International
Gemma Mortensen is Executive Director of Crisis Action.
She can be contacted on or +44 (0) 207 269 9451.
Previously Crisis Action's UK Director, Gemma played an integral role in developing the organisation from a two-person office in London into one with international reach at the forefront of global advocacy. She led Crisis Action's international campaigns on Iran, Burma, Gaza and Sudan. Gemma worked previously in human rights posts for the ICC, for the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York (UKMIS), for the European Commission in Geneva and Sudan and as a journalist in print, radio and TV. She holds a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University and the European Masters in Human Rights and Democratisation.
Geoff Broadhurst is Operations Director at Crisis Action.
He can be contacted on or +44 (0) 207 269 9450.
Since 1998, Geoff has advised international NGOs, as both Head of Operations and as Finance Director. These NGOs have focused on anti-corruption, transparency and food distribution. Prior to this, Geoff co-founded an IT systems integrator business, worked in senior positions for a UK investment bank for 9 years, and before that, was an audit manager for Deloitte. Geoff graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree at University of Cape Town, and qualified as a South African Chartered Accountant.
Valerie Rogers is Crisis Action's finance manager.
She can be contacted at or +44 (0) 207 269 9450.
Val has worked for a range of NGOs including the British Council and a London Business Enterprise Agency, in various financial, administrative and managerial roles.
Pranjali Acharya is the Development Officer at Crisis Action.
She can be contacted at or +44 (0) 207 269 9450.
Pranjali previously spent several years working for the London-based Kurdish Human Rights Project, where she led on the organisation's fundraising and communications strategies. She made the transition to the not-for-profit sector after periods working in local government and having begun her career working in marketing communications in the City. Pranjali holds a post-graduate degree in International Relations from Warwick University, where she focused on international security and human rights, and globalisation and development.
Eden Desta Lawall is the Finance Assistant at Crisis Action.
She can be contacted at or +44 (0) 207 269 9450.
Eden previously worked at the Punch and Judy Family Centre for nine years as their Finance Officer. The charity was for disadvantaged families and young children, including many refugees and asylum seekers. Prior to that Eden worked as a Finance Officer with The National Literacy Trust. She holds a HND in Business and Finance at the University of North London, as well as a BA Honours in Business Studies from the University of Westminster.
Africa
Martha Bakwesegha-Osula is the Crisis Action Africa Director.
She can be contacted at .
Martha joins Crisis Action having previously worked with the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in Durban, South Africa working on peacebuilding programmes in Angola, Liberia, Burundi and the DRC. She has also worked on governance and policy related programmes at the Development Policy Management Forum (DPMF) in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Martha holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, USA with a certificate in International Studies and a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the University of Natal (now the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal) in Durban, South Africa.
Brussels
Martin Konecny is Brussels Director of Crisis Action.
He can be contacted at or +32 (0)2 737 1498.
Before being appointed Brussels Director, Martin was Political Analyst and Campaigner for Crisis Action in Brussels and led Crisis Action's international campaign on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Martin has over seven years of EU advocacy experience having previously led campaigns for international environmental organisations in Brussels. Prior to that he worked as a journalist and with a number of civil society initiatives in the Czech Republic. Martin holds a postgraduate degree in sociology.
Christina Hawley is Political Analyst and Campaigner for Crisis Action in Brussels.
She can be contacted at or +32 (0)2 737 1497.
Christina comes to Crisis Action with a background in conflict management. She previously worked in the Office of the Secretary General of the OSCE in Vienna and for Independent Diplomat in Brussels. She has also worked in Brussels at the European Parliament and the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Christina holds a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a postgraduate degree in international relations, law and economics.
France
Elodie Andrault is Paris Director of Crisis Action.
She can be contacted at or +33 (0) 9 63 53 73 14.
Elodie has extensive expertise in the humanitarian and advocacy fields, having worked for leading international humanitarian organisations for more than 11 years. She previously worked as Deputy Country Director for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Holland, in Burma. Prior to that she was MSF Holland's Country Director in Brazil, Nepal and Chad, for violence and conflict related missions and also worked at their Amsterdam HQ as a Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy Advisor, especially for their Horn of Africa and North Caucasus portfolios. Elodie has also worked in a number of field positions for Action against Hunger (ACF), such as Country Director in Chechnya and Ingushetia.
Aldine Furio is Head of Campaigns for Crisis Action in France.
She can be contacted at or +33 (0) 9 63 53 73 14.
Aldine Furio most recently worked for Oxfam France helping to shape their communications and media strategies and to launch Oxfam in France. Prior to that she worked for MSF in Haiti. She has also worked for the European Commission, leading on communication projects relating to humanitarian aid and development cooperation and as a project manager in a consultancy specializing in public and political communication. She has a postgraduate degree in communication.
Germany
Susanne Baumann is Germany Director for Crisis Action.
She can be contacted at or +49 (0) 30 45 305 282.
Susanne previously worked for Amnesty International Germany where she was in charge of government and NGO liaison and led the organisation's advocacy work. Before this she worked on the human rights situation in the Americas. She has a postgraduate degree in law.
Arne Behrensen is Political Analyst and Campaigner for Crisis Action in Germany.
He can be contacted at or +49 (0) 30 45 305 283.
Before joining Crisis Action, Arne worked for a member of the German Parliament's Committee on Foreign Relations. He holds a diploma in political science from the Free University of Berlin.
Middle East & North Africa (MENA)
Nirvana Shawky is the Acting Director of Crisis Action's Middle East and North Africa office.
She can be contacted at or +202 2 3786430.
