Our Team

Steve has 18 years of experience working for the UK Government in domestic and international counter terrorism (CT) and counter violent extremism (CVE) focused roles including policy, program management, diplomacy, crisis response and strategic communications.

As Director of Programs, Steve is responsible for overseeing Hedayah’s capacity and capability building activity around the world, including working to build partnerships with countries facing extremism related challenges and supporting coherence between donor funded activities.

Prior joining Hedayah in August 2025, for the previous 4 years Steve was head of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Counter Terrorism Network for Sub Saharan Africa. Based in Nairobi, Steve was the UK’s Senior Official responsible for coordinating CT (and CVE) work across west, east, central and southern Africa. This included setting strategic direction, ownership and escalation of key risks, supporting UK Embassies to prepare for and respond to CT related crises and ensuring delivery of CT capacity and capability building on time, on budget and delivering impact against strategic objectives, working to enable coherence between civilian, police and military efforts.

Before this, in previous roles, Steve oversaw the establishment of UK counter violent extremism strategic communications capacity building functions, supporting countries in the Middle East, North Africa, Sub Saharan Africa, Asia and Europe to establish strategic CVE capabilities; in 2019 Steve established counter disinformation analytical capability in the UK Home Office; and in 2014 Steve led the UK’s CT work in Yemen, based in the British Embassy Sana’a

Akın joined Hedayah as a secondee from the Government of Türkiye in 2022, he has worked as a civil servant for the past 36 years.

At Hedayah, Akın oversees and manages the Research and Analysis department’s programs, initiatives and activities.

Before joining Hedayah, Akın worked in the Legal Advise Department of the Ministry of Interior of Türkiye for seven years. He started his career as a district governor for 13 years, then moved to the Public Procurement Authority of Türkiye where he spent another 12 years.

He holds a Master’s degree in public administration from the University of Exeter in Exeter, the UK, and a BSc from the Faculty of the Political Sciences of the University of Ankara in Ankara, Türkiye.

Nancy Hanna is an award-winning senior communications and content strategist with over 17 years of experience across federal and semi-government entities, regional and global media companies, and recently the international development sector. She has led impactful brand strategies at the local, regional, and global levels—driving audience engagement, forging strategic partnerships, and positioning brands with clarity and influence. Nancy brings a rare combination of creativity, strategic insight, and operational excellence.

Her areas of expertise include reputation and crisis management, public and media relations, internal and external executive communications, brand positioning and thought leadership, cross-platform content strategy and development, cultural change management, P&L oversight, and leadership advisory.

As Director of Corporate Communications at Hedayah, Nancy leads the development and implementation of the organization’s local and global communications and content strategies. She is responsible for strengthening Hedayah’s brand positioning, amplifying its programming, research, and policy impact, and driving meaningful engagement with international partners. Her work ensures that Hedayah remains a trusted voice and thought leader in the global counter-extremism and violent extremism landscape.

Before joining Hedayah, Nancy held senior leadership roles at organizations including Warner Bros. Discovery, the UAE Ministry of Education, Emirates Schools Establishment, Horizon FCB, JWT Worldwide, Arab Media Group, MTV Arabia & Nickelodeon MENA, and TBWA— Leading strategic communications across diverse sectors and global contexts, with a proven ability to navigate complex, multi-stakeholder environments and deliver measurable, lasting impact at both regional and global levels.”

Nancy holds a degree in Business Communications – Marketing, from the University of Wollongong-Australia.

Saoirse Gleeson is a Senior Communications Officer at Hedayah, working across communications strategy, content development, and project management. She supports the design and delivery of strategic communications across Hedayah’s programmes, translating policy and research into clear, accessible content for varied audiences.

She has experience in humanitarian, public sector, and media contexts, with a focus on programme visibility, storytelling, and coordination across multi-stakeholder initiatives in complex environments. Her work spans content production, donor communications, and public engagement from planning through delivery.

Saoirse holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management and a BA in Journalism.

