting degree from Middle East University in Beirut and is in the process of becoming a fully-fledged CPA.
Gender and Safeguarding Team
-
Victoria is the WTI Safeguarding Adviser for Sudan and South Sudan. She has a decade’s worth of experience in the humanitarian, public and private sectors, spanning from banking and human resources to programme management. She leads in building capacity of staff in safeguarding, investigations and case management. Victoria is also the team leader for the Girls Education South Sudan Program. Victoria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the United States International University in Nairobi.
-
Irene works as Education Gender Adviser for WTI in South Sudan. She manages the Multi-Year Response Programme funded by Education Cannot Wait, in addition to her country-wide support in mainstreaming gender into WTI interventions. Irene is a professional teacher, passionate educator and gender advocate. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Arts with Education from the University of Kyambogo in Kampala, as well as a Masters in Secondary Education from Indiana University in the USA.
Teaching and Language Specialists
-
Samuel has been with WTI for 13 years. His expertise spans project management, CPD for teachers, intensive English language instruction, and accelerated secondary education programmes. Samuel holds an MA in TESOL from the University of Westminster (UK) and a BA in Education from Uganda. He is currently spearheading an English language course at the Episcopal University, catering to both teaching and non-teaching staff. Renowned for his zeal and passion, Samuel consistently fosters educational excellence through impactful and inclusive training initiatives.
-
Fahima is an experienced English language teacher who has worked closely with ESL students of all ages, helping them build confidence in their language skills while adjusting to a new environment. She is actively involved in her local community, running workshops and supporting programmes that use education as a tool for connection and growth.
Fahima is especially passionate about advocating for women’s rights and creating safe, supportive spaces where women and girls can learn to speak up and thrive. In her spare time, she loves baking and travelling and embracing other cultures.
-
Khalid’s decade-long career in teaching English as a second language has focused on supporting learners in diverse and often under-resourced settings, helping them build strong English communication skills for academic and professional success.
With a BA in English Language and Literature, a second BA in Management, and an MA in Project Planning and Management, Khalid strives to make English education inclusive, practical, and responsive to the real-life needs of students and teachers alike.
-
Profile coming soon
-
Growing up as a child refugee, Nimo was lucky to have access to a good education, which changed her life for the better. As a teacher, she now has the privilege of helping other refugees decide their own future.
Nimo has spent the past 10 years working in education and is passionate about creating safe, supportive spaces where learners feel seen, valued and encouraged to reach their full potential. For Nimo, teaching is about more than just lessons and grades — it’s about connection, hope, and making a real difference, one student at a time.
Operations and Support
-
Tom is the Logistics and Procurement Manager for South Sudan with more than 10 years’ experience overseeing a variety of activities ranging from procurement and logistics, to supply chain management, fleet management and administration. Tom has led and managed WTI operations across South Sudan with great success. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Procurement and Logistics from the University of Uganda Christian University and is pursuing his MBA from Nkumba University.
-
William is WTI’s Human Resource and Scholarship Manager in South Sudan. Having worked with Windle in both South Sudan and Kenya, as well as with the International Rescue Committee and the Lutheran World Federation, he has over 20 years’ experience in talent acquisition, workforce management, HR trend analysis and aligning HR goals to strategy. William believes in human capital development through quality training and coaching and is experienced in fulfilling staffing needs and working within legal frameworks.
-
With over 10 years’ experience in the banking, security and insurance sectors, Toni was drawn to WTI for its ethics and compassion. She holds a Bsc (hons) in Psychology and Criminology and an MA in Business Psychology and recently supported her husband in achieving a degree in Aerospace Systems Engineering, where he was the oldest in his class. A mum of two, Toni is proud to work for an organisation that helps conflict-affected people continue learning.
-
Manut is our Safety and Security Manager with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology. He specialises in the humanitarian security and has a wide range of knowledge and skills. Manut has also developed his passion for education through studying a Diploma in Education and teaching English Language skills in hard to reach and conflict-affected states in South Sudan. His role at WTI gives him the perfect blend of utilizing his security expertise whilst also supporting educational projects.
-
A Ugandan native, Jacob joined the WTI Juba office as ICT Manager in 2021. Holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology and Business Information Systems from Middlesex University, Jacob firmly believes in the transformative power of education and technology as catalysts for lasting change. Education has profoundly transformed Jacob’s life, broadened his worldview and intensified his desire to contribute positively to his community.
Our Trustees
Our trustees bring a wealth of experience and broad range of skills to the Board.
-
Sam’s career has focused on agriculture, climate change and livelihood challenges across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Sam worked with the Government of Sudan on food security issues in the 1980s before joining DFID. He subsequently worked for Oxfam and was CEO of the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), a leading global, multi-donor funded programme supporting developing country decision-makers and providing assistance on planning and finance, climate-related disasters and international negotiations.
From 2019 to 2021 Sam was the CEO of Opportunity International, focusing on the provision of financial services to small-scale entrepreneurs and others in Africa and elsewhere.
-
A member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants since 2006, Stuart began his career at Vodafone, where he held a number of finance and commercial positions before moving into marketing.
He then became Sales and Marketing Director of Talkmobile, a sub-brand of Vodafone, before holding various other positions in the Telecoms sector.
