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Farida Akram Mostafa
Farida Akram Mostafa
Farida Akram Mostafa
Communities Research and Policy Manager
Andy Fearn
Co-Executive Director
Andy heads our UK Stronger Communities programmes working with communities, civil society organisations, and local and national decision makers, to increase understanding of the processes that lead to prejudice, marginalisation and identity-based violence, and to strengthen local and national responses. Andy also leads on managing MEL and Operations.
Andy has more than a decade of experience working with communities to build community resilience and supporting individuals to develop the practical skills, knowledge, confidence, and networks to positively and sustainably confront prejudice and hate. This includes designing and co-leading national cohesion building projects in Rwanda funded by DfID, as well as delivering community-based hate prevention programmes in London with the UK Home Office. Andy holds and MA in Human Rights from Kingston University, London.
“Creating a just and equitable world is the responsibility of all of us and with greater privilege comes greater responsibility.”
Dr Kate Ferguson
Co-Executive Director
Kate heads our research and policy work, establishing evidenced, equitable and creative pathways to structural change. This includes undertaking, commissioning, and coordinating research, providing technical advice to policy stakeholders, and creating opportunities for knowledge exchange. She leads our political engagement strategy, developing working groups and building constituencies of influence in the UK and abroad. She manages PA’s fundraising portfolio for our research and policy programmes, including Stronger Communities and Atrocity Prevention. Kate is also responsible for a lot of our HR including PA’s ongoing efforts to create human-centred processes of recruitment, employment, and working culture.
Kate is an experienced analyst and strategist driving a prevention-first approach to foreign policy and the cycle of crises. She is a regular commentator on domestic and international issues relating to identity-based violence in the press and continues to publish academic writing. Her book, Architectures of Violence: The Command Structures of Modern Mass Atrocities, was published in 2020 by Hurst and Oxford University Press.
Before founding PA, Kate worked in political strategy and research across a number of roles in the third sector, academia, the UK parliament, and as a private consultant. Between 2012-2018 she lectured on subjects relating to the histories of rights and violence at the University of East Anglia. She was a founding Editor of Refugee History, where she helped develop the concept and online platform. She received her PhD in 2015 from the University of East Anglia on devolved structures of modern mass atrocities and has an MPhil in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford. Kate was made inaugural Chair of Policy at the European Centre of the Responsibility to Protect in 2018 where she works with the executive team to identify strategies for academic impact and is an occasional guest lecturer. She serves on the Board of Trustees of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of East Anglia.
“At the heart of Protection Approaches’ work is the pursuit of a more just, equitable and inclusive world. This means that we are part of a vast global movement for change that connects us to our local communities here in the UK and also to allies on the other side of the world – all of us making different contributions that help to push against division, greed and violence. I truly believe that we can achieve more together than we can alone and that through empathy and collaboration we can transform ourselves as well as the forces of oppression we exist to dismantle. I can think of no greater privilege than the work I am lucky enough to do, creating connections across our movement, helping to open access to power, and learning all of the time from others how to do that better.”
Szymon Glowacki
Director of Stronger Communities
Szymon is responsible for developing, delivering, and leading on our various programmes including school-based education workshops, online and offline community builder trainings, hate crime trainings, active bystander trainings, and engagement activities with marginalised communities supporting them to lead on making positive change in their local communities. He also sits on the Senior Leadership Team alongside Kate and Andy.
Szymon was born and raised in Poland to a traditional Roma-Gypsy family.
“I have seen my community being marginalized and denied basic human rights. It was hard for me to understand why some people are treated differently. I asked many Roma people: why don’t we do something about it? And very often I heard “We are used to things like that” this is why I decided to work with and for communities”
Szymon has worked for the past 10 years with Roma-Gypsy communities in Poland and the UK supporting them to have their voices heard. His work includes being a teacher, learning mentor and mental health advocate. Szymon uses art as a tool to explore one’s identity. Szymon earned his MA in teaching and journalism in Poland.
Victina Tse
On Your Side Project Manager
Victina is leading the day-to-day management and coordination of On Your Side. Her role extends beyond just coordinating the project delivery team, she also works to ensure that all partners and stakeholders receive attentive listening and the necessary support to meaningfully contribute to the service's smooth delivery and positive outcomes. Moreover, she carries the responsibility of devising new engagement, support, and sustainability strategies, as well as acting as the main representative of the service to coordinate communications and liaise with partner organisations and local statutory bodies.
Victina is an accomplished public relations and communication specialist with over 10 years of experience in project and campaign management, partnership development, and social responsibility. Her expertise extends beyond her role at PA, as she also serves as an advisor in the South East Strategic Partnership for Migration, the official Welcome Hub for BN(O) Hongkongers in South East England. Additionally, she contributes to the Hong Kong Business Hub, a newly established organisation dedicated to supporting and connecting Hong Kong entrepreneurs in the UK.