Shurouq Jaradat serves as a Senior Specialist at Hedayah, where she supports communications, knowledge management, program coordination and implementation, and strategic outreach, ensuring coherence, quality, and alignment across the Department.

Shurouq brings over a decade of experience shaping foreign policy, advancing multilateral cooperation, and driving international public engagement. Prior to joining Hedayah, she served for eight years at the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, where she held senior roles as Senior Political Advisor and Speechwriter during the UAE’s tenure on the UN Security Council. She played a central role in shaping foreign policy on critical global challenges, including counterterrorism, peacebuilding, and regional stability. She brings extensive experience in research, cross-sector coordination, and diplomatic negotiations, including on the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

Shurouq holds a Master’s in Global Affairs from New York University and a BA in Journalism from the UAE University. She is also an alumna of the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholars Program.

Suha has over 15 years of experience in finance, administration, and grants management.

Suha joined Hedayah in June 2019 and currently serves as the Director of Finance. She is responsible for overseeing all grants day-to-day finance operations, managing the internal financial and accountancy controls of grants, developing budgets for grants proposals, ensuring compliance with Hedayah’s internal policies and procedures as well as donor financial management regulations, provide analysis and financial forecasting, building the financial capacity of grantees as needed, and supporting the team efforts in developing financial policies, processes and procedures to maintain effective financial and accounting controls.

Prior to joining Hedayah, she worked at several international NGOs and managed multi-million-dollar grants funded by the USAID in Jordan. Her main responsibilities were to oversee the financial management of programs, oversee and contribute to all financial aspects of grants management including reviewing and analyzing grant proposal budgets; training grantees on financial reporting templates and financial management of funds; review and audit grantees financial reports and ensuring compliance with grant agreement requirements.

Suha holds a Bachelor’s Degree and High Diploma in Banking and Financial Sciences, specializing in both finance and accounting, from Yarmouk University in Jordan.

Killian Gleeson has extensive experience in the fields of peacebuilding, humanitarian and development programming, and the prevention and countering of extremism and violent extremism. His professional experience spans diverse contexts, including Tunisia, Mozambique, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

He currently serves as a Program Associate at Hedayah, where he supports the design and implementation of initiatives to prevent and counter extremism and violent extremism, with a particular focus on socio-economic reintegration, and P/CEVE education.

Before joining Hedayah, Killian worked with the United Nations Peace Process Secretariat in Mozambique, supporting reconciliation and reintegration efforts. He also served with the World Food Programme, focusing on donor engagement and reporting.

He holds master’s degrees in Peace and Development Work from Linnaeus University (Sweden) and in Project Management from the University of Limerick (Ireland).

Valentina Crini is an international cooperation specialist with over 20 years of experience in humanitarian mine action, protection, and the prevention and countering of extremism and violent extremism.

She currently serves as Program Officer at Hedayah, where she contributes to the design and implementation of international programs. Valentina began collaborating with Hedayah in 2018 under the first phase of the European Union–funded Strengthening Resilience to Violent Extremism (STRIVE) Global program.

Before joining Hedayah, she held positions with European NGOs and UN agencies at both headquarters and field levels, with a focus on Africa and the Middle East.

Valentina holds a degree in Political Science and a Level II Master’s degree in Peacekeeping and Security Studies.

Gulru Jonbekova is a finance and grants management professional with over a decade of experience in financial compliance, budgeting, and donor-funded project management.

In her current role as a Finance and Grants Officer at Hedayah, Gulru oversees financial reporting and compliance for international programs, ensuring alignment with donor requirements and internal policies.

Previously, she held key finance and compliance positions at the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan and within various institutions of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), where she managed grants, budgets, and donor reporting for large-scale international development initiatives.

Gulru holds a Master’s degree in Business and Financial Analytics and is currently pursuing ACCA certification.

Hend Galal is a legal and procurement specialist with over a decade of experience in contract management, public procurement, and development cooperation.

She currently serves as Procurement and Contract Administrator at Hedayah, supporting procurement and contract oversight for international programs.

