Leadership and governance

Howard joined Lumos as chief executive officer in 2024, bringing more than 20 years of experience as a transformational leader in non-profit, corporate, government and UN settings in the UK, USA, Africa, and Asia.

Prior to Lumos, Howard was executive director of the UN Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children (EVAC), where his TED Talk helped shape a narrative to inspire a global movement to EVAC.

As vice president of the Nike Foundation, Howard led the spin-out of Girl Effect as an independent, creative social enterprise that uses media to unlock the power of adolescent girls.

Earlier, Howard held senior roles in the UK Department for International Development (DFID), where he helped shape and implement the ‘development, diplomacy and defence’ approach of the UK Government, including as chief of staff to the Secretary of State and as Department for International Development Country Director in India and Ethiopia.

He is married with two children and enjoys sports, arts, politics, and pursuing inspirational ideas that can change the world.

Enrique is a child rights and child protection senior executive with experience of delivering results in the fields of programming, advocacy, and campaigning on human rights and human rights-based health and international development programmes in over 45 countries.

Prior to joining Lumos, Enrique was executive director of programmes and policy at Hope for Justice, a global anti-child trafficking organisation. He also served as an executive at the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Anti-Slavery International, Child Soldiers International, and Amnesty International. Enrique sits on the Impact Advisory Board of the School of Global Studies at the University of Sussex.

Prior to joining Lumos, Laura was co-chief development officer at Human Rights Watch, playing a pivotal role in developing fundraising strategies and building the organisation’s communities in the UK, and across Europe, Middle East and North Africa and Asia-Pacific regions. Her career history has included UNICEF UK, Great Ormond Street Hospital, NSPCC, and Scope.

She also serves as a Trustee of RAID (Rights and Accountability in Development) and has run a consulting business providing expertise in organisational culture, leadership, fundraising, events, training, and coaching.

Adeola is a qualified accountant and a proud member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). She holds master’s degrees in business information technology and leadership & development. With over 25 years of leadership experience in the international humanitarian and development sector, Adeola has made her mark across Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, and South America.

Throughout her career, she has contributed significantly to notable organisations such as Medair, Greenpeace International, WaterAidUK, and Oxfam Great Britain. In May 2025, Adeola joined Lumos to serve and support many more children, ensuring that they grow up in a loving, safe, and secure home environment.

Freya brings over 20 years of high-level strategic communications experience from leading international nonprofit and media organisations. Her extensive background includes senior roles at Sported, ActionAid, Sightsavers, and Marie Curie Cancer Care, where she has consistently delivered complex communications strategies and managed brand reputation across press, broadcast, and social media channels.

Her professional journey includes a transformative five-year period in publishing, during which she served as editor-in-chief of a monthly magazine in Hong Kong.

She is a governor of The Hendreds Primary School in Oxfordshire.

Angelique is a safeguarding, people, and culture specialist with over 15 years of experience supporting both individual and organisational growth and capacity building. Her work has focused on developing and implementing initiatives that strengthen organisational culture, foster inclusivity, and create safe, supportive environments where people can thrive.

Since joining Lumos in 2019, Angelique has drawn on her background in social work, child protection, children’s rights, and human resources. Prior to this, she worked across the non-profit sector as well as within local and national government, contributing to a variety of initiatives aimed at safeguarding and supporting individuals and organisations to thrive.

Jess supports strategic delivery, organisational alignment, and executive leadership across the Foundation.

She joined Lumos from the City of London Corporation, a uniquely complex organisation operating across the public, private, and voluntary sectors. During this time, Jess was seconded to work and served as chief of staff to the chair of the London Strategic Coordination Group, coordinating the capital’s COVID-19 response. Jess brings a strong track record in policy, strategy, and transformation, with a passion for mission-driven work.

Yaroslav joined Lumos after an extensive career as a public servant – Head of Kyiv City Darnytsa District State Administration, a.i Head and Deputy Head of Zhytomyr Regional State Administration. In his position as Deputy Head of Zhytomyr Regional State Administration, Yaroslav led the strategic review of the situation of children in the region and the development of the Regional Care Reform Strategy for 2018-2026. Yaroslav has also headed the Regional Council for Child Rights Protection and different thematic inter-sectoral child protection-related working groups.

Since the war in Ukraine started, Yaroslav worked alongside Kiev Municipality authorities to provide life-saving assistance to Ukrainian citizens in crisis situations.

In his current position, Yaroslav is working with national and regional authorities in Ukraine to make sure that child protection and children’s rights are prioritised on the country’s agenda, care systems are strengthened, and the most vulnerable children and their families are supported to prevent family separation.

Rosario worked for over 20 years for international non-governmental organisations such as Plan International and Mercy Corps, promoting children´s rights and gender equality in Colombia and other countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

She has a master’s degree in Regional Development Planning and Administration and a master’s in Business Administration. She is a proud mother of three.

As country director of Lumos Colombia, Rosario is leading work to support the Colombian Government and society to move away from institutions and toward family and community-based care, so children can thrive in safe, caring families.

Throughout his career, Marcel has been focused on respecting human rights, in particular, the rights of children, and promoting a safe and loving family for every child.

With over five years of experience in the field of child rights protection, Marcel is currently leading the efforts of Lumos Foundation in Moldova, ensuring the respect of all children’s rights. This includes the right to development, to a family, to education, and to social protection through the development and strengthening of social, educational, and early intervention services for children at risk, those with developmental delays and disabilities. The ultimate goal is preventing their separation from their families, as well as their placement in residential institutions.

Marcel has over 10 years of experience working in various roles for the government, international NGOs, and private businesses in Moldova, as well as over 10 years of experience working for private businesses overseas.