"As a new migrant from Hong Kong, and a member of East and Southeast Asian communities in this country, I fully comprehend the challenges faced by minority groups and the overwhelming sense of helplessness that accompanies moving to a new land. Witnessing my community endure injustices, human rights violations, and trauma has made it abundantly clear to me that providing the necessary support to those experiencing racism or hate is of utmost importance. Through the On Your Side project, we are dedicated to ensuring everyone feels safe and secure, fostering understanding and empathy, and assuring every individual that they are never alone as we are steadfastly ON THEIR SIDE."
Farida Akram Mostafa
Communities Research and Policy Manager
Farida manages the community research and policy portfolio at Protection Approaches, focusing on how the perspectives and needs of diverse communities - particularly those facing compounded risks due to intersecting identities - can be more effectively centred in violence prevention policy and practice. Her work involves understanding the risks and experiences of marginalised groups through primary research, developing tools to integrate these insights into identity-based violence prevention policy and practice, and working closely with policymakers to embed community-informed approaches into their efforts to build safer, more equitable societies.
Currently, Farida leads on Protection Approaches’ Queering Atrocity Prevention programme, which seeks to centre LGBTQI+ rights and risks in atrocity prevention efforts, and the GLA Equalities Partnership project, which aims to create a partnership of equalities groups to centre the perspectives and needs of marginalised groups in emergency preparedness and response activity in London.
Farida has previously worked with Doria Feminist Fund on supporting women’s rights and LGBTQI+ rights groups in the MENA region and ensuring that they have access to more and better resources to support their human rights work and their communities. She has a background in journalism where she focused on LGBTQI+ rights and freedom of speech in the MENA region, as well as youth initiatives. Farida holds a BA in Anthropology from the American University in Cairo and an MA in Human Rights from University College London. She was born and raised in Egypt.
“Marginalised and minoritised populations consistently bear the brunt of various crises, including campaigns of identity-based violence, mass atrocities, and wider sociopolitical shocks and emergencies. It’s an incredible privilege to contribute to understanding how policy structures and practices can better centre the perspectives, expertise and needs of various marginalised communities – and to work with a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure more equitable, inclusive and intersectional approaches to prevention and protection in ways that leave no one behind.”
Roda Ali
On Your Side Casework Advocacy Manager
Roda is leading the casework coordination of On Your Side. She coordinates the support delivered by 5 part-time casework advocates based at East and Southeast Asian community partner organisations, who are trained in advocacy, trauma-informed practice, safeguarding, domestic violence, cultural competencies and hate crime awareness. She directly supports the caseworkers in providing efficient handling of all cases referred into On Your Side, and oversees all cases that have been referred, ensuring that cases are being allocated appropriately. ,
Roda has previously worked as a refuge and community independent domestic violence advocate for Oasis domestic abuse service, in which she supported people who had experienced domestic abuse, and assisted those seeking refuge. She also worked as a High Support Needs Independent domestic violence advocate and MARAC IDVA (multi-agency risk assessment conference) where she represented high-risk cases. She was also a representative for Vulnerability Panels within the Ashford area, for cases where complex needs and disability made the victims/survivors of domestic abuse a target for alleged perpetrators. Additionally, Roda She also has experience managing an increasing number of service users with a multitude of adverse experiences through the criminal justice system/civil procedures. Roda holds a BA in Politics & History from Swansea University and an MSc in NGO management & Development.
‘I have seen the long-lasting effects of racism and how we come to internalise degrading comments aimed at cultures/people who should be celebrated rather than disrespected/ignored or threatened with violence. On Your Side has offered a hub for those in need of support & I look forward to a change desperately needed’.
Dr Derek Oakley
Senior Outreach Officer
Derek works as part of our Stronger Communities team. He supports the organisation, delivery and monitoring, and evaluation of a range of work including the active bystander, hate crime awareness, and community builder training and the provision of tailored support to key partner organisations.
He has over a decade of civil society experience, in particular working in civilian protection, violence monitoring, and conflict resolution with a wide range of people, from teenagers in London to Women human rights defenders (WHRDs) in rural Nepal. He holds a PhD in Education and Social Justice from Lancaster University, an MSc in Voluntary Sector Management from City University, and a postgraduate certificate in Conflict Resolution from Coventry University.
