The appointment of five new trustees brings valuable perspectives from global civil society to INTRAC as we adapt our strategy and ways of working to achieve greater local leadership. Our current board members and staff look forward to working closely with them.
As INTRAC approaches its 30th anniversary later in 2021, and as the civil society sector continues to experience an unprecedented period of upheaval and change, our Board of Trustees will be critical in ensuring we are agile and adaptive in the evolving context.
During 2021-22, INTRAC will work to increase access for civil society actors to support services in the global South; to support INGOs and funders to build equitable relationships with and increase the agency and voice of their partners in the global South; and to facilitate cooperation and exchange to influence policy.
In addition to their critical role in achieving INTRAC’s operational priorities in 2021-22, our Board will also help us to address the cross-cutting questions of diversity in our programme content and our role in the shift the power movement within development.
Our new trustees are:
Alfred Brian Agaba currently serves as Managing Director and Managing Consultant of ACLAIM Africa Limited, based in Kampala, Uganda. He has a profound enthusiasm for diagnosing leadership and management challenges in organisations and professionally guiding them to a desired future.
What an exciting moment to be joining the INTRAC Board of Trustees! The mission of strengthening the civil society, especially in the global South, coupled with the people-centred solutions facilitated by INTRAC using collaborative approaches fully resonate with my personal aspirations and philosophy.
Suzanne Hammad a British-Palestinian and has lived and worked in Jordan, Jerusalem, Egypt, the UK, and is currently based in Qatar. She has over 20 years’ experience across several countries of the Middle East and North Africa region conceptualizing and leading on social and policy research, programme evaluations, and community empowerment projects. She is currently an Independent Consultant and Adjunct Lecturer of Sociology.
Civil society is thriving and re-examining its role and power in the MENA region and elsewhere, increasingly unafraid to speak truth to power and taking on a stronger role. It is indeed an honour to have been appointed to serve on INTRAC’s board – an organization I hold with much respect, and one that stands out with its genuine commitment (and mandate) to supporting civil society organizations and actors everywhere!
Lily Maćków-McGuire has worked in international development for five years. She specialises in designing, delivering, and scaling government-funded, multi-million-pound programmes that aim to readdress power imbalance within the development sector. Since 2019, she has led the implementation of Restless Development’s flagship youth programme, the Development Alternative. Working in Madagascar and Uganda, Lily supports young people to use technology to hold development actors to account.
It is a privilege to join the INTRAC board at this critical juncture within the sector, where power dynamics, neo-colonialism and racism are more apparent than ever. I look forward to working with INTRAC and tackling these challenges head on.
Smruti Patel has ten years of management experience from the business sector and has been working in the humanitarian and development sector for 25 years. Currently she is the Co-Director of Global Mentoring Initiative. She is involved in co-creating spaces to accompany international organisations and donors in the change processes for better partnering and collaborations.
It is a pleasure to join the INTRAC board and work with other trustees and staff to increase its reach to support local and national organisations.
Charles Kojo Vandyck is a social justice activist and thought leader with experience in strengthening civil society resilience, sustainability, and civic leadership. He serves as the head of the Capacity Development Unit at the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) in Accra, Ghana.
It will be a pleasure to contribute my experience, thought leadership and networks to position INTRAC as a responsive and nurturing global civil society resource in this rapidly changing world.
Our new trustees join existing members of the board Carolyn Miller (Chair), Jonathan Orchard (Treasurer), Sue Turrell, Sam Bickersteth, Catriona Dejean, Alexander Knapp, and Yvonne Taylor.
INTRAC has always played the role as a catalyst of change for civil society. The combined background and experience of INTRAC trustees represents a significant step forward in helping INTRAC to deliver our mission of influencing positive change for civil society and to work in solidarity with all stakeholders, particularly in the South, to overcome poverty and injustice.
Peter Sargent, INTRAC Chief Executive (Interim)
Our new trustees have already made a significant contribution to INTRAC. It was inspiring and enjoyable to chair the recent meeting of our expanded board. We all benefitted from fresh thinking which will help the board team become more effective as we steer INTRAC forwards.
Carolyn Miller, Chair of the Board of Trustees
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