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President
The Baroness Morris of Bolton OBE DL - Baroness Morris became a life peer in 2004 and has served as the Shadow Minister for Education, Children, Families & Women and as a Shadow Work and Pensions Spokesperson. Since 2007 she has also been a member of the Board of Trustees of UNICEF UK and in 2009 she became the President of World Travel Market. Baroness Morris is the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Jordan, Kuwait and the Palestinian Territories and was Chair of the Conservative Middle East Council.
Honorary patrons
Dr Swee Chai Ang FRCS - A founding Trustee of MAP, she is an orthopaedic consultant surgeon at the London and St Bartholomew's Hospital Trust. Working in Beirut during the 1982 invasion, she also witnessed and survived the massacre at Sabra and Shatila, writing "From Beirut to Jerusalem" about her experiences. She returned to London to help form MAP and, as the first chair of the projects committee, helped launch the volunteer programme in 1985. She has also co-authored the "Manual of War Surgery" and received the coveted 'Star of Palestine' award from the late President, Yasser Arafat.
Baroness Helena Kennedy KC - Helena Kennedy is a barrister, broadcaster and Labour member of the House of Lords. She is an expert in human rights law, civil liberties and constitutional issues and chair of Justice - the British arm of the International Commission of Jurists.
Sir Terence English - A Former President of the Royal College of Surgeons, and the surgeon who carried out the first successful heart transplant in the United Kingdom.
Senior management team
Steve Cutts – Interim Chief Executive
Steve has extensive leadership experience in the non-profit, governmental and international development sectors, from managing humanitarian response to advising on global economic policy. He has previously served as Assistant Secretary-General at the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
He currently also sits as the Head of Organisational Culture and Performance at Independent Economics and since 2021 has been the Chair of the Oversight Advisory Committee for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Aisha Mansour – West Bank Director
Aisha has more than 20 years of experience in health management, systems and policy. Her background in the healthcare sector in the occupied Palestinian territory includes working for the Ministry of Health, World Health Organisation (WHO), and for local and international NGOs. She joined MAP in May 2019.
Aisha currently serves on the board of the Dalia Association, a local Palestinian community foundation. She is a regular volunteer at Farashe yoga centre and Hakurat Albireh community farm.
Fikr Shalltoot – Gaza Director
Fikr joined MAP in July 2001 and has the been the Director of our Gaza programmes since April 2013. Her background is in healthcare, having previously trained as a neo-natal nurse and then studied and qualified in public health.
Since the 2014 Israeli military assault on Gaza, Fikr has worked to develop a sustainable programme that meets the healthcare needs of Gaza’s population.
Wafa Dakwar – Lebanon Director
Wafa joined MAP in 2010 and has worked in a range of different programme-related roles, until becoming the Lebanon Director in 2023. She is dedicated to making a difference for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and ensuring their access to their rights to health and dignity.
Iain McSeveny – Director of Finance and Operations
As a chartered accountant, Iain has more than 35 years of experience in the charity sector, including roles at Greenpeace in the UK and China, and with Amnesty International.
He joined MAP in 2014 and manages finance, people, technology, compliance, governance, and supply and logistics. Iain currently sits on the board at Greenpeace UK.
Rohan Talbot – Director of Advocacy and Campaigns
Rohan has been at MAP for almost ten years and now leads on the organisation’s strategies to inform and influence the public and decision-makers to act on the root causes of the health and dignity challenges affecting the communities MAP serves.
Before joining MAP, Rohan held a number of research, campaigning and advocacy roles including with the Commonwealth Secretariat and Naba’a, one of MAP’s local partners in Lebanon.
Sameer Sah – Director of Programmes, UK
Sameer is a public and global health expert with experience in over 35 countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa and South and Central America. He has worked extensively in tuberculosis prevention and was a member of the first WHO Global Civil Society Task Force on tuberculosis (TB). He is currently a member of the WHO Europe Regional Coordinating Committee on TB, HIV and Viral Hepatitis, and is empanelled as a TB Civil Society Consultant at the WHO Europe Office in Copenhagen.
Sameer joined MAP in December 2022, and in December 2023 led MAP’s first emergency medical team into Gaza.
Shabby Amini – Director of Fundraising and Marketing
Shabby joined MAP in July 2024. She leads on raising funds for MAP’s work from the public, corporates, high network individuals and trusts and foundations, as well as scoping out the opportunity to expand MAP’s fundraising reach beyond the UK.
Prior to her time at MAP, Shabby has extensive experience as a strategic consultant supporting organisations including UK for UNHCR, Anti-Slavery International, the Disasters Emergency Committee, Shelter, Lumos and CARE USA. She has previously held executive roles at CARE International UK, Comic Relief, FareShare and Freedom from Torture. She is also an experienced board member, having sat on the boards of Greenpeace UK, Africa Advocacy Foundation and Freedom from Torture.
