Marianne Bertrand – Campaign and Mobilisation Manager
Marianne (she/her) joined ISHR in 2019 and tries to expand the reach and influence of ISHR advocacy work with participatory campaigns and by building and mobilising communities of support. Previously, Marianne worked at Peace Brigades International and Amnesty International in the Americas and with the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders. She holds a Master degree in International Affairs from Sciences Po and an LLM in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law from the University of Essex. Follow her on twitter @maribertl.

Sarah Brooks – Programme Director
Sarah (she/her) is ISHR's programme manager and human rights advocate focused on defenders in the Asian region as well as defenders of migrant and refugee rights. Sarah also supports ISHR’s work on corporate accountability and leads organisational change in digital security. Prior to joining ISHR, Sarah worked to advance US foreign policy in the area of labour rights and supply chains. She comments on her work, transnational feminism, and geopolitics on Twitter @sarahmcneer. GPG key

Marina Dailly – Finance Director
Marina (she/her) joined ISHR in 2013 and has overall responsibility for grant management, programme planning, budgeting, financial reporting and internal controls. Prior to joining ISHR, she held a variety of senior financial management positions within diverse corporations and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Marina holds a Master in Economic and Commercial Law from University of Lausanne, a double degree in Philosophy/Accountancy from George Mason University.

Paula Danilczyk – Digital Communications Officer
Paula holds a Master's Degree in Media Relations from Warsaw University of Humanities, Poland. Before coming to Geneva, she worked for several years as an editor for a Polish 24-hours news channel. She has extensive professional experience in social media, digital project management as well as Salesforce and website maintenance. She now supports ISHR's communications team to deliver messages through social and mainstream media. First a communications intern at ISHR from August to December 2017, she is now working as a digital communications officer to help the organisation improve its digital strategy. 

Sonia Derreumaux – Finance Manager
Sonia (she/her) holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Lisbon School of Economics & Management and Postgraduate Degrees in Finance and Business Controlling. Prior to joining ISHR, she's held a variety of financial management positions in the energy sector in Portugal (Lisbon), Switzerland (Geneva) and Germany (Hamburg).

Christine Do Phan – Communications Director
Christine (she/her) joined ISHR in 2017 after several years as a communications professional in the private sector. Christine works to make ISHR advocacy, achievements and calls to action more visible and effective. She manages the production of ISHR’s publications and helps the team craft and deliver their messages through the channels our audiences use, with the help of new narratives and strategic communications. Christine holds Master degrees in management studies from EM Lyon and WHU Koblenz.

Salma El Hosseiny – Programme Manager (Human Rights Council)
Salma (she/her) joined ISHR in 2018 and leads our strategic engagement and advocacy at the Human Rights Council. She holds a Masters degree in International Human Rights Law and a Bachelors degree in Political Science from the American University in Cairo. Prior to joining ISHR, Salma worked for international and national human rights organisations in the Middle East and North Africa region. Her work focused on the protection of human rights defenders, civil and political rights and women's rights. Follow her on Twitter @salma_ishr.

Marie Elseroad - Human Resources Manager
Marie (she/her) joined ISHR as Human Resources Manager in 2020. Prior to joining ISHR, she worked for the International Foundation of Electoral Systems and International Medical Corps in Washington, DC, as well as the Global Fund and the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva. Marie holds a Master in Political Science, Sociology and Human Rights from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and Human Resources certificates from Cornell University, USA.  

Adélaïde Etong Kame – Programme Manager (Africa)
Adélaïde (she/her) joined ISHR in 2017 and focuses on supporting and protecting defenders from Africa at the national level, as well as at the African Commission and UN. Previously, she advocated for the rights of women in Poland and Macedonia as well as the advancement of freedom of expression in Central Africa. More recently, she worked with indigenous people and minorities in Mauritania for a better protection of their rights, especially victims of slavery. Adélaïde has a Master in International Law and Relations from the University of Clermont-Ferrand. Follow her on Twitter @Adelaide_ISHR.

Eva Homolkova – Fundraising and Grants Manager
Eva joined ISHR in 2018 as a Fundraising officer. She holds a Master degree in Civil Sector Studies from Charles University in Prague. She has over 10 years of experience in the NGO sector, working both in fundraising and project management positions. Prior to ISHR she has worked for several years for People in Need, where she was in charge of the Burma programme, supporting Burmese human rights defenders.