Hend began her career as a lawyer focused on civil and commercial contracts, then spent ten years managing procurement and contracts for government entities in the utilities sector. She worked on major infrastructure projects funded by KfW Development Bank, the European Union, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the World Bank, and Agence Française de Développement (AFD). She later joined the development sector through roles at the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and GIZ Egypt.

She is a fellow of the U.S. Department of State’s “Law & Business Fellowship Program,” holding a dual executive certificate from the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School and the Wharton School of Business. She also holds a Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation from AUC and is currently pursuing a Diploma in Public Procurement Management for Sustainable Development with the International Training Centre for the International Labor Organization (ITCILO).

Mrs. Abeer Makki serves as the Director of the Chairman Office at Hedayah. In this capacity, she provides critical support to the Chairman of the International Steering Board, ensuring that the strategic vision is seamlessly integrated across global operations while safeguarding institutional governance and strategic coordination.

A seasoned executive with a diverse experience spanning the private, government, and international sectors, Mrs. Makki manages high-level stakeholder relations and oversees the chairman’s most vital international engagements. Her role involves coordinating with local and international partners and representing Hedayah’s mission to prominent foreign officials and international delegates. Her career is defined by a commitment to diversity and a proven ability to manage complex external engagements on a global scale. She is the primary interface for international relations, coordinating complex engagements with governments and senior foreign officials to advance international cooperation in support of the Chairman.

Prior to her current post, Mrs. Makki held several executive roles and responsibilities, including:

• Hedayah Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism: Served as the Executive Affairs Manager, liaising and coordinating with strategic stakeholders and managing external engagements which included presenting the organization’s programs and activities to foreign officials and international delegations and organizations (e.g. NATO, GCC, UN, ICRC) as well as supporting the Chairman and Executive Director.
• Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK): Served as a Senior Specialist overlooking the team in the Chairman’s Office.
• Abu Dhabi Department of Transport: Managed the Chairman’s Office, facilitating institutional leadership.
• United Nations (UN-ESCWA): Contributed to regional economic and social initiatives.

Emma is a Program Manager in the Research and Analysis Department. She joined Hedayah in March 2022. Emma provides management support across the Department’s resources and programs.

Before Hedayah, Emma worked as a researcher and project manager in the international development and humanitarian field, conducting research, analysis and reporting while managing field research projects across Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Her work has previously focused on gendered challenges faced by children and youth in these contexts, including violent extremism.

Emma holds a Master’s degree from the University of Melbourne in Development Studies and from the University of Western Australia in International Relations, following on from a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Political Science.

Hafedh Dridi is a Program Manager at Hedayah, with over 14 years of extensive international experience implementing impactful projects across more than 23 countries across regions including North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, the Balkans, and Central Asia. He specializes in designing and leading complex, multimillion-dollar initiatives in stabilization, strategic communications, peacebuilding, and the prevention and countering of extremism and violent extremism leading to terrorism.

At Hedayah, Hafedh plays a pivotal role in strengthening government capacity, shaping national narratives, and driving behavior change through compelling storytelling and evidence-based strategies. Fluent in Arabic, French, and English, he effectively bridges diplomacy, development, and digital innovation—coordinating strategic efforts among governments, civil society organizations, and international partners to achieve sustainable and measurable impact.

Hafedh holds a degree in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing, from the University of Management & Economic Sciences in Tunis, and a professional certificate in Strategic Communications from the London School of Economics. As a recognized leader, he served as President of the Global Leaders’ Summit 2010 and held multiple leadership roles within AIESEC from 2004 to 2010.

A diplomatic leader and trusted collaborator, Hafedh mobilizes cross-cultural teams to deliver effectively in high-stakes political landscapes, forging sustainable, strategic partnerships to engage stakeholders and secure buy-in for policy, project, and program delivery in culturally and security-sensitive situations. He regularly convenes interdisciplinary collaborations within his role at Hedayah, connecting experts from diverse fields to develop innovative solutions to complex global challenges. Additionally, Hafedh is an Ironman triathlete—bringing exceptional discipline, dedication, and commitment to every endeavor he undertakes.