“I believe that we all, individually and collectively, hold responsibility for understanding and combatting violence on both direct and systemic levels. Helping more people feel able to meaningfully act on that responsibility, and to support those subjected to violence, wherever they may be in the world, is a constant source of education, inspiration, and motivation for me.“
Callie Lewis
Policy and Communications Officer
Callie works alongside the policy team on Protection Approaches’ research portfolios and policy programmes, assisting the Director of Policy, Aditi Gupta, in identifying opportunities for political advocacy and civil engagement that bring together PA’s domestic and international work. She builds and maintains Protection Approaches’ relationships with a variety of elected representatives, policymakers, and civil society organisations. She is also responsible for delivering communications and maintaining Protection Approaches’ presence across online platforms.
Callie has previously worked for HM Opposition in UK Parliament in positions across the Shadow Defence, FCDO and Leader of the House teams. She has a background in policy research, political communications, and stakeholder management. She holds a MArts in Religion and Theology from the University of Bristol and McGill University, and an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. Callie’s research interests include religion as a global political interlocutor, historical interventions and “state-building” in the MENA and Asia Pacific regions, and community-led approaches to peacebuilding and post-colonial reconstruction.
“In an age of increasing insecurity and impunity, the need for upstream prevention and resilience building in communities, at home and abroad, has never been more pressing. As top-down policies continue to fail people on the ground, UK foreign and domestic policy must be forward thinking and preventative; developed in conversation with those whose identities we have the responsibility to protect.”
Julia Suter
Outreach Officer
Julia is part of our Stronger Communities Team, delivering on various programmes including school-based education workshops, community builder trainings, active bystander trainings, and engagement activities.
Julia grew up in Latin America before continuing her studies in the UK. They previously worked in the University sector supporting international admissions, integrating students into the education system and liaising with students and their communities. They hold a BA in International Relations from the University of Kent and an MSc in International Development Practice from the University of St Andrews having focussed on diaspora communities throughout her studies.
“Having moved around a lot as a youngster, I have seen the effects of discrimination and exclusion but also saw the difference that informal community support can make to people’s lives. I see Protection Approaches community projects as a way to build bridges, break down the walls of prejudice and provide the support for inclusion that so many people deserve.”
Dr Jess Gifkins
Queering Atrocity Prevention Research Fellow
Jess works with Protection Approaches on queering atrocity prevention. In this project we are researching atrocity prevention with an LGBTQI+ lens. There are specific forms of persecution of LGBTQI+ people which are often overlooked when thinking about identity-based violence from the perspective of ethnic or religious minorities. We aim to bring together communities and organisations working on atrocity prevention with those working on LGBTQI+ rights.
Jess is a queer academic at the University of Manchester where she researches atrocity prevention and United Nations decision-making processes. She has over a decade of experience working on atrocity prevention, starting with her PhD within the Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, in Brisbane Australia. Jess has published widely in academic journals and her research has been featured in the Guardian and the Economist. At the University of Manchester, she leads modules on the United Nations at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her forthcoming monograph Inside the UN Security Council: Legitimation Practices and Darfur will be published by Oxford University Press
“We know that LGBTQI+ people have been specifically targeted as part of mass atrocity crimes as far back as the Holocaust and yet modern approaches to atrocity prevention – as envisaged through the principle of the responsibility to protect – have largely neglected the persecution of queer people. The current backlash against LGBTQI+ rights in many parts of the world makes this all the more important, as does the current culture war against queer, and particularly trans, people in the UK.”
Aditi Gupta
Policy Fellow
Aditi is currently on a sabbatical with her partner, likely exploring a beach or rainforest. She will return in January 2026 to provide ad hoc technical expertise and strategic guidance on Protection Approaches’ research portfolios, policy programmes, and advocacy initiatives as Policy Fellow.
From 2022-25, Aditi served as Protection Approaches’ Director of Policy, playing a key role in our executive leadership team, and shaping the organisation’s fundraising and strategic vision. She focused on harmonising our domestic and international policy strategies, building support for the prevention of identity-based violence and mass atrocity prevention across communities, Parliament, government and at the UN.
An accomplished policy analyst and strategist, Aditi has a proven record in advocacy, research, and consensus-building across military, government, humanitarian, and civil society sectors. She currently serves on the Board of Airwars and is a recognised leader in addressing intersectional inequalities in peace and security. As former Deputy Director of Women of Colour Advancing Peace and Security UK, and as Co-Founder of the network, Minorities in Peace and Security, she continues to champion systemic change in these fields. Prior to joining Protection Approaches, Aditi was Director of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drones & Modern Conflict, leading parliamentary strategies to enhance accountability, transparency, and oversight of the UK’s military actions and partnerships and centre civilian protection in policy. Earlier, she studied at the London School of Economics between 2008-11 (BA in International History) and between 2012-13 (first class MSc in Global Politics & Civil Society).
