Our Board
Dr Neelam Raina
Dr. Neelam Raina is the Director of Research of Middlesex University and an Associate Professor of design and international development at Middlesex University, London. Her research interests include conflict, security, peace building, material cultures, gender, and livelihood generation in fragile, conflict affected states. Raina is a post conflict reconstruction expert with a focus on South Asia where she has conducted extensive empirical research over the last two and half decades. The Women, Peace and Security agenda is key to her research, as she seeks to foreground marginalised voices of women in fragile locations. She recently completed five year research project UKRI GCRF Gender, Justice and Security Hub as the director of the Culture and Conflict project that intertwines practice, research and policy into positive commercialised outputs with South Asian women. Raina works at the intersection of creative industry, income generation for women and peacebuilding as an economic anthropologist specialising in post conflict reconstruction.
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Dr Raina is a strong advocate for Afghan women and is the Director of the Secretariat to the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Afghan women and girls in UK parliament. Her research in Afghanistan is ongoing as she brings women’s tacit knowledge to commercially viable spaces from the confines of the home.
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Dr Raina has a PhD in Design and Development and a master’s in design and manufacture from De Montfort University, Leicester. From 2018-2021 she was the Challenge Leader for UKRI’s conflict and security portfolio for the Global Challenges Research Fund. Raina has been a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics at the Centre for Women, Peace and Security. She is the editor for the International Journal of Traditional Arts, and her new book ‘Creative Economies of Culture in South Asia – Performers and Craftspeople’ came out in Dec 2024.
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Area expertise: Afghanistan, Kashmir, politics of conflict transformation in the broader South Asian region
Working Languages: Kashmiri (Koshur), Hindi, English
Dr Chamindra Weerawardhana
Dr. Chamindra Weerawardhana is a decolonial feminist scholar, conflict transformation expert, and international human rights advocate with over 18 years of experience advancing social justice and civic space. Her work is dedicated to creating space for critical non-traditional ideas and epistemologies in Conflict Studies and IR, challenging oppressive structures and amplifying excluded voices, bridging the gap between high-level policy advocacy and grassroots mobilization.
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Chamindra's intellectual and practical work is rooted in nontraditional, decolonial feminist approaches to International Relations and Conflict Studies. Her research and field work, conducted in complex environments from Northern Ireland to Sri Lanka, critically examines peacebuilding, statecraft, and the dynamics of power. This scholarly foundation informs a relentless praxis—the practice of translating theory into action—that connects struggles for justice across the globe.
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As a practitioner, Chamindra is a recognized expert in international human rights advocacy, with a proven track record of engaging with UN Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures. She strategically leverages these mechanisms to hold powerful actors accountable and to advance the rights of marginalized communities. This expertise is matched by her deep commitment to social justice organizing at the local and regional level, having built and sustained movements across several countries, ensuring that global advocacy is firmly grounded in the leadership and needs of those on the front lines.
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Chamindra’s ongoing work is intrinsically interconnected with myriad sites of decolonial feminist resistance, maintaining solidarity and building bridges with movements from Aotearoa (New Zealand) to Kurdistan. She understands liberation as a pluriversal project, requiring a commitment to intersectional analysis and transnational solidarity.
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Previously, Chamindra has held roles including Senior Consultant with ILGA World, Director of Advocacy with MOSAIC MENA, and academic appointments at institutions including the London School of Economics and the University of Victoria. She is the author of Decolonising Peacebuilding (2018), and many other peer-reviewed journal articles, chapters in edited volumes and contributions to the Sri Lankan and international press. Chamindra is also a prolific public speaker, with a portfolio of international guest lectures and masterclasses. She is currently working on a new book, Feminism in the Age of Fascism. She is a commissioner at the LANCET Commission on racism, structural discrimination and global health. She is also a TEDx speaker. She hosts the Sisterhood in Politics podcast, as part of the Cojnsortium's ongoing programmatic priority on women's participation in party and electoral politics.
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She holds a PhD in International Politics from Queen’s University Belfast and her undergraduate and early postgraduate degrees from Université de Tours, France.
