OUR PEOPLE & LEADERSHIPMeet the team
With personal experience of working in high-risk, fragile environments, the CTG team knows what it takes and are here to support both clients and consultants
Alice Laugher
Chief Executive Officer
Alice Laugher
Chief Executive Officer
Lord Westbury
Chairman of the Chelsea Group
Lord Westbury
Chairman of the Chelsea Group
Lady Willcocks
Deputy Director of Post Conflict People
Lady Willcocks
Deputy Director of Post Conflict People
Claus Haugaard Sørensen
Senior EU Advisor and former Danish diplomat
Claus Haugaard Sørensen
Senior EU Advisor and former Danish diplomat
Alice Laugher
Chief Executive Officer
Alice Laugher
Chief Executive Officer
Alice is passionate about what CTG stands for: Committed To Good. A vocal advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals, Alice leads by example to ensure women play a broader role in humanitarian projects in high-risk environments by spearheading the CTG Female First initiative. She is the winner of the Oslo Business For Peace For Award, as well as being an SDG Pioneer for the Empowerment of Women in Conflict Settings awarded by the UN Global Compact. She has 20 years of experience managing operations in challenging environments. From the day that Alice stepped into Iraq, in 2003, she felt a certainty that she was meant to work assisting communities, particularly local people, of fragile and conflict-affected countries. Over the years she has expanded CTG’s operations from an Afghanistan focus to 25 countries.
Alexander Bethell
Non-Executive Director
Alexander Bethell
Non-Executive Director
Former Senior Vice President of CTG, Alexander was responsible for overseeing CTG’s business strategy and managing the company’s humanitarian client relationships globally. Alexander started at CTG in 2010 as an Account Manager supporting client projects in Afghanistan and Iraq, and proceeded to spearhead the development of CTG’s operations in Somalia – which under his management became the company’s largest operational hub. Alexander then led CTG’s expansion wider across Africa and into new territories, overseeing the implementation of special projects, including its disaster response to the Ebola crisis in Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2015. Thorough planning and execution are Alexander’s keys to success, and he hopes to show the world how effective CTG’s operations have been as he remains an important part of the CTG Board with close visibility on the company’s strategic direction and monitoring performance.
In 2018 Alexander moved to the role of Chief Operating Officer for the Chelsea Group, expanding the Group’s global reach and local impact across South America, Africa and the Middle East.
James Veysey
Chief Operating Officer
James Veysey
Chief Operating Officer
James has more than 20 years’ experience in Human Resources and Operations Management. He began his career at the European Commission in the office for Humanitarian Aid then went on to work for the UN in East Africa. Following this he spent several years in Paris, London and Dubai as a management consultant specialising in HR and Organisational Development. Prior to joining CTG in 2015, James was HR Director for a large British security firm operating in high-risk areas and he also ran the operations for a renowned remote-site medical company. James is a linguist and has his Masters in International Relations. Inspired by the culture of the company to make a difference, James most enjoys the fact that CTG’s work makes an impact on people’s lives.
Ben Coleridge Cole
Chief Financial Officer
Ben Coleridge Cole
Chief Financial Officer
Ben is a seasoned finance executive with 13 years of experience in finance and accounting across diverse sectors. His expertise lies in developing and leading teams across multiple projects and countries.
Ben‘s career journey began with PwC in London, where he qualified as an accountant before venturing to New York, to work for a number of renowned global banks. Returning to the UK, Ben further honed his expertise during his tenure at PwC and thereafter Deloitte. Driven by a passion for new challenges, he assumed the role of Finance Director at a UK health and wellbeing tech start-up, navigating the complexities of military and government contracts. Throughout his career, Ben has demonstrated unwavering dedication to fostering the growth and success of his colleagues, actively supporting their development and enabling them to reach their full potential.
Louisa Elkington
Client Services Director & General Counsel
Louisa Elkington
Client Services Director & General Counsel
After graduating with a Modern History degree from Oxford University, Louisa studied further to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales. After spending several years working in London and Tokyo for a UK law firm, Louisa left the corporate world to join CTG and lead all the legal and compliance aspects of CTG’s global business. Louisa is responsible for CTG’s internal compliance and quality programmes, including ISO 9001, commercial compliance, Good Governance, labour law and service delivery. In 2017, Louisa’s role also diversified into operations where she is responsible for the standardisation of CTG’s project delivery including mobilisation, reporting and new country start-ups.
Claire Hoey
Commercial Director
Claire Hoey
Commercial Director
Claire joined CTG in 2023 as Commercial Director. Claire’s focus is on examining CTG’s current strategies, improving upon our current processes, and developing and implementing financial and commercial strategies to accelerate growth.
Algene Suria
Director of Support Services
Headquarters
Algene Suria
Director of Support Services
Headquarters
Algene possesses the remarkable ability to convert complex ideas into user-friendly solutions. With a decade of experience in progressively responsible positions within Business Transformation, Digitalisation and Business Operations roles, Algene has made a mark in the field. He derives immense satisfaction from introducing enterprises to the digitalized world and optimising their processes in the most efficient manner possible. As the Director of Support and Services, Algene oversees the Recruitment, Technology & Innovation and Customer Service team with precision and competence.