“People of colour and minorities are disproportionately affected by bad policy—but are largely left out of dominant research, policymaking and practice. This means that most policy solutions are incomplete, and therefore, flawed. I firmly believe that work combating systemic inequalities and tackling prejudicial assumptions is indivisible from creating sustainable and equitable policy solutions. PA’s transformative work on identity-based violence tackles these issues head-on, working with communities both in the UK and across the world to incorporate intersectional analysis. By building consensus across borders and across sectors, we can forge powerful coalitions to change shape policies that will build a more peaceful and equitable world.”
Board of Trustees
Sherine El Taraboulsi-McCarthy
Sherine El Taraboulsi-McCarthy
Sherine El Taraboulsi-McCarthy
Sherine is the founding Director of NatCen International where she leads a team of senior experts dedicated to shaping global social policy and practice. Sherine has two decades of experience in leading and delivering on complex research projects and consortia as well as providing policy advice at a senior level to governments, donors and civil society organisations on their engagement in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. She holds a DPhil from the Department of International Development and St. Cross College at the University of Oxford. She joins the board with expertise to expand Protection Approaches' impact in tackling identity-based violence in the UK and globally.
Nick Martlew
Sherine El Taraboulsi-McCarthy
Sherine El Taraboulsi-McCarthy
Nick is a strategy and collaboration consultant, with a background in campaigning for the protection of civilians in conflict. He has worked internationally for Oxfam and Save the Children, and been the UK and UN director for Crisis Action. He co-founded Digital Action and was Executive Director of 5Rights Foundation. He has worked with a range of movement-builders to strengthen collaboration on issues including the energy transition, democratic renewal, and Big Tech accountability. He champions the organisation's unique role at the nexus of multiple sectors, in driving action to prevent identity-based violence.
Jacqueline Geis
Sherine El Taraboulsi-McCarthy
Jacqueline Geis
Jacqueline is a consultant and the former CEO of Videre est Credere, an award-winning NGO that partners with frontline communities to document and expose human rights abuses. She serves on the International Criminal Court’s Technology Advisory Board and advises governments, NGOs, and international organisations on working securely and effectively in crisis situations. She brings decades of policy, fundraising, operations, strategy, and advocacy experience to her systems change work and to our Board.
Mariko Hayashi
Claire Fyfe - Chair of the Board
Jacqueline Geis
Mariko is the Executive Director of the Southeast and East Asian Centre (SEEAC), a grass-roots organisation led by and for migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum from Southeast and East Asian countries living in the UK. She brings over a decade of experience working in the civil society sector, from community organising to grant making and national and international policy advocacy, in Asia and Europe. Her areas of focus are human rights, migration, labour rights, gender and minority rights.
Jo Henderson
Claire Fyfe - Chair of the Board
Claire Fyfe - Chair of the Board
Jo is an independent consultant and a policy, advocacy and humanitarian specialist. She has over 15 years experience developing strategy, policy and programmes across the non-government and government sectors including in the atrocity prevention sector. Jo's experience working across humanitarian contexts, with refugees and people impacted by conflict and violence reinforces her belief in the vital role Protection Approaches plays in changing how the world views identity-based violence and how we collective respond to and prevent it.
Claire Fyfe - Chair of the Board
Claire Fyfe - Chair of the Board
Claire Fyfe - Chair of the Board
Claire has over 13 years experience working in communications agencies; four of those within the strategic communications sector managing teams to deliver effective domestic and international communications campaigns. Claire joined the board 7 years ago with a desire to support Protection Approaches in its mission to tackle the ever-present and growing threat of identity based violence to our communities.
Rebecca Zausmer
Rebecca Zausmer
Rebecca Zausmer
Rebecca is the Chief Operating Officer of Global Partners Digital, a social purpose organisation working to ensure that human rights underpin the development, use and governance of digital technologies. She has worked in a range of civil society organisations and as an independent consultant in a mix of leadership and programmatic roles. She brings more than a decade of strategic, operational, financial management and fundraising experience to Protection Approaches, and a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing small organisations like ours.
Peter Havelock
Rebecca Zausmer
Rebecca Zausmer
Peter is a management consultant and a qualified accountant. His career spans 35 years of leading finance functions and complex change in the financial services and charity sectors. He is a former Partner at IBM Management Consulting where he worked both in the UK and abroad. Peter has been a trustee of a number of charities involved in social inclusion, human rights and research. He was Chair of the Audit Committees at Stonewall and The National Skills Academy for Financial Services, and is Chair of the Development Committee at The National Centre for Social Research. Peter brings finance and commercial expertise at a time when funding for the global human rights sector faces significant challenge.