FGM and other forms of Gender Based Violence (GBV) ends when local level activists, influencers, medics, religious leaders and journalists take to the airwaves calling for the practice to stop. The GMC backroom team below supports grassroots activists with media training, both in-country and online, with our specially developed media masterclasses.
We train activists to run powerful anti-FGM campaigns where powerful influencers such as religious leaders and doctors speak out on the media, condemning the practice.
Our Triple-A Activists
Our ‘Triple A’ Activists:
Triple A activists are GMC graduates and seasoned End FGM campaigners coordinating activities within their countries.
Kenya: Peter Kemei
Nigeria: Ayo Bello
Sierra Leone: Lucy Anne Ganda
The Gambia: Mam Lisa Camara
Somalia: Ifrah Ahmed
Ethiopia: Hassan Istillah
Mali: Oumou Toure
Guinea: Dr. Morissanda Kouyate
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Sadia Isaack – Consultant on Impact Studies
Our background team
Maggie O’Kane – Co-Founder and CEO
Alex Kalaiya – Director of Fundraising
Jeremiah Kipainoi – Director of Communications
Kenneth Mohammed – Global Director of Finance and Operations
Dee Lukic – Finance Manager
Phaedra Boulanger – Programme Manager, Sierra Leone and Liberia
Lea Blanc – Programme Manager, Guinea Bissau
Mary Gituku – Programme Manager, Kenya
Caz Stuart – Filmmaker
Board of Trustees
Deborah Lincoln - Chair
Deborah Lincoln is a Communications, Public Affairs and Corporate Responsibility professional working across the private, public and voluntary sectors. She was SVP, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs International, Warner Bros. Entertainment (2007-2020), and before that headed Communications for Pearson (then owner of FT and Penguin Books). She was Political Adviser to Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and previously led The Labour Party’s women’s organisation, developing policy and campaigns to increase the representation of women. She also worked in senior roles for national charities including MacMillan Cancer Relief, The Prince’s Trust and Prince’s Foundation (HRH The Prince of Wales) and Friends of the Earth.
She is an experienced non-executive Trustee – she is Chair of The Guildhall School Trust, Chair of Stage One, Co-Chair of Political Quarterly, Trustee of The Orwell Foundation. She was previously Chair of Watford Palace Theatre and a Trustee of Oxford School of Drama. She has an MSc Econ in Politics from the LSE.
Julia Cook - Deputy Chair
Julia is the CEO and founder of Change Management Group (“CMG”), a multi-national management consulting firm, Headquartered in London, with 30 years in leading corporate transformation programmes for major international corporations and SMEs all round the world. Prior to founding CMG, Julia held leadership roles with EYand Walt Disney.
She is a Trustee of two small NGOs that address human rights injustices, the Consortium for Street Children, which she chaired for six years, and GMC, where she serves as Deputy Chair. She previously served on the two related boards: the Presidents International Advisory Board to Vassar College, where she focussed on international engagement; and Oldfields School, where she has created scholarship programs and is supporting a significant transformation. Julia holds a BSc in Anthropology from Vassar College, New York and an MSc in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from HEC, Paris.
Musikilu Mojeed
Musikilu Mojeed is an award-winning Nigerian investigative journalist and the Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, one of Nigeria’s leading independent news outlets. He is renowned for his work exposing corruption, human rights abuses, and organized crime, both in Nigeria and globally. A former Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University and Ford Foundation Fellow at CUNY, Mojeed has played key roles in landmark international investigations such as the Panama Papers, for which he shared in a Pulitzer Prize. He also serves as president of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria chapter.
Mojeed is the author of The Letterman: Inside the ‘Secret’ Letters of Olusegun Obasanjo, a widely praised 2022 book that explores decades of personal and political correspondence by Nigeria’s former president. He is a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), sits on global journalism award juries, and has launched citizen-focused initiatives like Nigeria Police Watch. His work continues to shape investigative journalism standards and promote press freedom across Africa.
Sadia Hussain
Sadia Hussein is a courageous Kenyan activist and survivor of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), who has become one of the continent’s most powerful voices in the fight to end the practice. Having been cut at age 10 and experiencing further trauma during childbirth, Sadia turned her personal pain into purpose. She broke with her community’s expectations and vowed to protect her daughters from the same fate, becoming a rare voice in a region where speaking out against FGM can invite hostility, rejection, or worse. Her experience of survival not only gave her a deep understanding of the issue but ignited a lifelong commitment to change the norms surrounding it.