Nirvana's expertise comes in the fields of Media and Political Research. Before joining Crisis Action, she played an integral role in the establishment of Al Shorouk (Egypt's well-respected Newspaper) as the opinion page editor. Previous to that, she was the English section editor and political analyst in Al Ahram Democracy Review, a leading Arab periodical dedicated to democratization, governance and political development. In the past, Nirvana has also worked in Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS) as a political researcher and in the Political Science Department at the American University in Cairo (AUC) as a researcher, where she also received her degree in Political Science and Economics. Now, she is in the final stages of receiving a postgraduate degree in International Relations.
Schams El Ghoneimi is the Political Analyst at Crisis Action MENA.
He can be contacted at or +202 2 3786430.
Before joining Crisis Action, Schams worked at the European Parliament. He advised the Foreign Policy Speaker of the Greens and the Chair of the Human Rights Sub-Committee on how to ensure EU foreign policy strengthens human rights and democracy in Southern Mediterranean countries. In Cairo, he worked with the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation on the EU Association Agreement, and on civil society with the European Commission's Delegation. In Paris, he worked on promoting relations with Arab countries in the French administration as well as for the AXA Group. He obtained an MA in Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris.
New York
Andrew Hudson is New York Director for Crisis Action.
He can be contacted at or + 1 646 233 1651.
Andrew is an international human rights lawyer with over 10 years of varied UN and international advocacy experience. Before being appointed New York Director, Andrew was Head of Advocacy and Campaigns for Crisis Action in New York, leading the organisation’s work on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Prior to that Andrew worked for four years at Human Rights First (formerly Lawyers Committee for Human Rights) in New York, where he coordinated UN advocacy, managed the Human Rights Defenders Program and led Latin American work.
Previously, Andrew was a lawyer in Australia representing indigent clients and refugees and spearheading major law reform projects. He has also worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Ecuador, the UN Regional Commission in Thailand, the Australian delegation to the UN General Assembly, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions. Andrew holds honours degrees in politics and law from the University of Melbourne and a Masters of Laws from New York University School of Law.
Vanessa Jackson is Head of Campaigns and Advocacy for Crisis Action in New York.
She can be contacted at or + 1 646 233 1650.
Before joining Crisis Action, Vanessa spent three years as Deputy Representative to the United Nations, for the International Service for Human Rights in the New York where her work focused on analysing and reporting on human rights developments at the Security Council and General Assembly. Prior to this, she spent four years with the Australian Human Rights Commission working to improve the government's policies with respect to indigenous Australians, and to implement Australia's human rights technical cooperation programme with the Chinese Government. Vanessa has also worked as a consultant with the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and with indigenous communities in many parts of Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Economics (Social Sciences) (Hons), and a Master of Environmental Law, both from the University of Sydney.
Internships at Crisis Action New York
Crisis Action accepts rolling applications for full-time six month internships for its New York office. For more information, please download the detailed description (PDF). Please send your resumé and a cover letter to with "New York Internship" in the subject line.
UK
Ben Jackson is UK Director for Crisis Action.
He can be contacted at or +44 (0) 207 269 9450.
Ben has twenty years' experience leading campaign, policy and communication work on international development, security and the environment, as well on social exclusion in the UK. He has been Head of Campaigns at the World Development Movement, Director of Action for Southern Africa (successor organisation to the Anti-Apartheid Movement) and Director of Communication and Campaigns at housing charity Shelter. Ben has also worked in Whitehall and Westminster. Before joining Crisis Action in June 2009 he was an Associate Director with Forster, the leading communications consultancy specialising in social and environmental issues. He is the author of two books and a wide range of other publications on international issues, and has designed and led training programmes on campaigning strategy and effectiveness.
Mariam Kemple is the Campaigns and Advocacy Manager for Crisis Action in the UK.
She can be contacted at or +44 (0) 20 7269 9452.
Mariam has extensive campaigning experience within the UK both professionally and as a member of local campaigning groups (particularly the London feminist movement). She previously worked at Mind, the UK's leading mental health charity, developing mental health services policy and running national campaigns on numerous issues including access to psychological therapies and men's mental health. Before this she worked at Help the Aged (now Age UK) and was involved in the award-winning Just Equal Treatment campaign that successfully led to the outlawing of age discrimination in the UK. In addition, she has worked in a consultancy role at the Fawcett Society, leading a project to improve the organisation's evaluation of its campaigning and communications activity. She holds an MA in Human Rights Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies and a BA in English Literature from Cambridge University and has published a number of articles in a range of publications, including the Journal of Human Rights Practice.
Board of Directors
We have a board of independent, unpaid directors:
Nick Grono (Chair) is Deputy President at the International Crisis Group, based in Brussels. He is a lawyer by background and previously worked for the Australian government as chief of staff to the Attorney-General.
Lotte Leicht is EU Director of Human Rights Watch. She has worked extensively on conflict crises including Bosnia and Darfur.
Kenneth Mpyisi is currently the Director of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS)-Nairobi Office. He is a former Ugandan career diplomat and has worked closely with the United Nations, African Union (AU) and Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
Fiona Napier (Treasurer) is the Associate Director of Campaigns at Global Witness. Prior to joining Global Witness in April 2011, she was the International Advocacy Director with the Open Society Institute. Fiona also formerly served with Save the Children for 15 years as Global Adviser, Country Director in South Africa and Regional Adviser in southern Africa, where she was also on the Board of the AIDS Foundation of South Africa.
Nicola Reindorp is Advocacy Director for the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. Prior to this, she was the head of Oxfam International in New York between 2002 and 2007.