Meet the GINA team

Board of Trustees

Our team is a passionate group of individuals committed to improving the health and wellbeing of mothers and infants in emergencies. Each member brings a unique set of skills and expertise, working together to advance GINA’s mission

Reem Al Soufi - Chairwoman

Founder & Emergency Medicine Consultant
Reem provides overall leadership for GINA, driven by her passion for protecting breastfeeding and maternal mental health.
Erin Garcia - Vice Chair

Emergency Medicine consultant in Scotland and a humanitarian
Spent time in Gaza in previous missions with the MSF and has a practical understanding of healthcare set up in Gaza. Erin is passionate about supporting mothers of premature infants and supporting Gazan doctors develop as future healthcare leaders.
Simon Shemilt - Treasurer

Simon has over 15 years experience in strategic healthcare management within the National Health Service (UK). Simon’s career and educational background has often included supporting pioneering, progressive opportunities
Marianne White - Board Secretary

Midwife & Infant Feeding Advisor NHS Scotland
Marianne provides compassionate care to mothers and babies and offers mentorship support to healthcare staff. She is also the remote support team leader.
Nick Staite - Trustee

Strategy & Transformation Consultant
Nick supports GINA with strategy development and operational processes, inspired by his own experiences with breastfeeding advocacy.
Yafa Ajweh - Trustee

Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Training Lead
Yafa delivers lactation support directly to mothers in Gaza through GIBA’s remote service team and also leads GINA’s training programme for healthcare workers in Gaza.
Rachel Smart - Trustee

Journalist & Social Media Manager
Rachel manages GINA’s social media presence, using her background in politics and international relations to amplify the stories behind GINA’s work.
Alison Robb - Trustee

Community Breastfeeding Peer Supporter
Alison has over 13 years of personal breastfeeding experience and is passionate about empowering mothers to overcome challenges.
Sarah Hoey - Trustee

Humanitarian and a Biomedical Scientist (PhD)
Sarah is passionate about supporting mothers and children through GINA and is an advocate for children’s rights across the globe. She provides strategic planing and Fundraising support.
Emma Lee-Hutton - Trustee
Lorna McKerracher - Board Advisor

Neonatologist & Baby-friendly Initiative Lead NHS Scotland
Lorna shares her expertise in neonatal care and palliative support with her colleagues in Gaza, and is deeply inspired by their resilience.
Sandra Alder Killen - Board Advisor

Emergency Medicine Nurse and a Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
Sandra has extensive experience as an emergency nurse dispatched to several disaster zones and also as a lactation consultant, She spent time in Gaza in May 2024 and is due to return to Gaza on another mission in the near future.
Sandra is a champion of breastfeeding and supporting women and children.
Nour Abdeen - Board Advisor

Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Nutritionist
Nour advocates for breastfeeding, particularly for mothers of premature babies, and is dedicated to promoting the benefits of “Liquid Gold” for infants.
Dr Ameera Qudeih - Board Advisor

Ameera is a Palestinian doctor with passion for children rights and innovation. She was the first Breastfeeding team leader and a lactation advisor for GINA in Gaza (Nasser Hospital).
Ameera is currently pursuing a MSc in Public Health in Dublin and is continuing to support the Board in advisory capacity.

Executive Team

This diverse and dedicated team of volunteers works tirelessly to support mothers and infants in Gaza, combining their expertise and passion to create lasting change.

Dr Reem Al Soufi - Interim General Director (unpaid position)

Reem is an Emergency Medicine Consultant and a Scottish Clinical Leadership Fellow (2014). Her experience in Management and Leadership combined with her emergency medicine training complemented her passion for early years support including infant nutrition.
Dr Ruba Sulieman Kurd

Deputy Director and Financial Lead
Ruba is based in Gaza, she has an extensive experience in humanitarian work with international NGOs and is currently responsible for the operational delivery and finance. She is a doctor by background and a mother of 3 children.
Marianne White - Remote Service Lead (unpaid)

Marianne provides overall leadership to the Remote Service Team of Lactation Consultants, Infant Feeding Advisors and Interpreters. Her team of professional volunteers are providing 1:1 breastfeeding support for high risk mothers (mothers of premature infants, low birth-weight babies and twins/triplets).
Nick Staite - Strategic Planning and Innovation Lead (unpaid)

Nick has an extensive experience in operational strategy, process optimisation, and innovation leadership.
His background in strategic planning, business development, and cross-functional leadership positions him to accelerate GINA’s mission and success.
Rachel Smary - Communication Lead (unpaid)

Rachel manages GINA’s social media presence, using her background in politics and international relations to amplify the stories behind GINA’s work. She provides communication and media expertise and leads our communication policy implementation.
Yafa Ajweh - Training, development and research lead (unpaid)

Yafa brings her expertise as a seasoned IBCLC and academic to lead the development of training programme, mentorship and research.
Yafa is a PhD student in Nottingham University and has published and presented work on breastfeeding and maternal mental health support in emergencies.
TBC - Operational Manager (unpaid)

This role requires extensive experience within the charity sector, They will oversee GINA’s reporting requirements for the charity regulator OSCR and ensures fundraising is delivered ethically and in accordance with the fundraising regulator (UK).