If you've worked in humanitarian contexts in the last 10 years, you know about Isadora Quay even if you've never heard her name. Our Chief Executive created Rapid Gender Analysis, the CARE Gender Marker, initiated the Fatima Light App, and the Women Lead in Emergencies approach. She is, quite simply, a force of nature. Her work is used by the United Nations, universities, NGOs, and civil society. For the past decade, Isadora developed CARE International's work on Gender in Emergencies. Isadora speaks French and teaches at Science Po, Paris. With a passion for business as well as social justice, Isadora led the Gender in Emergencies Training Institute for seven years, which generated an 8x return on investment and provided learning to over a thousand people.

Siobhán Foran is a unicorn: she is a world class expert in both Gender in Emergencies and Gender-Based Violence Risk Mitigation. She is the Senior Gender and GBV Expert at the Gender in Emergencies Group. For the past 15 years, Siobhán has been working on gender, diversity inclusion, localisation, protection and GBV prevention, mitigation and response.  She has a rare gift for creating accessible tools and approaches that work.

In 2007, Siobhán was one of the architects of the first IASC Gender Marker. In 2012, she was invited to join the INSPIRE Consortium in the development of a Gender-Age Marker for DG ECHO. She is organised, structured and meticulous in her work, while at the same time propositional and innovative.  Everyone loves working with Siobhán: she is always in high demand for her ability to elevate work and her capacity to support and lead others in a gentle and principled way. Siobhán is based in Dublin, Ireland.

Zha Min is a joy to work with: she makes training experiences better for both learners and for the facilitators too. She is the Senior Learning and Development Expert with the Gender in Emergencies Group. Zha excels at creating learning experiences that foster community as well as impact. She is dedicated to making sure that everyone who starts a course has the best possible chance to finish it.  

She is a specialist in peer learning approaches which help organisations achieve impact at scale. She has developed and delivered over 30 online learning programs for over 3000 frontline professionals in global health, gender and humanitarian contexts, from conception to impact evaluation.  She has a Master of Science degree in education from Oxford University. She is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Zha is fluent in more languages than anyone else in the team. She speaks English, French and Mandarin Chinese. She can be found working on English and French learning designs and delivery at the GiE Group.

Kathleen O’Brien is a founder and Director of the Gender In Emergencies Group and draws upon more than 3 decades working in international development and humanitarian assistance. In that time she has held senior leadership roles in HR, Marketing, Communications, and Program Management.  

Since 2012 she has identified specialists to support urgent crises around the globe more than 1500 times.  Kathleen’s overall strengths lie in social justice program management.  With a particular talent for relationship-building and finding win-win solutions, she has led significant growth (size, scope, sophistication) in every senior role she has held.Always passionate about making a difference, Kathleen is adept at engineering positive outcomes for stakeholders tackling situations of adversity.  

As a Director in the GiE Group she aims to add value to the experience of both clients and gender specialists as they work together for a more equal world.She is committed to responsiveness at speed and believes that relationships of trust are what make everything work. She holds an Honours degree in French and Spanish Literature from Carleton University, Ottawa, and speaks English, Spanish and French.

Leila is a GBV specialist, a senior gender equality advisor, and a computer engineer who brings a mix of technical insight and feminist politics to humanitarian work. She has spent more than a decade strengthening GBV prevention, gender analysis, and inclusive programming across the Middle East, Latin America, and East Africa. She is known for her sharp analytical work, her principled approach to equity, and her ability to turn complex content into practical guidance that teams can actually use.

Leila is also part of the growing movement for feminist and ethical AI in humanitarian settings. She is collaborating with the GiE group to develop safe and context aware AI tool that help teams conduct Rapid Gender Analysis in emergencies without compromising ethics or safeguarding.

Her role bridges her engineering and gender expertise in a way that is unusual in the sector and increasingly needed.Leila has advised UNICEF, UN Women, UNRWA, NRC, IRC, CARE International, ChildFund, and the IOM on GBV risk mitigation, gender marker, gender analysis, gender transformative programming and strategies. She also collaborates with the Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley, leading participatory research with LGBTQI+ refugee children and adolescents in Colombia.

Leila is committed to intersectional feminist practice that shapes everything she does. She is Lebanese, fluent in Arabic, English, and Spanish, and is based in Mexico City.  

Salma HBABOU is a Junior Consultant Intern at GiE Group. She holds a Master’s degree in Global Affairs and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.

Her work and research focus on preventing and countering violent extremism, migration governance, and the reintegration and rehabilitation of women affected by extremism.

She has experience in research, consultancy, and program support in international and humanitarian settings. Passionate about gender, peace, and security, she is committed to advancing inclusive and gender-responsive approaches in crisis and recovery contexts.