Bettie is an international development lead with significant experience leading large donor-funded programmes, strategic organisational management, governance, programme implementation, and stakeholder engagement.

She has managed complex portfolios for organisations including CARE International and Tiko Africa.

Ken’s professional journey spans multiple continents and industries. He has had a distinguished career in retail, including executive leadership roles at Tesco, Boston Consulting Group, Alshaya, Nisa, and Asda.

Currently an Operating Partner and Chair of two portfolio businesses with Modella Capital, Ken has lived and worked across the UK, China, the Middle East and Europe. This has given him an understanding of global diversity and the unique challenges faced in different corners of the globe.

His global perspective and commitment to making a meaningful difference align with our mission and values.

Sophie has over 30 years’ experience in financial services, including as a chief operating officer for global investment banks Barclays and Credit Suisse/UBS.

She started her career in Hong Kong in the early 90’s and is now based in London. She is currently working for a FinTech payments company, utilising her experience in strategy, business development, governance, regulatory and compliance requirements, financial planning and the use of data and analytics.

Doreen was inspired in 1996 to join UNICEF, an organisation which is mandated to address the development and protection of the world’s children. In the 24 years with UNICEF and through the senior leadership positions she held in Zambia, Botswana, Nigeria, USA, Denmark, Jordan, and Uganda, she developed a deep commitment for issues related to children, especially the most vulnerable. The work gave her first-hand experience of what it takes to deliver high-impact results for children in different contexts at national, regional, and global levels.

She is honoured to be part of the UK Lumos trustee board.

Usman is managing partner at Auctor, a holding company that builds and supports companies at the forefront of emerging technology. Auctor owns and operates strategic assets where there are long-term opportunities to disrupt and transform legacy industries by leveraging technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence.

Usman serves as a non-executive director of Tortilla Mexican Grill PLC and is on the board of Kaikaku, a company reinventing the quick-service restaurant industry with proprietary hardware and software. Prior to joining Auctor, Usman was a partner at emerging markets investment firm Mobius Capital Partners and an investment analyst at New York based equity fund Caravel Management.

Rosanna Burcheri is a portfolio manager at Fidelity International with over 27 years of experience in the asset management industry, across several financial institutions including Artemis Investment Management, FrontPoint Partners and M&G.

She is an active member of the Senior Women in Fund Management Network and has been deeply involved in the Diversity Project.

Neal Gandhi is executive chairman, co-founder and principal investor in Milan, Italy-based Spin Energy SRL.

He was founder and chief executive Officer of TPXimpact, a London Stock Exchange-listed technology, design, data and digital experience company (TPX:L), growing the company from zero, through a listing to around 1,000 people including associates within 6 years of incorporation. Today he remains at TPXimpact as the largest shareholder and non-executive director.

Neal is married with 6 children and lives just outside of London.

Elizabeth is a widely recognised expert on international development and global health issues and has devoted her career to strengthening global commitments and programs addressing the needs of women, adolescents, children, and infants.

Elizabeth is currently an executive director at the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN). Elizabeth coordinates with the Executive Leadership Council to set the network’s strategy, manages the Secretariat as they implement the strategy, and leads partner engagement and fundraising.

Before joining ECDAN, she served in senior leadership, management, and technical positions at the World Bank for 17 years. She also worked at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as director, at Pathfinder International as their Africa regional vice president, and as technical advisor with USAID in Nigeria. She started her career in academia and served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University in Global Health.

Keith is the founder of Schillings International LLP, a ground-breaking multidisciplinary practice that combines expertise in law, intelligence, communications, security, and diplomacy.

He has been at the forefront of protecting rights of reputation and privacy, two fundamental human rights continually under threat in the misinformation and disinformation age.

He has been credited with ground-breaking legal rulings, including establishing a privacy law with the case of Naomi Campbell v Mirror Group Newspapers as well as the development of privacy laws to protect children.

He was placed 10th in The Times’ newspaper’s inaugural list of the country’s 100 Most Powerful Lawyers.

Zahed is chief talent officer at the LEGO Group, where he leads the company’s global approach to skills, learning, and culture. He has spent his career shaping future-ready workforces and building inclusive environments where people thrive.

He brings to Lumos deep expertise in leadership and people strategy, alongside a passion for ensuring every child has the chance to grow up in a safe, loving family.

Nancy Bikson is the chief executive officer of Chapel & York and specialises in international fundraising and philanthropy.

She currently provides leadership and oversight to a staff of over 25 people in 10 countries around the world, providing legal, accounting, back office and regulatory services to over 450 clients.

She is a lawyer with over 40 years’ experience providing advice to private clients and charities worldwide. She has lived in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and France and has worked with and for organisations across the world in both legal and fundraising capacities, specialising in cross-border work.

She has a BA in Late Medieval English History, a Juris Doctor degree and a LLM (Master of Laws Degree, Tax). She is a member of the Richard III Society and lives in a house built in 1557.

Dale Cendali is a nationally recognised leader in the field of intellectual property litigation, having successfully litigated and tried numerous high-profile cases, and having argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. Her practice encompasses copyright, trademark, false advertising, patent, Internet, and trade secrets law, as well as defamation, the right of publicity, privacy, complex contract disputes and similar areas, including electronic discovery. Dale heads Kirkland’s Copyright, Trademark, Internet and Advertising Practice Group.

Dale is also an adjunct professor at Harvard Law School, teaching copyright and trademark litigation. She is also a prolific writer and has long been active in the bar. In 2010, INTA elected Dale to serve as Counsel, the highest-ranking position in the organisation for an outside counsel. She also previously chaired INTA’s Dilution and Enforcement Committees, and is the current chair of INTA’s inaugural Copyright Committee.