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] |  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] | Amsterdam, Netherlands

Ambika has specialised experience in research and programme management globally. She has conducted research on youth in Canadian rural cities, conducted democratic governance research in Moldova, and has experience running educational programmes for disadvantaged youth in India. She has experience working with global organisations to analyse the Women, Peace and Security agenda and institutional inequality and also writes for several think tanks to advocate for intersectional gender equality. She is particularly focused on the intersection of youth and women and is dedicated to increasing their access to decision-making spaces. She volunteers her time with Women of Colour Advancing Peace and Security – France by organising events, researching international affairs, and coordinating with partners across the world.
With a Bachelor’s degree from Canada in Biomedical Science and a Masters degree from France in International Security focusing on project management and global risks, Ambika aims to view problems through an interdisciplinary lens, emphasizing an intersectional approach to issues across the board in order to help ensure a comprehensive and fair assessment of situations.

Languages: English, French, Hindi, German.

[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