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MEET THE TEAM

MEET THE TEAM

Get to know the Womanity team

Shivani

SHIVANI GUPTA

Co-CEO AND PROGRAM DIRECTOR INDIA

Shivani brings more than 25 years of consulting, technology and development sector experience to Womanity. Having spent more than two decades with global consulting companies like Capgemini India, Shivani has deep experience in conceptualising business solutions and successfully implementing large complex business and technology transformations as well as in leading human resources integration programs.

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SHIVANI GUPTA

CO-CEO AND PROGRAM DIRECTOR INDIA

Shivani brings more than 25 years of consulting, technology and development sector experience to Womanity. Having spent more than two decades with global consulting companies like Capgemini India, Shivani has deep experience in conceptualising business solutions and successfully implementing large complex business and technology transformations as well as in leading human resources integration programs.
 
Shivani transitioned to the development sector a few years ago starting a long immersive journey leading her to the understanding of the developmental challenges, different approaches, systemic issues and ‘passion’ of the Indian development sector leaders. Prior to Womanity, Shivani was at Dasra where worked closely with adolescents centric issues and helped to strengthen non-profits focused on adolescents well-being, health, education and employability.

In addition to being the Co-CEO of the foundation, Shivani is deeply involved in our work in India. And has been instrumental in designing and overseeing our Women Land Rights Program in India.

 
Shivani is a qualified Cost Accountant and holds an MBA from Mumbai University.

LAURA SOMOGGI

CO-CEO AND WOMANITY AWARD PROGRAM DIRECTOR

She joined Womanity in 2017 to lead our program focused on prevention of violence against women and girls and had been supporting organisations working to advance women’s rights in Brazil, Cape Verde, India, Lebanon, Mexico, and South Africa.

Laura is an accomplished international development professional with a deep understanding of gender equality and equity and women’s rights, social impact, trust-based philanthropy, and strategic cross-sector partnerships. 

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LAURA SOMOGGI

CO-CEO AND WOMANITY AWARD PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Laura is the Co-CEO of Womanity Foundation and Womanity Award Program Director.

She joined Womanity in 2017 to lead our program focused on prevention of violence against women and girls and had been supporting organisations working to advance women’s rights in Brazil, Cape Verde, India, Lebanon, Mexico, and South Africa.

Laura is an accomplished international development professional with a deep understanding of gender equality and equity and women’s rights, social impact, trust-based philanthropy, and strategic cross-sector partnerships. She is a strong believer on the power of movements to drive social change and the importance of equitable partnerships between organisations in order to devolve power and decolonise development.

She has focused her last fifteen years of work on global projects that deliver positive social impact and brings both practical skills and a strategic approach to the process of change. She is especially adept at working in complex and multi-cultural environments, with a diverse set of decision makers, having led programmes in more than 15 countries.

She also sits on the boards of the Latin American Women’s Rights Service, in London, and of Right to Be (formerly Hollaback!), a global movement focused on ending harassment in all its forms.

For nine years, she has worked in Unilever where she managed global partnerships with international NGOs and UN agencies, including Save the Children and the World Food Programme. She also held a lead a role in the women’s empowerment agenda, which included a partnership with UN Women. Her experience in the corporate sector followed a ten-year career as business journalist in her home country, Brazil.

Laura holds an MSc in Organisational and Social Psychology from the London School Economics and BAs both in Business Administration and in Journalism.

AURELIA OVAN

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Aurelia Ovan has over 15 years of experience in multidisciplinary roles of administrative and event’s management, communication, and sociology research in private and non-profit sectors.
Aurelia started her career as a researcher in sociology and as a freelance consultant for the Geneva Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMCO).
Aurelia joined Womanity in 2007. She is now the Operations Director and works with the other heads to improve the working environment and business processes of the organisation. 

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AURELIA OVAN

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Aurelia Ovan has over 15 years of experience in multidisciplinary roles of administrative and event’s management, communication, and sociology research in private and non-profit sectors.

Aurelia started her career as a researcher in sociology and as a freelance consultant for the Geneva Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMCO).

Aurelia joined Womanity in 2007. She is now the Operations Director and works with the other heads to improve the working environment and business processes of the organisation. Her main responsibilities include handling the logistics of the organisation, preparing budgets, and overseeing the supervision of the team. She is responsible to organise all the events of Womanity including the prestigious charity galas in Geneva. She manages all the operations of the foundation as she is based at the Head Quarter in Switzerland and supports the team in various communication and fundraising tasks. She has worked for the Womanity Foundation almost since its creation. She has the longest memory of the foundation, along with the founder. Aurelia is an optimist by nature, a quiet force able to handle many complex and different situations in a day.