Fabiana Leibl – HRCNet Coordinator
Fabiana (she/her) coordinates HRCNet, a network of 16 regional and international and human rights organisations, created in 2016 to enhance NGO engagement with the Human Rights Council and to strengthen the Council’s impact and influence on the ground. Fabiana is a lawyer and holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. For the past years, Fabiana has worked with different civil society organisations, such as Amnesty International (London), CIVICUS (South Africa) and Conectas Direitos Humanos (Brazil). Before joining HRCNet, Fabiana led the international advocacy and protection programme at the Right Livelihood Foundation in Geneva.

Tina Luft – Digital Communications Consultant
Tina (she/her) supports the ISHR communications team as Digital Communications Consultant. Tina has been working as an independent Multimedia Graphic Designer for several years, delivering global online and offline communication projects. Her main focus at ISHR is managing the website re-development project, as well as working on ISHR's social media strategy and implementation. Tina obtained a Master of Arts in Design from Zurich University.

Phil Lynch – Executive Director
Phil (he/him) is the Director of ISHR and has overall responsibility for the organisation’s strategy, policy, programmes and operations. Under Phil’s stewardship, ISHR has contributed significantly to the development of international and national standards and laws on the protection of human rights defenders. Before joining ISHR in 2013, Phil founded and led the award winning Human Rights Law Centre and Homeless Law in Australia. He is a former member of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency Advisory Board and a former member of the Australian Government Human Rights Grants Scheme Expert Panel. Phil holds an LLB (Hons) and an MPPM from the University of Melbourne. Follow him on Twitter @PhilALynch.

Tess McEvoy – New York Office Co-Director and Legal Counsel
Tess McEvoy (she/her) leads ISHR's work on LGBTI rights defenders as well as ISHR's legal protection work, including contributing to a Model Law for the protection of human rights defenders. She is part of ISHR's legal team which engages in strategic litigation for the protection of human rights defenders. She also engages with UN mechanisms in New York including the General Assembly and the Commission on the Status of Women. Before joining ISHR in 2015, Tess worked with leading international law firm DLA Piper, and with community legal centres working on womens and refugee rights. Tess holds a Juris Doctor from Murdoch University and a psychology degree from University of Western Australia. Follow her on Twitter @Tess_L_McEvoy.

Josel Menez – Apprentice
Josel (he/him) joined ISHR in 2020 as an Office and Programme Management Apprentice. He has previous experience in administration and audit for a CPA firm in Chicago. Prior to ISHR, Josel volunteered for Caritas as an English Communicator and Okairos Life as an Ambassador to promote solidarity and mutual aid by young people, mostly refugees and migrants.

Eleanor Openshaw – Programme Director
Eleanor (she/her) leads ISHR’s work to to promote NGO participation and protect civil society space at the UN. She also coordinates our work at the Inter-American Commission and in the Latin American region. Before joining ISHR, Eleanor worked at Amnesty International and Peace Brigades International. Eleanor holds degrees from the University of Oxford and London Metropolitan University. Follow her on Twitter @EleanorOpenshaw.

Pooja Patel – Programme Director
Pooja (she/her) joined ISHR in 2014 and leads our work supporting women HRDs. Before joining ISHR, Pooja worked with the Asian Forum for Human Rights & Development (FORUM-ASIA) in Bangkok and Geneva, and as a policy analyst with Universal Rights Group. Pooja holds a Degree in Political Science and International Development from the University of Toronto. Follow her on Twitter @Pooja_ISHR.

Vincent Ploton – Director of Development and treaty body advocacy
Vincent (he/him) joined ISHR in 2016 and leads our institutional development and fundraising, as well as our strategic engagement with the UN Treaty Bodies. Before joining ISHR, Vincent worked with international NGOs engaging with the Human Rights Committee, Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture and Committee against Torture. Vincent also worked in the humanitarian field in South and West Asia, as well as Colombia. Vincent holds a Masters degree in political science (SOAS, University of London) and in business administration (Lyon). Follow him on Twitter @vploton.

Antsa Rakotonanahary – Finance Coordinator
Antsa joined ISHR in 2016. His role is to assist the finance manager on all the tasks related to accounting. Antsa holds a degree in Accounting in France. Previously he's worked in various associations as an accountant and it was during those experiences he discovered the world of the NGOs which sparked his interest and passion for working in the not for profit sector.