Anthony Jouannic
Regional Manager
South Sudan, Sudan & Ethiopia
Anthony Jouannic
Regional Manager
South Sudan, Sudan & Ethiopia
Anthony first joined CTG in 2019 after having spent a few years with MSF in Iraq, South Sudan, Jordan, Congo (DRC), Cameroun and Central Africa. He has a Master of Science in international management and when he is not working on some humanitarian project, he gets lost in the mountains with his tent and his backpack, crosses the US, from Mexico to Canada, on foot, sails the Indian ocean in a local fishing boat or crosses India, from the Himalayas to Kerala, in a tuk-tuk with a bunch of friend.
David Owen
Regional Manager
David Owen
Regional Manager
Iman Shawwa
Regional Director
Iman Shawwa
Regional Director
Iman joined CTG in 2018 as Country Director in Somalia and is now Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. She is responsible for the overall strategic leadership and direction of the CTG MENA Region. Iman has a Master of Science Degree in Sustainable Development from the University of London and specialised in Development Management at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). With more than 29 years of professional experience, of which 17 were acquired working with the United Nations in Palestine and Libya, Iman has extensive experience in humanitarian and socioeconomic development processes, and more specifically with the ‘New Way of Working’ that addresses the Humanitarian–Peace–Development (HDP) nexus. She also has vast experience in aid effectiveness, programme management and global partnership formulation. Iman is Lebanese Canadian and has a son and a daughter.
Jakob Kejerud
Bid Director
South Africa
Jakob Kejerud
Bid Director
South Africa
Jakob joined CTG in 2018 as the company’s Bid Manager and was promoted to Bid Director in 2023, making him responsible for the Bid Team and compilation of all proposals. The role primarily entails researching, preparing, writing, managing the bid team and submitting all necessary information required from CTG clients or potential business associates, with the goal to continue the organic growth of the company. Jakob has an MBA in Logistics and International Marketing and has for an additional 7 years before joining CTG worked within Bid Management in different multinational companies in the service sector.
Lucy Holliday
Global Account Director
Lucy Holliday
Global Account Director
Lucy Joined CTG in 2014 having run her own business in Delhi before that. After spending three years based in Kenya and Somalia, Lucy became the Commercial Manager for the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region based out of the London office but spending the majority of her time in Tunis, Amman and Beirut. Today she is the Global Account Director.
Lucy enjoys the challenge of operating in high-risk locations and believes it is all made worthwhile by enabling clients to implement humanitarian aid and assistance that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. She’s a yoga nut, with a love of travel and used to ride professionally, representing Great Britain.
Louisa Elkington
Client Services Director & General Counsel
Dubai
Louisa Elkington
Client Services Director & General Counsel
Dubai
After graduating with a Modern History degree from Oxford University, Louisa studied further to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales. After spending several years working in London and Tokyo for a UK law firm, Louisa left the corporate world to join CTG and lead all the legal and compliance aspects of CTG’s global business. Louisa is responsible for CTG’s internal compliance and quality programmes, including ISO 9001, commercial compliance, Good Governance, labour law and service delivery. In 2017, Louisa’s role also diversified into operations where she is responsible for the standardisation of CTG’s project delivery including mobilisation, reporting and new country start-ups.
Mary Ellen Havlik
Regional Manager
West Africa
Mary Ellen Havlik
Regional Manager
West Africa
Mary Ellen, a Canadian living in Nigeria for 16 years, joined CTG in 2021 as the Country Manager. She has over 30 years of professional experience and has worked and volunteered across a variety of sectors. Over the years, she has held management positions in media relations, corporate services, information management as well as strategic planning.
She has been fortunate to travel with her work to other African locales including Kenya, Uganda, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Togo, and South Africa. Mary Ellen enjoys travel as it gives her the opportunity to meet new people and to explore the cultures and traditions of other world citizens. As an avid art collector, this also gives her the opportunity to find new artists and invest in their work.
She is now Regional Manager for CTG’s operations across West Africa.
Vanessa McCulloch
Communications Director
South Africa
Vanessa McCulloch
Communications Director
South Africa
Vanessa joined the Chelsea Group in 2015, overseeing the marketing for several of the companies including CTG. A Brit living in Cape Town, with a degree in English Literature from Durham University, she spent 11 years in publishing before taking a side step into the world of marketing. Highlights of the role have included the rebranding of CTG in 2017 and working on the ‘Day In The Life’ campaign that shares stories from the inspiring CTG humanitarians working in fragile and conflict-affected countries. Vanessa looks forward to continuing to share CTG’s stories and their commitment as an ethical partner for the humanitarian and development communities. She heads up the Cape Town support office which houses CTG’s bids, marketing team and Assist360.
FEMALE FIRST
Find out more about CTG’s commitment to women’s
empowerment through employment in conflict settings.