Good Neighbours UK INternational Partners

Zarina Douglas-Sori

Chief Executive

Zarina studied international development at the University of East Anglia and since 2001 has worked for charitable organisations in the United Kingdom and overseas in the fields of poverty alleviation, inclusion, food security and sustainability.

Zarina is passionate about community-led development and empowering minority and disadvantaged groups to lead positive and impactful development and social change. Prior to joining Good Neighbours UK, Zarina worked as a grant officer for Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Zarina has experience of leading and managing development programmes. She spent 13 years in West Africa supporting farming families to improve their subsistence and commercial agriculture. Zarina is bi-lingual in English and French and loves learning languages. In her free time Zarina enjoys crochet, karate and yoga.

Andleeb Khan

Principal Funding and Grants Officer

Andleeb Khan is international programme development and management expert with more than nine years of experience.

She holds a demonstrated history in managing a diverse portfolio of programmes including education, health, humanitarian, governance, conflict & stabilisation, policy & advocacy, private sector and civil society engagement.

She has worked with leading donors (including FCDO, UN, ECHO) and international NGOs to deliver multi-million programmes.

Martine Geczy

Finance and Executive Assistant

Martine has led the Finance department at companies with multiple departments. She has experience in setting up and running accounting packages to create the smooth running and production of monthly management accounts. She has assisted General Managers and Directors in budgeting and forecasting. This is her first post in the charity sector. She is forward to the new challenges and to building new relationships for such a worthy cause.

Steve Langdon

Chair

Steve has over 26 years of experience working in senior roles in the International Humanitarian/Development sector as CEO, Director of Programmes, Humanitarian Director, Regional and Country Director. He has worked in over 25 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East as well as in the UK, Ireland and Spain

Steve has extensive experience of International NGO management, as well as NGO mergers and acquisition, crisis and change management and safety and security. He has had a long career managing emergency humanitarian response programmes in fragile or conflict situations, as well managing long term development programmes in developing countries.

Steve started his working life as a carpenter, then qualifying and working as a Building Surveyor for a number of years, before ultimately moving into the Humanitarian/Development Sector. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Building Surveying from University of Greenwich.

Matthew Knight

Until 2014 Matthew was the Human Resources Director at the University of Leeds, with previous senior level HR experience in both the private, public and voluntary sectors, including field work for a development charity in Africa.

Since retirement he has undertaken a number of international consultancy roles in Higher Education, and has chaired a furniture re-use charity operating across North Yorkshire.

He is currently the Chair of Older Citizens Advocacy York (OCAY), a Trustee of the York Centre for Voluntary Service and a Governor of the Leeds and York NHS Partnership Trust. Matthew is a Samaritans listening volunteer.

Ruth Njiri

Ruth is deeply committed to championing locally-led initiatives’ work and impact. She has over 15 years of experience in strategic partnerships management, fundraising, and project management.

Ruth’s experience includes leading project and business strategy development for start-ups in Kenya where she led their go-to-market strategies. Currently, she is the Head of Partnerships and Fundraising at Cohere, an INGO working in Africa, where she focuses on building trust between donors and refugee-led organisations, for equitable and meaningful relationships that fund and support local actors directly and sustainably.

Martin Foy

Martin Foy has worked at several companies including small tech start-ups, commercial, public sector and numerous not for profit organisations, leading various teams in these sectors. He has degrees in Computer Science and a Masters Degree in Advanced Computer Science and continues to study for further qualifications in the fields of Humanitarian Aid, Business and Computing.

In his spare time, he likes to cycle and travel and volunteers with various charities. Martin is looking forward to working with Good Neighbours UK to make a positive difference in the lives of many children, families and communities around the world and the UK.

Ian McLean

Ian McLean is a dynamic technology leader with a background in shaping technology strategies, executing agile transformations, and delivering product roadmaps. Operating at the board level in FinTech and InsurTech environments, Ian has managed large-scale systems developments and led exceptional Product and Technology teams across the globe. Known for his ability to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical communities, he supports visionary goals with clear strategies and motivates teams to deliver outstanding results.

Passionate about using technology to create business value, Ian enjoys coaching and mentoring CTOs across various sectors. Outside of his professional life, Ian is an avid sports enthusiast who enjoys team sports and running. He is also committed to supporting the impactful work carried out by Good Neighbours UK.

Rita Sarkar

Rita is a solicitor who practised as a litigator in a law firm, before embracing a legal career in business and industry. She has worked in multinational corporations in the healthcare and life sciences sectors, operating across global markets. She considers it a privilege to counsel cross-functional teams working in multi-cultural settings, in the mission to making quality healthcare accessible to all. Rita spent her formative years in India, before returning to England to study law and embark upon her professional career. Her lived experience in India and the UK lends itself to a keen appreciation of both the challenges and opportunities of international living, as well as the desire to utilise her experience and skillset to support organisations doing incredible work in the international development and humanitarian aid space. In her spare time, Rita indulges her love of cinema, travel, theatre and (live) music.

Haeun Seong

Dr. HaEun Seong (Marcellino) has 20 years’ experience in international human rights and humanitarian NGOs, with a particular focus on the United Nations advocacy and partnership in Geneva, Switzerland. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Graduate Institute of Geneva where he studied the impact of National Human Rights Institutions in the domestic implementation of international human rights norms.

His human rights activities centre on advocating and supporting human rights defenders from the global south to build awareness in the UN fora. He currently focuses on developing partnerships between Good Neighbours members and UN agencies in order to support refugees and host communities in Africa and Asia.

Jon Park

Treasurer

Jon is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Accountants and comes with experience from a variety of industry sectors.
As the Treasurer of GNUK he supports the operational team and advises the trustees on key financial matters.

He is passionate about supporting children around the world and empowering people to make the World a better place.