Board of Trustees
Interim Chair
Richard Makepeace - Richard joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1976 after completing a degree in modern languages at Oxford University. After studying Arabic in Lebanon he spent around 20 years working as a diplomat in the Middle East, including as Ambassador in Khartoum and Abu Dhabi and as Consul General in Jerusalem (from 2006-2010). He also worked in central Europe and in the then Delegation to the EU in Brussels. When in Jerusalem he was a Trustee of the St John Eye Hospital and also had the opportunity to see the work of MAP on the ground. From 2011 to 2023 he was Registrar of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, an independent multi-disciplinary research institute, and a fellow of St Cross College Oxford. He retains affiliations with both institutions on an emeritus basis
Vice Chair
Shireen Jayyusi - Shireen began her career in investment banking. She then transitioned to the startup world, and has been involved with a number of consumer and technology startups, in commercial and operational roles, and has also launched and run her own startup business. She is currently working as an independent business consultant, offering strategy, business and start-up consulting support, and is also involved in a new startup project. Shireen is of Palestinian heritage, and has campaigned for Palestinian rights and dignity for many years.
Treasurer
Hilary Wild - Hilary has extensive international experience in the fields of finance, organisational management, governance, and risk management. She has a portfolio of non-executive roles with international organisations involved in agricultural and food systems transformation, water and sanitation as well as a major UK endowment fund that is a leader in responsible investment.
She was previously Chief Financial Officer of the World Health Organization (WHO), and has held various positions in the international financial sector, in both investment banking and asset management. She has chaired oversight committees for the United Nations Development Programme, International Labour Organization, and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Trustees
Sarah Eldon - Sarah has 20 years' experience in the charity and NGO sector having worked in fundraising, communications and programme management. Having worked overseas in North Africa, the Middle East and Sub Saharan Africa, Sarah is passionate about international development, advocating for those who need a voice and ensuring that all have the necessary support to be able to empower themselves. During her tenure in the Middle East she worked in Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, seeing first-hand the impact of living under occupation has on the dignity and health of Palestinians and she wanted to ensure she could continue to advocate for their basic rights.
Ade Bamigboye - Ade is the Chief Technology Office at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. He has also a Trustee of Parents 1st UK, a position held since January 2020. Ade has spent thirty years in information technology and has a wealth of experience across multiple sectors including legal, non-profit, healthcare, automotive, retail, publishing, energy and utilities. His primary focus has been on using new and emerging technology to enable innovation and business transformation. He is passionate about the use of technology to enhance health and well-being through initiatives such as tele-care and remote monitoring. Ade is also a certified Information Privacy and Cloud Security Professional.
Jacob Burns - Jacob is currently a Director of Studies at the internal reflection centre of Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and previously worked for MSF in Palestine and across the Middle East in communications. He has also worked in and on Palestine as a journalist, with Amnesty International, and Forensic Architecture.
Mike Egan - Mike is an experienced charity trustee. His current appointments include Homeless Link, a membership body for the homelessness and supported housing sector in England, and Rainbow Migration who support people through the UK asylum and immigration process who are applying for reasons of sexual orientation or gender identity. He has also recently been a trustee at War on Want and a governor of Heythrop College, where he is an Honorary Fellow. Mike was previously Head of Audit at UHY Hacker Young, a multi-national firm of Chartered Accountants. After taking early retirement from professional practice, he completed a Masters degree in Voluntary Sector Management at Bayes (formerly Cass) Business School.
Ramzi Nasir - Dr Ramzi Nasir is a Developmental-Behavioural Paediatrician whose practice focuses on children with developmental differences and disabilities. He currently practices in London as a paediatrician in the National Health Service and in private practice. Ramzi was born in Palestine and pursued his medical education in the United States, completing his specialisation at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health. While at Boston Children’s Hospital, he served as principal investigator in clinical trials and collaborated on research projects studying the genetics of developmental disabilities. In London, he has several leadership roles developing autism services at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and the Portland Hospital for Women and Children. Ramzi is active in efforts to improve care for children with developmental differences and disabilities in humanitarian settings. He serves as a clinical consultant and advisor to humanitarian organisations such as Doctors without Borders and MAP and has developed training programs for parents and professionals. He has co-authored two book chapters on the topic and is active in several global advocacy efforts.
Mary O’Shea - Mary has worked in HR for her entire career and has held director posts in both the public and private sectors. This has included some roles with an international remit. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and holds an MA in Industrial Relations from Keele. She has been a member of the CIPD's National Council and professional advisor to Kingston University's HR research programme. Mary's most recent role has been as Director of HR at the Institute of Cancer Research in London and before that leading the HR function in a number of NHS organisations. She believes the people agenda should seek to provide an environment where staff can do their best work through staff engagement, diversity and inclusion. She is passionate about healthcare as a fundamental human right.
Prof. Graham Watt MD FRCGP FRSE FMedSci CBE - Emeritus Professor, General Practice and Primary Care, University of Glasgow. Professor Watt is an elected Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He has longstanding links with Palestinian academic colleagues at Birzeit University and the University of Hebron and currently chairs the steering group of the Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance. In the UK he initiated the General Practitioners at the Deep End movement, comprising collective alliances of general practitioners serving very deprived populations. This is his second term as a MAP Trustee, having served previously from 2006-15.