Stuart’s interest in WTI stems from his time working for Oasis Uganda, where he supported the local administration and gained exposure to office management, bookkeeping and the daily operations of a charity in an East-African context.
Stuart became a WTI Trustee in 2013 and has been the charity’s Treasurer since 2014.
-
Alistair became a WTI Trustee in 2021. He was a teacher for three years before joining the army, where he served from 1986-2019 as an education and training specialist with a secondary competency in Civil Military Cooperation. This skillset took him to more than 40 countries, including the Balkans, Cyprus, Germany, Nepal, Iraq, East Timor and West and East Africa.
Alistair worked alongside, but never for, an array of UN agencies and organisations, international ministries and INGOs, encountering the good, the bad and the indifferent. Some of these operational and post-conflict experiences were chastening and left their mark.
Married with grown up children and a grandchild, Alistair is an avid rugby fan and an Amnesty International volunteer.
-
Anna Kulakiewicz joined the WTI Board in 2021. She has over 20 years’ expertise managing educational development projects in London and East Africa. Her most recent experience has been in the field of adult skills and lifelong learning, setting up a volunteer-led English language community project in north-east London.
Between 2012 and 2014. Anna worked in the WTI Juba office, first as a volunteer, later as a member of the Windle Trust staff management team. Anna holds an MA from the Institute of Education and a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Management from the Open University.
-
Ranj is the founder and Executive Director of Global Leaders, a consultancy practice advising UN agencies, international universities and NGOs on development, child rights, refugee rights, health, conservation and public policy in low and middle-income countries.
Global Leaders helped establish the new School for Transnational Governance at the European University Institute; has advised the Cambridge University Institute for Sustainability Leadership; and counsels the African Institute for Development Policy, Kenya Wildlife Trust and INASP, an NGO focused on higher education and research in the Global South.
Ranj previously spent seven years in leadership positions at Oxford and Cambridge universities, raising $10m for new scholarship and academic programmes related to sub-Saharan Africa.
-
A Trustee since 2024, Richard brings 50 years’ knowledge of education in emergencies and post-conflict contexts, having worked with SPRED1 in Kenya and BIPP in Bostwana.
Richard spent several years as a secondary teacher of English and history in Uganda and has worked to support Rwanda’s Education Sector Plan, Girls Education in South Sudan (GESS) and the Ethiopia Human Capital Development Strategy 2020-30.
He is currently evaluating programmes in South Sudan and Uganda, and contributing to the Kenyan Presidential Working Party on education reforms.
Richard was awarded an OBE for services to education in developing countries in 2016.
-
Lucy Hovil is a Senior Research Associate for the International Refugee Rights Initiative, Managing Editor of the International Journal of Transitional Justice and a Deployable Civilian Expert for the UK Government's Stabilisation Unit.
Formerly the Senior Research and Advocacy Officer at the Refugee Law Project, Faculty of Law, Makerere University, Uganda, she founded the organisation's research department.
Her PhD, School of Oriental and African Studies (1999), explored the relationship between violence and identity in South Africa during the period of conflict that preceded the country's first inclusive election in 1994.
-
Ian joined WTI as a trustee in 2024 with decades’ worth of leadership roles in education, business development, international affairs and service operations.
Ian was the Chief Operating Officer of the North London Collegiate School (NLCS), the UK’s oldest academic girls’ school. Since 2023, he has been responsible for expanding NLCS International’s global franchising business, which now has schools in Asia and the Middle East.
Prior to this, Ian spent 30 years in the aviation and aerospace sectors with Cathay Pacific and Rolls Royce and lived overseas in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan and the USA.
A graduate of geography from Oxford University, Ian likes to cycle and play tennis, and is also a qualified rowing coach.
-
Luka is a globally recognised expert on Sudan and South Sudan concerning conflict resolution, national security, state building, civil war, poverty, food security and development. Originally from Abyei, a border town disputed between Sudan and South Sudan, Luka has first-hand knowledge of WTI’s educational programmes, having completed his own PhD in 2003 while on a scholarship to the University of Sussex.
Luka has held high ministerial posts in both Sudan and South Sudan and served as a senior economist at the World Bank. Today, he divides his time teaching at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington DC, with authoring and peer reviewing books and journals, serving as a fellow at the Rift Valley Institute and contributing to various expert networks on disarmament, peacebuilding, security and organised crime.
-
Former Head of International Recruitment at Bangor University, Wales, Sarah joined the WTI Board in 2024 with extensive knowledge and insights into scholarship programmes.
Sarah has managed schemes including Chevening, Commonwealth and Fulbright scholarships, and has recruited students in sub-Saharan Africa, North and South America, Southeast Asia and Central Asia.
Sarah brings skills in relationship management, networking, marketing and project management. A keen hiker, Sarah grew up 25 miles south of Bangor in Porthmadog, a small town on the Welsh coast with a dramatic backdrop of the Snowdonia mountains.
-
Mewahib brings more than 15 years of experience in international development overseas, and in the UK, spanning sectors including humanitarian, early recovery, post-conflict reconstruction and development. Mewahib began her career in Sudan, delivering projects in the Darfur Reconstruction and Development Fund. She then joined the British Council in Sudan and the British Council’s sub-Saharan Africa office in Nairobi before joining Oxfam GB in Oxford.
She is currently the Director of Programme and Business Development at Reall, providing strategic leadership to the Business Development Team.