Emad Naser is an accomplished finance professional with over a decade of experience in General Ledger (GL) Support, internal controls, budgeting, grants oversight, financial management and donor compliance.

He currently serves as Accountant and Grants Associate at Hedayah, where he Manage and process financial transactions, reporting, and VAT in compliance with internal policies and donor regulations. He ensures accurate grants accounting, supports audits, and coordinate closely with the Finance team.

Prior to joining Hedayah, Emad has held progressive roles within GIZ, including Finance Manager, Internal Control Specialist, and Finance Officer. He also served in senior finance positions at Plan International, International Relief and Development, and on projects funded by USAID, the EU, and UNHCR. His expertise spans financial analysis, forecasting, VAT compliance, payroll oversight, and strategic budget planning in alignment with institutional and donor frameworks. Emad brings substantial experience in implementing and developing ERP and SAP systems, as well as digitalizing business processes using tools such as Winpaccs.

Emad holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and Commercial Law from the Hashemite University and is a Certified Finance Manager (CFM). He has also completed extensive training in budgeting, procurement, data protection, and financial systems.

Irene Belmonte is an international cooperation professional with over 20 years of experience working on the ground, providing technical support to governments and NGOs across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, the Sahel, West Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

She brings extensive experience in all phases of program management, from identification and design to implementation, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting, auditing, and reporting. Her thematic focus spans the prevention and countering extremism and violent extremism, as well as related areas including employment, entrepreneurship and incomes generation, education, women’s economic and political rights, prevention of gender-based violence, food security, rural development in post conflict contexts, and gender mainstreaming.

At Hedayah, Irene manages all aspects of the STRIVE Global program, funded by the European Union and has been active since 2015, as well as relationships and projects with governments, CSOs grantees, and EU delegations in 16 countries.

Prior to joining Hedayah, Irene held roles with the Red Cross, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development, the Spanish Center for Social Research (CIS), the Spanish Ministry of Industry, and the European Commission. She also has private sector experience in logistics and strategic human resources management, in addition to working with several other entities and companies. Additionally, Irene served as Country Representative for the Spanish NGO Paz y Desarrollo in Timor Leste for four years, with a particular focus on the designing and implementation of National Strategies for the prevention of domestic gender-based violence and rural development.

Irene holds a B.Sc. in Sociology with the specialization in quantitative and qualitative empirical social research techniques; a postgraduate Advanced Study Diploma in International Relations; Diplomas in Conflict Prevention and Risk Management from Complutense University of Madrid; a Diploma in Cooperation for Development from Autónoma University of Madrid; and a Master’s degree in Human Resources Strategic Management from EOI Business School in Madrid, Spain.

Farangiz is a Program Officer in the Research and Analysis Department. She joined Hedayah in February 2018. Farangiz leads and supports a number of department’s projects and programs, such as the Radical Right Phase II project seeking to test the efficacy of counter-narratives in the Australian and the US contexts, the project on the influence of COVID-19 in the Balkans, South-East Asia, East and West Africa, the Annual CVE Research Conference, and MASAR. Farangiz is also providing oversight for the Radical Right Counter Narrative Collection and the Counter Extremism Hub, both projects that are funded by EU STRIVE Global.

Prior to Hedayah, Farangiz worked at Delma Institute as a political analyst covering various regional issues. Her internship experiences include the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Royal United Services Institute.

Farangiz holds a Master of Letters in Terrorism Studies from the University of St. Andrews and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics with International Studies from the University of Warwick. Her Master’s dissertation focused on religious fundamentalism and empowerment of women as a method to counter violent religious extremism and radicalism in Tajikistan.

Lilah brings extensive experience in strategic communications, research, and program design and delivery. She currently serves as Senior Program Associate at Hedayah, where she leads a range of messaging, curriculum development, and capacity-building programs in multiple languages. Lilah also manages one of Hedayah’s flagship programs focusing on messaging for religious and community leaders.

