Committee
Alexandra Abrams
As President of the UK division of WCPUN, Alexandra is leading the project. As part of her role, she has helped to organise two annual UN NGO/DPI Conferences and has been assistant editor of the journal, ‘Centrepoint Now’. She has been involved in social action from a young age, including launching a charity to enlighten the lives of young people in the bombed town of Sderot, Israel, working with children with disabilities and partnering with Sony BMG to create music-inspired fundraising events. She has also been heavily involved in the media, being the most read journalist in the history of Cambridge's 'The Tab', writing internationally for 'The Harvard Crimson' and interning at publications ranging from 'The Times', to 'Tatler'. Alexandra read Theology and Religious Studies at St John’s College, Cambridge and is about to embark on a Masters degree at the University of Oxford.
Alexis Abraham
Astrid Harbord
Astrid has a background in fashion PR, but has always been involved in social action and has been a passionate forerunner in the philanthropic world. She has recently turned her attention to raising awareness for rhino conservation.
Antonia Packard
Antonia set up and runs The Sara Charlton Charitable Foundation, a grant making charity that supports victims of domestic abuse- both women and children- in the UK. Whilst deeply committed to helping women, her other passion is education and supporting young people. Antonia sits on the board of The Rank Fellowship and runs The Young Marlburian Foundation- an initiative in partnership with her old school Marlborough College to support children through better education. Prior to this, Antonia worked in broadcast journalism.
Christiana Hambro
Christiana currently works for a renowned think tank and charity based in Westminster, where she is responsible for the educational outreach programme. In this role she also runs the international programme, educating people all over the world on key economic issues. She has long been passionate about community outreach and previously ran a programme which linked students with volunteering opportunities in the local community. By expanding the variety of options available, she was able to triple the number of students participating. She has volunteered in a number of schools, both within the UK and in East Africa, and whilst at university she spent a year dedicated to fundraising through large scale events.
George Askew
Old Harrovian George has been involved with multiple charities worldwide, from working in Borneo Jungle to hosting fundraising events in London- including the Harrow vs Eton boxing match for SSAFA and Breakthrough Breast Cancer. He studied at Kings College, London, and attained a postgraduate degree in Marketing and Marketing Management at London School of Business & Finance. George is now head of Sales and Business Development at European Travel Ventures Ltd.
Jason Blick
Jason is currently active in the corporate world, having studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He has undertaken much charitable work. He went to South America for several months to volunteer on a program, ‘Street Children’, and has spent time volunteering in primary schools. He is incredibly eager to give back, emphasising the immense need to encourage others to do so, as well.
John Pitts
Lily Lewis
Lily has done a bit of everything in her time, but now finds success as a professional artist. She has been involved in charities for years, and has even used her creative talents to promote causes she supports, for example her contribution to the Elephant Parade of 2010.
Nadia Manzoor
Nadia is Head of Business Development and General Counsel at investment manager, S. W. Mitchell Capital. Prior to this Nadia was a corporate associate in Nigel Boardman’s team at magic circle law firm, Slaughter and May. Nadia was selected to represent Slaughters on secondment to Hong Kong and at FTSE-100 client, RSA. Despite having deep roots in the City, participating in charitable projects has always been one of Nadia’s great passions. Voluntary work undertaken has ranged from organising fundraising events to teaching disabled children to horse ride at the Knightsbridge Barracks and modelling in charity fashion shows, including the Unmasked Catwalk (organised on behalf the President of the Seychelles). Nadia read Law at Downing College, Cambridge, where she was awarded numerous prizes, including the Senior Harris Scholarship for academic excellence.
Robert Sancroft-Baker
Robert has always taken a keen interest in the wider community and has been drawn to a number of causes around the world including human rights, the environment and humanitarian relief efforts. In his teens he visited prisons, Toynbee Hall and volunteered for Christian Aid at their HQ in London. Robert has helped raised money in various ways, including running marathons, throwing himself down mountains and through large fundraising events. He is a lawyer with a leading London law firm, prior to that he worked in finance in New York. Robert from time to time read Law at Bristol University.
