Welcome to new board members

Beyond Conflict welcomes new board members and advisors

We are delighted to announce the following appointments at Beyond Conflict, the mental health charity for conflict zones: Canon Ed Newell, Principal of Cumberland Lodge, John Tress, Assistant Director in International Development at PwC, Dr Kishan Manocha, from the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) and finally, Robert Craig of Howard Kennedy law firm in London.

Beyond Conflict proudly welcomes our distinguished members to the board and team of international advisors. We are honoured to have Canon Edmund Newell join us as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Ed is Principal of Cumberland Lodge, the educational foundation that seeks to build more inclusive societies in Britain and globally by leading a dialogue on the biggest issues facing the world today, including freedom of religious belief and expression, international security and inter-faith dialogue. He is former Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral and Sub-Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. Ed had this to say on why he has joined:

“The well-being of people who’ve suffered trauma because of war – particularly children – is something that’s always concerned me, having seen the long-term impact of two world wars on my own family. I’m also aware that talking therapies can be of enormous benefit to those experiencing mental ill-health. I’m therefore delighted to be part of Beyond Conflict, and to help lead its drive to providing much-needed psychiatric care and training in today’s war-zones. This will not only have impact now, but for generations to come.”

Also joining the board as finance and compliance trustee is John Tress, Assistant Director in International Development at PwC, the global professional services network. A chartered accountant by training, John advises on the design and management of international development funds. He has established, advised or partnered with a number of not-for-profit organisations over the course of almost 10 years in the international development sector, working with US Aid and the UK’s DFID on projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars. John had this to say about the importance of Beyond Conflict’s work:

“I’ve joined Beyond Conflict because at home and abroad we have overlooked the importance of mental health for too long. I’m delighted to be able to support an organisation that wants to change that in some of the most troubled contexts around the world.”

Dr Kishan Manocha has joined our international board of advisors. Kishan is a Senior Adviser on Freedom of Religion or Belief at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. He has extensive experience dealing with religious freedom issues around the world and is a former Visiting Research Fellow at the Carr Centre for Human Rights at Harvard University and Fellow of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies.

Finally, Robert Craig is our legal counsel. Robert is a charity law specialist and consultant at Howard Kennedy, a leading law firm in London. Robert is a member of the Charity Law Association. While chairman of the trustees of one of London’s independent museums, Robert oversaw a major development project in the period 2005-10. He is now Vice President of the museum and trustee of a number of other charities.

Beyond Conflict Co-Founders Edna Fernandes and Dr Saleh Dhumad said of the appointments: “We are delighted and honoured to have Ed join us as Chair of the Board of Trustees, John as our financial trustee and Kishan and Robert on our Board of Advisors. It is a stellar line-up. We look forward to working as a team to deliver our objectives on the ground.”

With the core team in place, including fellow trustee Professor Martin Parsons, Beyond Conflict is working on its first fundraiser that will be announced very shortly. Our CAF Bank charity bank account will be open for donations any day now. Please find us on Facebook and Twitter and forward on the link and “like” the page and do get in touch if you want to help.

Thank you.