Who Are The Catalystas?

[email protected] |Amsterdam, Netherlands

An Iranian-American with 6+ years of experience in international relations, economic development, and political empowerment, Beatrice is heavily invested in making the world a better place. Her work spans multiple regions of the world, often including high-risk environments, and her clients include non-governmental organizations, governmental bodies, and small-to-medium sized corporations throughout the US, EU, Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Originally in the areas of economic development, security, and disarmament, Beatrice turned to the humanitarian field, where she focuses on international security policy, gender equality, and innovation planning. She is a highly skilled grant writer, program designer, auditor, and capacity and impact assessor, as well as an authority on client and donor relations and ethical corporate engagement strategy.

Her personal and professional interests come together in the use of technology and data to provide solutions and insight into human rights, higher education, sexual reproductive rights, and environmental preservation.

Languages: Arabic, Farsi, French, Dutch

[email protected] | Amsterdam, Netherlands

Tiffany has experience in building the capacity of mission-driven organizations to maximize impact with a focus on girls’ STEM education and economic development. She has experience in program design and implementation, grant writing, evaluation, organizational development, and project management. 

Holding a Master’s degree in Russian and Post-Soviet Studies from the London School of Economics, she has worked at organizations including the Center for Citizen Initiatives supporting small-to-medium sized enterprises in Russia and the National Democratic Institute supporting political development programs in Kyrgyzstan.  She most recently co-founded the nonprofit organization Scientific Adventures for Girls based in Oakland, CA, USA. 

Languages: English, Russian

[email protected] |  Netherlands

Judith is a passionate development and humanitarian professional with over 8 years of experience working for actors ranging from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs to INGOs, where she was working on program design and development, policy development and program management in the fields of improved business development, access to the labor market through higher education, humanitarian aid and justice and security governance.

Holding a MSc in Conflict Resolution and Governance at the University of Amsterdam as well as a BSc in Political Science and a BA in Middle Eastern Studies from Leiden University, her experience focuses on fragile regions in the Middle East, South East Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, where she has lived and worked for the last couple of years for various NGOs.

She has extensive experience in developing and setting up projects, including scoping potential partners, finding the unique selling point and grant-writing. In terms of project implementation, Judith is highly passionate about working with those actors on the ground who can make a real difference.

Languages: English, French, Dutch, Arabic, Spanish

[email protected] | Amsterdam, Netherlands

Sofía is an Argentinian-Italian with 4+ years of experience in law and politics of international relations from a critical perspective with regard to power structures. She holds a Master’s in International Security, and has worked with governmental, non-governmental, and civil-tech startups in South America, the United States, and Europe.

Sofía started out in the field of human rights and international criminal law. A firm believer in disruptive, sustainable, and preventive approaches to security issues, her current focus is blockchain for social good. This includes analyzing the legal, political, and technical issues arising from blockchain applications to self-sovereign identity management, liquid democracy, and UBI.

Having contributed to a variety of initiatives through communication, research, and project management, Sofía’s desire is to promote and support new institutional frameworks in favor of decentralization of political and economic power.

Languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French

[email protected] |  Netherlands

Marloes is a development and human rights specialist with expertise in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the African continent. She focuses on women’s and minority rights, transitional justice, and business and human rights, including in volatile contexts. She has experience in program development and implementation, grant writing, strategy development and academic as well as policy-tailored research.

With an academic background in Transitional Justice and International Development, she has experience working with think tanks (European Centre for Development Policy Management), (I)NGOs, and in academia (Radboud University Nijmegen). Her passion lies in human rights, post-conflict recovery and rule of law in fragile contexts.

Marloes combines her analytical skills and a strong desire for effective and efficient international cooperation to create impactful, hands-on recommendations. Eager to understand her clients’ vision, strategy, and way of working, she will make sure to tailor her advise accordingly to achieve the best possible results.

Amsterdam, Netherlands  [email protected]

Laura is a passionate gender and sexual reproductive rights and freedoms advocate. Hailing from London and now based in Amsterdam, Laura has a background in academia, with an MA in philosophy and an MSc in logic. She has lived and worked with grass-roots community organizations and in London and Amsterdam, notably in the arts. She worked at one volunteer-run community cinema, the Star and Shadow, in Newcastle upon Tyne, and co-founded another (Deptford Cinema, in London).

In addition to her studies, she gained extensive experience in organizational development, editorial, program implementation, and fundraising in the community building, performing arts and publishing sectors. 

Well versed in human sexuality, gender, sexual and reproductive health rights (SRSHR) and LGBTQ advocacy, empowerment, Laura has supported organizations and individuals become the strongest versions of themselves and creating pathways and networks for self-expression in writing, artistic, and programmatic community outreach forms.

After her studies, she worked briefly in the tech industry before deciding to pursue her lifelong interest in feminist causes, particularly in the field of sexual rights and freedoms. She joins Catalystas as a junior-associate focused on grant writing and project design, with a particular emphasis on gender and sexual empowerment advocacy.

Languages: English, French, Dutch

[email protected] | Rotterdam, Netherlands

Alex is a dedicated finance professional with seven years of extensive experience in financial control and administration within international NGOs. He was born in Kenya, and currently lives in the Netherlands.

After attaining a Bachelors in finance in Kenya, Alex developed his international career. He has worked in dynamic project locations including Afghanistan, Syria, and South Sudan, and has worked with local and international partners across Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe. He has specialized in policy compliance, monitoring, preparation, and analyzing expenditure and budget reports for major donors like the EU, USAID, DANIDA, UN, and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His projects have touched on various social impacts, ranging from water and sanitation, to sexual health and reproductive rights, disaster response, and land rights.

His wide range of experience has given him the expertise to easily understand project proposals and translate them into feasible financial proposals.

Alex is continuously improving his professional skills, and is currently obtaining his MSc in Accounting and Auditing at the Erasmus School of Economics in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Languages: English, Dutch, Swahili