Sadia founded the Brighter Society Initiative (BSI Kenya) and helped establish the Dayaa Women’s Group, both of which work at the grassroots level to educate girls, engage elders, and train community leaders and traditional cutters to abandon the practice. She has written two books, The Hidden Scars of Female Genital Mutilation and A New Dawn for Children, and she is an active advocate in national and global forums. In 2021, Sadia was honoured with the Commonwealth Points of Light award by Queen Elizabeth II for her exceptional work. Sadia’s activism is rooted in the belief that ending FGM is a matter of human rights, and she leads with a survivor’s clarity: that no child should ever be harmed in the name of tradition. Her voice continues to inspire survivors, challenge governments, and push the world toward a future free of FGM.
Martin Doyle
Martin Doyle has been the Headteacher (and Governor) of two large North London special schools, one all-age, and one secondary, covering a period of 23 years. His teaching career stretches to 44 years. He sits on many Council statutory advisory bodies, including Schools Forum and the Safeguarding Children’s Partnership.
He is a trained volunteer in NVR (Non-Violent Resistance). His qualifications include BA (Hons) English, RSA/TEFL, PGCE, Adv. Diploma/SEND, and National Professional Qualification for Headship. Prior to taking up his first teaching post, Martin volunteered with Campus Community Holidays, which provided residential experiences for Islington children on IT (Intermediate Treatment) orders and until recently, a longstanding trustee on the board of the Noah’s Ark Children’s Venture charity at Macaroni Wood. Martin is currently Chair of his local Islington Friends of Green Spaces Committee.
Caroline Noon
Caroline is a highly experienced insight and research professional. She has over 30 years in research, from working in leading agencies (TRBI, Synovate – now IPSOS), to co-founding her own agency. Elected as a Fellow of the Market Research Society, and a Board Member for the Association for Qualitative Research (AQR) Caroline focuses on developing skills training and thought leadership across the sector. Caroline specialises in providing clients with research-based insights that drive innovation and strategic decision making. She has worked extensively with global brands through to third sector organisations, and is focused on exploring people’s motivations and behaviours in the service of growth and development. Caroline has a BSc in Political Science and French from Manchester University.
Chris McGarry
Chris McGarry is a graduate (LLB (Hons), 2000) of Edinburgh Law School and qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2004. Chris is a finance lawyer with a specialism in securitisation and sustainability matters and he is ranked in the Legal 500’s “Hall of Fame” for securitisation. Chris is a partner at Mayer Brown LLP in London and was previously a partner at White & Case LLP for eight years having first made partner at Ropes & Gray LLP in 2015. In 2018 Chris served as a Knowledge Partner in the G20’s Sustainable Finance Study Group and in that role he co-authored a white paper on sustainable securitisation, the main proposal in which was adopted by the European Central Bank in 2021. Chris started helping GMC Charity to End FGM in 2019/2020 (after reading Dexter Dias’s book “The Ten Types of Human”) when Chris and GMC collaborated with UN Women to launch an ambitious initiative to develop the model for sovereign gender equality bonds (Sustainable Development Goal 5 or SDG 5 bonds).
The pandemic and subsequent geopolitical events interrupted these efforts but the model for sovereign SDG bonds which they proposed has developed, with issuers including Mexico, Indonesia and Benin coming to market. Chris joined the board in April 2025.
Lucy Palmer
Lucy Palmer is a global health and gender specialist. She is currently Technical Director for International Health in a global consulting organisation. She has experience working to address FGM and other harmful practices such as child marriage within Ethiopia, and has skills in provider learning and performance management, social and behavioural change, project management, leadership and fundraising. She has led technical assignments for Gavi, the Global Vaccine Alliance, and UNICEF, and has led large multi-year programmes funded by the UK government. She is currently based in Perth Australia.
Lucy started her career as a diplomat in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and later worked for the then Department for International Development in making modern methods of contraception available in Pakistan. Lucy has a Masters of Science in Population and Development from the LSE.
Stephen Dawson
Stephen Dawson is a British investor and social-sector pioneer who co‑founded Impetus Trust (now Impetus‑PEF) in 2002 alongside Nat Sloane, bridging the worlds of private equity and philanthropy to help disadvantaged young people in the UK. Prior to this, Dawson spent around three decades at ECI Partners – a London‑based private equity firm where he served as non‑executive chairman until retiring around 2014 – helping shape the early UK venture capital industry. Motivated by a two‑year stint volunteering as a teacher in Madagascar, Dawson brought deep convictions around education and social mobility to his philanthropic work.
At Impetus‑PEF, Dawson helped develop a venture‑philanthropy model focused on what he called “impact first, then scale.” He and Sloane not only funded but also personally supported grantees, prioritising evidence, leadership, and sustainability in charitable organisations. In recognition of his contributions to the voluntary sector, Dawson was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2011. He holds a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, where he cultivated a lifelong interest in evidence-based problem solving.