Madeleine Sinclair  – New York Office Co-Director and Legal Counsel
Madeleine (she/her) is Co-Director of ISHR's New York office, leads our work to combat reprisals against human rights defenders and coordinates ISHR's legal work and strategic litigation. Under Madeleine's leadership, ISHR has contributed significantly to advancing the UN's response to intimidation and reprisals. Previously, Madeleine worked at UNICEF, for the UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial executions, and as a lawyer. Madeleine holds a Master of Laws from NYU, a Juris Doctor from Dalhousie Law School, and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from Queen's University. Follow her on Twitter @Madeleine_ISHR

Hannah Sobocinski – Training and Advocacy Support Manager
Hannah (she/her) joined ISHR as Training and Advocacy Support Manager in 2020. Her work focuses on ensuring the successful delivery of the Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme (HRDAP), further developing the online ISHR Academy and providing overall support for ISHR’s training, advocacy accompaniment and capacity building activities. Before joining ISHR, Hannah worked in humanitarian capacity building at Save the Children UK in London, training frontline aid workers in West and Central Africa, East Africa and Bangladesh. She holds a Master's degree in International Public Policy from Queen Mary University of London and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Geneva.

Fanny Toutou-Mpondo – Communications Manager
Fanny (she/her) joined ISHR in 2015 after working as a campaign coordinator and holding a range of advocacy and communications positions with Geneva-based human rights NGOs for several years. Fanny holds a Master in law from the University of Geneva, a Master in Fonction Publique Internationale from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Internationales in Paris and a Master in English Studies from the Paris IV-Sorbonne University. On top of her responsibilities within ISHR's communications team, Fanny is also providing advocacy support to ISHR's work on defenders working on racism and police brutality.

Raphaël Viana David – Asia Programme Officer
Raphaël (he/him) joined ISHR in 2018 and has been ISHR’s Asia Programme Officer since 2019, supporting human rights defenders in the Asian region. He holds a Dual Master’s Degree in Human Rights and International Relations from Sciences Po Paris and Peking University, with prior experience in providing legal assistance to asylum-seekers in France. Raphael is one of the two Focal Points for Latin America in ISHR's Geneva office. Follow him on Twitter @vdraphael. PGP Key ID: 2B5ECA497BF7D8F0.

Diego Villanueva – Office and Programme Support Manager
Diego (he/him) joined ISHR in 2017 after 12 years of experience in events administration, hospitality, and customer service industries and a recent position as office manager for a Geneva-based software company. At ISHR Diego is in charge of office management and administration, as well as supporting the different program teams to help them achieve important progress on the set goals. Diego has also been an LGBTI and migrant rights activist in Mexico and the USA, which inspired the idea of one day working for a human rights NGO. Diego studied foreign languages and literature at UNAM in Mexico City, in addition to Hospitality and Culinary Arts from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco C.A. GPG Key

Clément Voule – Senior Advisor
Clément leads our work to support defenders in States in transition, in Africa, and at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. Before joining ISHR in 2006, Clement was Secretary-General of Amnesty International Togo and head of the Togolese Coalition of HRDs. Clément also holds an independent appointment as UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association. Follow him on Twitter @cvoule.

Stéphanie Wamba – Africa Advocate
Stéphanie joined ISHR in 2019 as a consultant for ISHR’s Programme Advocacy in Africa. Her work focuses on  ISHR thematic priorities in Africa, mainly supporting research, advocacy, monitoring and reporting on human rights defenders' protection laws in Africa. Before joining ISHR, Stéphanie worked at Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Network in Cameroon for the protection and promotion of human rights and human rights defenders in Central Africa. She holds a Dual Master’s Degree in Private Law and Strategy, Defense, Security, Conflict and Disaster Management from Dschang University and Research Center for Political and Strategic Studies of Yaounde II University. Follow her on Twitter @StephanieWamba

Andrés Zaragoza – Programme Manager (Business and Human Rights)
Andrés joined ISHR in 2020 and leads our work on business and human rights. Previously, Andrés worked at the World Economic Forum and other NGOs, focusing on human rights risks and due diligence measures along global supply chains and in high-risk areas. He also worked at the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Providers (ICoCA), a multi-stakeholder initiative involving private sector, States and NGOs in raising standards in the private security sector globally. Andrés holds a Master degree on human rights from the University of Essex. His academic background is in law and business administration and management.