With the recent addition of new members, the board continues to guide and govern the organization through its various expertise in line with AfD’s new strategic vision, which was set in 2017.
Anna D. Tomasi
Board Director
Anna holds a LL.M. in International Human Rights Law & Practice (UK), a LL.B. in European and Transnational Law (Italy), as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Child Rights (Argentina).
She worked as Global Advocacy Coordinator for an international NGO, Defence for Children International, where she spearheaded the campaign for the United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty before moving to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as Study Advisor. Anna has carried out a number of assignments in the area of children’s rights, criminal justice, international advocacy and policy development with UNICEF, World Vision International, the Policy Research Institute and Child Rights Connect, inter alia. She also worked for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Argentina.
Qudratullah Shafiq
Founder and CEO
Qudrat is a specialist in public health, community-based development, procurement, supply chain management and donor coordination. He holds a MD and a MBA, having 16 years of professional experience in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, South Africa and Switzerland, where he currently resides.
He established AfD as a non-profit organization in Geneva in 2014; he oversees the effective implementation of AfD’s portfolio including monitoring and evaluation of the public health services in Afghanistan as well as the selection, supply and distribution of health products.
He chairs staff meetings and coordinates donor activities, strategically planning and budgeting initiatives in line with the organization’s mission.
Federica Bertacchini
Deputy Board Director
As an 12 + years experienced project and change management practitioner, Federica has been employing her know-how in communications, partnerships, advocacy and resource mobilisation at the service of the United Nations, the NGO world and the private sector.
Besides holding a Master of Arts in Public,social and political communication from the University of Bologna (Italy),Federica attained an Executive certificate in Advocacy in internationalaffairs from the Graduate Institute (Geneva, Switzerland) and a Prince2 certification for Project Management. For over eight years, she worked for various UN organisations based in Denmark, Switzerland, and Myanmar. By helping public and private organisations to strengthen their business plans, fundraising strategies, online presence and written and multimedia content, Federica commits her expertise to make the world a better place, one working day at a time. Currently, Federica manages the communication and results’ dissemination of several EU-funded Research, Development and Innovation projects that bridge the gap between academia and industry application.
Emilia Saenger
Board Secretary
Emilia has a PhD in Science Education for the Unversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – Brazil. She has a Master in Projects Management and a great deal of experience in governmental administration. Ms Saenger has been serving at Ministério da Saúde, as Project Manager, and as a Science and Technology Analyst at Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, in Brasil.
Engaging in an action towards building cooperation and social assistance through Ministry of Social Development & Fight Against Hunger Emilia managed the social affairs and external coordination of the UNDP funded project. At AfD, Emilia is overseeing the coordination and activities related to board functions, supports the board and the management teams with maintaining clear records of the AGMs, overseas compliance with laws, articles of incorporation and regulations. Further than that, Ms Seanger is responsible for the administration and finance of the organisation where she is the focal point for managing contracts in accordance with the terms and conditions,, provide support in the areas of policies and bi-laws.
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