Virginia Henley
Virginia is a charity law solicitor and partner at international law firm, Penningtons Manches Cooper, where she heads the Charities and Not-for-Profit team. She is a specialist in all aspects of charity law and governance and sits on the Charity Commission Interim Manager panel, having taken up numerous appointments to work with failing charities. She has a law degree from Jesus College, Cambridge and a Masters in Pre-Raphaelite art and literature from Oxford University. In her spare time, she is a keen musician and loves the outdoors. She is a trustee of many charities and a school governor. A lifelong optimist, she strongly believes in the power of charities and the people who work and volunteer within them to make the world a better place.
Jeremy Cox
Jeremy Cox is a Chartered Accountant who qualified with Brebners, a firm known for its specialism in the media and entertainment sector. Through his qualification, he developed a focused expertise in the financial, audit, and tax nuances unique to creative industries such as music, film, publishing, and entertainment enterprises.
Currently serving as Finance Director at a London-based consultancy, Change Management Group (CMG), Jeremy draws on his Brebners foundation to support transformation initiatives within client organisations. Prior to joining CMG, he held finance positions with creative clients including V2 Music Group and Universal Music Group, along with a range of fast-growing music and media start-ups. His experience spans international markets – including the UK, US, and Far East – equipping him with global perspective and commercial agility in financial leadership roles. Jeremy earned a BA in History from Royal Holloway, University of London
Advisory Board
Alan Rusbridger
Alan Rusbridger is a renowned British journalist and former editor-in-chief of The Guardian (1995–2015), where he led major investigations including the Edward Snowden NSA leaks and the phone-hacking scandal. Under his leadership, The Guardian won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and became a global digital news platform.
He later served as Principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford (2015–2021), and chairs the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Rusbridger is also a member of Meta’s Oversight Board and editor of Prospect magazine. He is the author of several books on journalism and a strong advocate for press freedom and digital accountability.
Alan Tieger
Alan Tieger is a highly experienced U.S. lawyer and veteran war crimes prosecutor who began his international career as one of six founding trial attorneys at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in May 1994. He served as a senior prosecutor through key cases – including the first ICTY trial, Prosecutor v. Tadić, and major prosecutions of leaders such as Radovan Karadžić, Ratko Mladić, Momčilo Krajišnik, and Biljana Plavšić.
Before his ICTY role, Tieger worked for the U.S. Department of Justice in the Civil Rights Division (1987–1994), leading cases on racial violence and police brutality, including the Rodney King prosecution. More recently, he has served as a Senior Prosecutor at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, focusing on the trial of Hashim Thaçi et al., and was awarded the prestigious 2023 M.C. Bassiouni Justice Award in recognition of his decades‑long contributions to international criminal justice.
Dr Tobe Levin
Dr Tobe Levin von Gleichen is an eminent scholar, translator, and feminist activist known for her pioneering work against female genital mutilation (FGM). She earned a PhD in comparative literature from Cornell University in 1979 and also holds an MA in French from New York University (Paris) and Université Paris III.
Levin is Founder and CEO of UnCUT/VOICES Press, a Frankfurt-based publisher focused exclusively on FGM-related literature. She served as a professor of English at the University of Maryland University College and is currently an Associate at Harvard’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research and a visiting research fellow at Oxford’s International Gender Studies Centre. Levin also co-founded FORWARD-Germany in 1998, and has been recognized with prestigious awards including the Ingrid Gräfin zu Solms Human Rights Award and the Olympe-de-Gouges Prize. Over four decades, Levin has combined scholarship and activism to shape FGM discourse and policy internationally, writing, translating, editing, and teaching across multiple languages and cultural contexts.
Dr Hillary Burrage
Dr Hilary Burrage is a distinguished British sociologist and writer based in London. She serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Buehler Center for Health Policy and Economics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, though she is primarily UK‑based. Her early research covered women in science and educational equity; more recently, her work has focused on environmental sustainability, urban regeneration, and the economic and social systems underpinning inequality and patriarchy.
Dr Burrage is best known for her groundbreaking publications on female genital mutilation (FGM), including Eradicating Female Genital Mutilation: A UK Perspective (2015) and Female Mutilation (2016), as well as chapters in major academic handbooks on women’s sexual and reproductive health and harmful cultural practices. She has consulted for The Guardian’s #EndFGM campaign, advises the Global Media Campaign to End FGM, and is recognized with honors such as the 2016 Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Award and fellowship of the RSA (FRSA)