Aurelia holds a Master of Human Sciences in Sociology of Arts and Culture from the University of Grenoble and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Savoy. She is also very interested in the world of graphic design and has trained in this field.

VALENTINA DI FELICE

HEAD OF IMPACT AND LEARNING

Valentina Di Felice has an extensive experience in roles of progressive responsibility focused on the strategic design, management, and monitoring and evaluation of international development programs in the areas of women’s and girls’ empowerment and media for development. Working for Womanity since 2010, Valentina is now the Head of Impact and Learning, responsible to overview the impact of the foundation and of its programs, to lead knowledge management and learning processes and to oversee the organisational development work of the foundation. 

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VALENTINA DI FELICE

HEAD OF IMPACT AND LEARNING

Valentina Di Felice has an extensive experience in roles of progressive responsibility focused on the strategic design, management, and monitoring and evaluation of international development programs in the areas of women’s and girls’ empowerment and media for development.

Working for Womanity since 2010, Valentina is now the Head of Impact and Learning, responsible to overview the impact of the foundation and of its programs, to lead knowledge management and learning processes and to oversee the organisational development work of the foundation. Valentina also designed and supervises the Girls Can Code program, a ground-breaking vocational training in tech that aims to upskill girls in Kabul and facilitate their access to the labour market. For Womanity, Valentina designed B100Ragl series 1,2 and 3, a fiction series that mixes edutainment and entertainment messages to challenge gender stereotypes in Arab countries and co-designed the initial Business plan for Radio Nisaa, a commercial independent radio station (co-owned by Womanity) based in Ramallah that aims to contribute to gender equality in the Palestinian society.

She holds an MBA from the University of Geneva and a Master in Media Studies from the University of Bologna.

JOEYTA BOSE

GRANTS FUNDRAISER

Joeyta is a passionate advocate for women’s power and gender equality, with over 20 years’ experience in grants fundraising and business development. Most recently with Women for Women International UK, she began the organisation’s grants programme, leading the team to secure over £20 million from governments, foundations, and individuals towards transformative programming for women survivors of war. A senior leader with a strong track record of securing seven-figure, multi-year, strategic grants, she comes to Womanity with deep expertise…

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JOEYTA BOSE

GRANTS FUNDRAISER

Joeyta is a passionate advocate for women’s power and gender equality, with over 20 years’ experience in grants fundraising and business development. Most recently with Women for Women International UK, she began the organisation’s grants programme, leading the team to secure over £20 million from governments, foundations, and individuals towards transformative programming for women survivors of war. A senior leader with a strong track record of securing seven-figure, multi-year, strategic grants, she comes to Womanity with deep expertise in creating and managing grant cycles from prospecting through project design, bid writing and reporting; building collaborative teams and processes; and developing complex technical proposals with a high success rate.  

In a previous role, Joeyta worked at the International Women’s Tribune Centre in New York where she developed funding proposals; supported women’s rights organisations from conflict-affected countries to advocate at the United Nations; and coordinated grassroots women’s rights groups to develop radio dramas on women’s participation in rebuilding conflict-affected communities. Joeyta also worked as a staff writer and editor in Mumbai for the Indian Express, a leading national English daily in India. 

She holds an M.Sc in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. 

SABINE ROSSET

PARTNERSHIPS & EXTERNAL RESOURCES

Sabine Rosset holds a MA in Economics and Social Sciences from the University of Geneva. She began her career as a journalist for the Swiss television and private media. Pursuing her interest in the cultural sector, she led for the national cinema promotion agency in Zurich, the distribution strategies of Swiss films abroad.
 Since 2011, she is specifically focused on fundraising and advising philanthropic organizations in developing their partnerships and funding humanitarian programs.

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SABINE ROSSET

PARTNERSHIPS & EXTERNAL RESOURCES

Sabine Rosset holds a MA in Economics and Social Sciences from the University of Geneva. She began her career as a journalist for the Swiss television and private media. Pursuing her interest in the cultural sector, she led for the national cinema promotion agency in Zurich, the distribution strategies of Swiss films abroad.
Since 2011, she is specifically focused on fundraising and advising philanthropic organizations in developing their partnerships and funding humanitarian programs.
In 2016, Sabine joined the Womanity Foundation to strengthen the network of donors and investors in Switzerland, supporting social innovation benefiting women and girls around the world.

RUDO CHIKARA

WOMANITY AWARD PROGRAMME COORDINATOR

Rudo describes herself as a self-motivated and hardworking woman with a passion for giving marginalized and under-privileged communities a voice through research and advocacy – she is passionate about giving women a platform to be heard. Her work experience ranges from research and teaching to project management and business development.
 She has a BA in Sociology and Gender and a BA Honours in Gender and Transformation and both from the University of Cape Town. 