Shahryar Raza
Shahryar is incredibly passionate about philanthropy. As well as being a founding committee member of the Society of Young Philanthropists, he co-chairs the Sotheby’s Africa Initiative, and is a committee member of the Sotheby’s Lifeline Humanitarian Foundation, the Christie’s Sarah Charlton Charitable Foundation and the Tate Iran Heritage Foundation. It is fair to say that he knows a great deal about charity. Shahryar received his MBA from Wharton & INSEAD and his BA and MA from Edinburgh University and The University of Southern California. Prior to those, he attended Westminster School and Hill House Junior School.
Tessa Packard
Tessa is a London-based fine jewellery designer specialising in bi-annual collections and bespoke commissions. Aside from her passion for jewellery and fashion, Tessa is deeply committed to philanthropy. She is a board member of Rank Fellowship and co-founder of the Young Marlburian Foundation. The focus in both organisations is very much on young people and education. Prior to jewellery, Tessa worked in London's commercial art world specialising in Modern and Latin American art.
Advisors
Sherrill Kazan, President, World Council of Peoples for the United Nations
Sherrill is President of the World Council of Peoples for the United Nations (WCPUN), a post she assumed in 1994. As President of WCPUN, Ms. Kazan has been responsible for implementing programmes that promote inter-cultural awareness and collaboration across sectors to advance the implementation of United Nations goals. Ms. Kazan is also the President of Friends of Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that maintains and beautifies the New York Plaza Park, also known as ‘The Gateway to the United Nations". Ms. Kazan is Vice President for International Affairs of the Mexican Academy of International Law (Academia Mexicana de Derecho Internacional), an international organization dedicated to the promotion of Peace, respect for the natural rights of people, and the guiding principles of international law. During her membership on the Board of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee at the United Nations, which represents over 2,000 NGOs worldwide, she introduced the Media, Funding, and Event Committees, and raised funds for the annual DPI/NGO Conference. She was the Chair of the 2002 DPI/NGO Conference at the UN, entitled “Rebuilding Societies Emerging from Conflict: A Shared Responsibility.” Previously a representative of “Corresponsales y Directores de Prensa”, a Mexican press organization, she is a Board Member of the Angel Orensanz Foundation, an artistic and cultural institution in New York City. Ms. Kazan also serves on the Board of Life Frames, A Living Library, an organization dedicated to environmental and ecological innovation and education, and is the Chair of the Honorary Council of Wings of Hope, a humanitarian organization dedicated to poverty eradication and promoting sustainable development . Ms. Kazan has also worked as an independent consultant in the private sector internationally.
Shamina de Gonzaga, Director, World Council of Peoples for the United Nations
Shamina is the Executive Director of World Council of Peoples for the United Nations (WCPUN). She is the Co-founder of what moves you?, an educational media consultancy with recent work including the "Indocumentales/Undocumentaries" traveling documentary film and dialogue series on Mexico-US immigration, and the “Global Voices” traveling exhibit on the Millennium Development Goals. She worked in the Office of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, as Special Adviser on NGO relations to GA Presidents Jan Eliasson of Sweden, Sheikha Haya Al Khalifa of Bahrain, and Srgjan Kerim of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. A representative of Mexican and international NGOs since 1996, she served within the NGO community in numerous capacities, including as Chair of the 61st Annual Conference of NGOs associated to the UN Department of Public Information, marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNESCO, Paris). She co-authored with Michaela Walsh, the publication "Founding a Movement: Women's World Banking 1975-1990" and has specialized in convening interdisciplinary dialogues on topics including human rights and sustainable development. She holds a Master and Bachelor of Arts in Romance Languages from the University of Pennsylvania where she was a University Scholar focusing on the relationships among media, non-governmental organizations and local authorities.
Founding Members
Ben Goldsmith, Jakie Warren, Isaac Ferry, Harry Becher, Bryony Daniels, Marc Burton, Natasha Rufus Isaacs, Lavinia Brennan, Adam Bidwell, Nina Rennie, Henry Astor, Shahryar Raza, Guy Pelly, Nick Scott, Oliver Hadden-Paton and Nikolaus Roessner.
Members
85% of our members will be invited, according to their potential in the following fields: entrepreneurship, philanthropic activity, social influence.
If you would like to get involved, or know anyone that fulfils the above requirements, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you!