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Area Expertise: Sri Lanka, North of Ireland, Decolonial Politics of so-called Australia, Aotearoa, and Turtle Island, politics of the broader South Asian region, Decolonial Politics of the Sahel
Working Languages: Sinhala, English, French
Dr Charbel Maydaa
Dr Charbel Maydaa is a dedicated researcher, human rights defender, and humanitarian professional with over two decades of experience in the specific areas of gender justice, LGBTIQ+ rights, and emergency responses. Based in London, Dr Maydaa has worked extensively across West Asia, North Africa, and Central Asia, advocating for marginalized communities, particularly in conflict-affected societies. Dr Maydaa is a neuroscientist by training, and a social justice practitioner with a deep commitment to meaningful and inclusive social transformation.
Currently, Dr Maydaa serves as Co-Chair of ILGA Asia, the largest LGBTQI+ human rights federation in the Asian region. A former Executive Director of Helem, Dr Maydaa is also the founder and former Executive Director of MOSAIC MENA, a leading human rights organization in the #MENA region. Dr Maydaa has played a pivotal role in advancing #LGBTIQ+ rights regionally and globally, collaborating with organizations such as ABAAD on gender-based violence prevention, child protection, and emergency assistance programs for displaced communities. He has also carried out many specialist consultancies, on the wellbeing of minority communities in Islamic societies, gender politics and masculinities, and sport and human rights issues.
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Dr Maydaa is an alumnus of Université Paris Cité, where he completed his PhD, and of Université Saint Joseph de Beyrouth.
Area Expertise: Lebanon, SWANA region, Politics of migration and citizenship in the United Kingdom, SOGIESC rights in the broader South, East and West Asian regions
Working Languages: Arabic, French, English.
Ms Tiffany Wijepala
Tiffany Wijepala (she/her) is a second-generation sapphire dealer and creative entrepreneur working at the intersection of luxury, sustainability, and social responsibility. She is the founder of Christina Jewellery, a fine jewelry brand specializing in natural sapphires and bespoke design, and plays an active leadership role in her family company, Wijaya Gems.
Founded by her father, Pinsiri Wijepala, Wijaya Gems has long been a trusted high-profile name in Sri Lanka’s gem sector. Today, Tiffany continues to build on this illustrious legacy, evolving the company into a boutique-scale lapidary that employs eight skilled gemstone cutters — six of whom are women. Women form the backbone of Sri Lanka’s gem-cutting industry, and Tiffany is committed to ensuring their contributions are recognized and supported. At Wijaya Gems, cutters are provided fair wages, daily meals, and safe, comfortable working conditions — creating a workplace model that emphasizes both equity and well-being. In addition to lapidary operations, the family also operates a small-scale sapphire mine, where Tiffany has recently initiated educational mining tours designed to bring greater transparency to the gem supply chain and offer hands-on experiences for students, clients, and international visitors seeking to understand the ethical sourcing of gemstones.
Tiffany has also recently joined the Facets Committee of the Sri Lanka Gem & Jewellery Association (SLGJA), which organizes the country’s flagship international gem and jewelry trade exhibition. The 33rd edition of this annual Facets show will take place in January 2026, marking one of the most significant global gatherings for dealers, designers, and collectors. Tiffany looks forward to contributing to this platform that brings together Sri Lanka’s gem heritage and international trade.
A recipient of the Tiffany & Co. Foundation full scholarship to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Tiffany is pursuing her Graduate Gemologist diploma in Carlsbad, California, beginning in 2025. Through her academic work, jewelry brand, family enterprise, and industry involvement, she is building a profile that bridges fine jewelry with corporate social responsibility, sustainability priorities, and climate justice.
Her work emphasizes transparent supply chains, inclusive workforce development, and the empowerment of women in business. With a vision to connect local heritage with global standards, Tiffany continues to advocate for an ethical and sustainable future in the gem and jewelry trade.
Outside of her professional commitments, Tiffany is also a licensed private pilot, reflecting her passion for exploration, independence, and charting bold new horizons — values she carries into both her business and her advocacy.
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Tiffany is an alumna of the University of Victoria (Lək̓ʷəŋən Territory, British Columbia, Turtle Island/Canada) and is currently pursuing her Graduate Diploma in Gemology at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Carlsbad, California, on Tongva Land.
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Subject Expertise: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Business and Human Rights, Gemmology, International business ventures, entrepreneurship, sustainability, women in business
Working Languages: English, Sinhala