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RUDO CHIKARA

WOMANITY AWARD PROGRAMME COORDINATOR

Rudo describes herself as a self-motivated and hardworking woman with a passion for giving
marginalized and under-privileged communities a voice through research and advocacy –
she is passionate about giving women a platform to be heard. Her work experience ranges
from research and teaching to project management and business development. 
She has a BA in Sociology and Gender and a BA Honours in Gender and Transformation
and both from the University of Cape Town. She is currently finalising her thesis on the
‘Gendered experiences of migrant women from Zimbabwe living in Cape Town, South Africa’
for a Masters in Women’s and Gender Studies, at the University of the Western Cape.
 
She has more than five years of experience as a Researcher and has worked in corporate
and non-profit organisations as a Junior Researcher, Business Development Assistant. She
has also been engaged in various roles which included administration, project co-ordination,
research assistance and teaching Gender Studies courses at second and third-year level
within the Women’s and Gender Studies Department. 
  
Her personal interests include cooking, fashion, hair and make-up and also photography, art
and music. She was born in Zimbabwe but lives in Cape Town, South Africa, with her
husband and two young children.

LINZI SARKAR

SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER

Linzi joined Womanity Foundation in 2016, lending support towards implementation of the WomenChangeMakers program. Over the years she has undertaken various responsibilities to keep the program dynamic and efficient. She also played an integral part in developing and launching the Women Land Rights program in India and is currently deeply involved in its operation. CII Women Exemplar Award, 3M Young Innovators Challenge, Agami Prize were some of the other projects she was part of in her early years in the development sector.

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LINZI SARKAR

SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER

Linzi joined Womanity Foundation in 2016, lending support towards implementation of the WomenChangeMakers program. Over the years she has undertaken various responsibilities to keep the program dynamic and efficient. She also played an integral part in developing and launching the Women Land Rights program in India and is currently deeply involved in its operation. CII Women Exemplar Award, 3M Young Innovators Challenge, Agami Prize were some of the other projects she was part of in her early years in the development sector.

A cross over from the hospitality industry, Linzi is a Certified Hospitality Trainer and has served as a faculty member for esteem Hospitality Training Institutes across India. She is a gold medallist in Bachelors of Hospitality and Hotel Administration from Institute of Hotel Management Kolkata and is currently pursuing Masters in Gender and Development Studies from IGNOU.

Michelle

MICHELLE FARHAT

COMMUNITY MANAGER

Michelle Farhat holds an MS in Communications and Journalism from the Lebanese University. She has 10 years of experience in media and communication, translation and social media.

In 2020, Michelle joined The Womanity Foundation as community manager, responsible for managing and handling digital communications and content creation.

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MICHELLE FARHAT

COMMUNITY MANAGER

Michelle Farhat holds an MS in Communications and Journalism from the Lebanese University. She has 10 years of experience in media and communication, translation and social media.

In 2020, Michelle joined The Womanity Foundation as community manager, responsible for managing and handling digital communications and content creation. Michelle acts as the liaison between the foundation and its audience, providing community support, content distribution, and digital engagement to build online presence and trust.

Michelle has an extensive experience in content creation and journalistic writing, having worked at one of the leading televisions in Lebanon.

MOHAMMAD ZIA NOORI

PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, AFGHANISTAN

Mohammad Zia Noori joined the Womanity Foundation in September 2011 as program director in Afghanistan. He has over 18 years’ experience in program implementation, project planning, management, supervision, and budgeting, in the areas of education, child protection, health and hygiene education and promotion, community development, and girls’ education in technical subjects (computer literacy and coding).

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MOHAMMAD ZIA NOORI

PROGRAM DIRECTOR AFGHANISTAN

Mohammad Zia Noori joined the Womanity Foundation in September 2011 as program director in Afghanistan. He has over 18 years’ experience in program implementation, project planning, management, supervision, and budgeting, in the areas of education, child protection, health and hygiene education and promotion, community development, and girls’ education in technical subjects (computer literacy and coding).

His years of experience has honed him strategic communication and negotiation skills so that he can effectively serve as a liaison between different stakeholders including donors, HQ staff, local team and most importantly local communities and government officials for an implementation of programs centered in the values of cooperation and mutual respect.

Mohammad has been leading Womanity Afghanistan since 2011 navigating an extremely challenging socio-political context and supervising a team of staff and service providers.  

Before the Womanity Foundation, he worked for several national and international organizations including Save the Children, UNICEF, JVC and others. Noori holds several certificates in his areas of competences.

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