Since joining Hedayah in 2013, Lilah has held multiple roles across the organization. For the past five years, she worked in the Programs Department, following nearly five years contributing to research and analysis, in addition to supporting the Executive Office, and serving as Hedayah’s legal translator. 

At Hedayah, Lilah focuses on messaging and counter-messaging through strategic communications for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as well as Central Asia, the Western Balkans, Southeast Asia, and East and Southeastern Africa. She has led and contributed to key resources and publications on strategic communications and messaging development in the context of countering extremism and violent extremism. Her work also explores the intersection of policy and gender, including efforts to advance women’s roles in prevention efforts.

Prior to joining Hedayah, Lilah served as a military field interpreter for the U.A.E. Armed Forces and Presidential Guard Command, with a particular focus on assisting female personnel. She also conducted Arabic and English language training programs at the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit #3, the American University in Cairo, and the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, and was contracted by the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, VA, USA.

Lilah holds two master’s degrees: one in Religion, Politics and Citizenship from the University of Eastern Piedmont Amedeo Avogadro and the University of Padua in (2020), and another in International Law, Diplomacy and International Relations from Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi (2016).

Fadi Hamad is a computer engineer with more than 13 years of experience in the IT field. Fadi believes that IT is one of the core elements in each organization nowadays; the more the IT infrastructure is efficiently built and kept secured with the right means, the more it will benefit the staffs’ day-to-day work results.

At Hedayah, Fadi has improved and enhanced the IT infrastructure by implementing new systems. He manages all the IT infrastructure and ensures the effectiveness of security solutions used at Hedayah. He supports the team and conducts training on newly implemented IT systems. He is responsible for deploying and implementing all IT-related policies and procedures.

Before joining Hedayah, Fadi has worked for several companies in the Middle East. His responsibilities enabled him to become a skilled computer engineer in networking, virtualization, VoIP and systems.

Fadi holds a BA in Computer Engineering from Near East University in North Cyprus, Turkey.

Experienced administrative management professional with over 13 years of experience in effective and comprehensive support to Senior Leaderships in fast-paced corporate environments. Elaine holds a BSBA in Business Administration and Marketing Management from Holy Angel University, Philippines and an Associate of Science in Criminal Justice, California Coast University, United States of America.

Elaine has been working in the UAE since 2008 and develops and maintains Hedayah’s Standard Operating Procedures on Event Management and manages all administrative and clerical support.

Although Elaine is a graduate in Business Management, she also has an interest in the field of CVE, in particular, the forced recruitment of child soldiers and arm conflict in the Philippines, this is due to personal experience in her family. Her interest in the CVE field opened when she was offered to work for Good Harbor International LLC on various HR and administrative duties in support of the enactment of the UAE’s first-ever Center of International Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism, Hedayah.

Masabo is responsible for managing day-to-day logistics within Hedayah, in addition to coordinating logistical operations and administration during Hedayah activities and conferences.

In 2009, Masabo began working at ARTE CASA in the UAE as a procurement executive. He worked closely on all procurement jobs, including placing orders and overseeing logistics. Since joining Hedayah, he has handled most of the procurement tasks and gained experience in sourcing and liaising with suppliers for Hedayah’s day-to-day needs.

Masabo spent ten years completing his education in Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Egypt. While at Al-Azhar, Masabo completed Arabic, Islamic studies and social studies graduating with a B.A. in the Department of Social Work and Community Development.

Bozhen Zhang is a Research Associate at Hedayah, where he contributes to the organisation’s research projects, cross-departmental initiatives, and online research tools.

Bozhen brings extensive experience in research, threat analysis, knowledge management, and project development across diverse regional and operational contexts. Prior to joining Hedayah full-time, he worked with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna on terrorism prevention, and with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Cairo on border governance. He has also published articles on various topics, including forced migration, ethnic relations, historical memory, and education for countering extremism.

A native Chinese speaker fluent in English and Arabic, Bozhen holds a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in International Relations from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Arab Studies from Peking University.