The NCD Alliance team is responsible for operationalising the NCD Alliance's Strategic Plan, including the day-to-day campaign management, coordinating the activities of our network, and external relations to promote our work.
The NCD Alliance team can be contacted via the Contact Us link at the bottom of this website or hyperlinked to the image on this page.
Katie Dain is Chief Executive Officer of the NCD Alliance, a global network of civil society organisations dedicated to transforming the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Katie has worked with the NCD Alliance since its founding in 2009. Katie is widely recognised as a leading advocate and expert on NCDs. Katie co-chairs the WHO Civil Society Working Group on NCDs, and has served as a commissioner on the WHO Independent High-Level Commission on NCDs, The Lancet Commission on NCDIs of the Poorest Billion, The Lancet Commission on Global Oral Health, and The Rockefeller-Boston University Commission on Health Determinants, Data and Decision-making (3-D Commission). Katie is also a member of the Steering Committee for the Coalition for Access to NCD Medicines and Products. Her experience covers a range of sustainable development issues, including global health, gender equality and women’s empowerment, violence against women, and women’s health. Before joining the NCD Alliance, she held a series of policy and advocacy posts in international NGOs and government, including the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in Brussels, leading their global policy and advocacy programme; the UK Government as a gender policy adviser; Womankind Worldwide, a women’s rights organisation; and the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), a HIV and sexual health charity. She has a BA in History from Sheffield University, and a Master’s degree in Violence, Conflict and International Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London.
Having begun her career with environmental campaigning organisations including Greenpeace International, Alison went on to lead strategy development and direct advocacy for global public health alliances: for the Framework Convention Alliance, bringing the civil society to voice to the WHO treaty on tobacco control, and in the early years of the NCD Alliance (2011-12) leading on Rio+20 advocacy to ensure NCDs were recognised in what became the SDGs, and on developing our first strategy. As Prevention Director at Cancer Research UK (2013-21), she led successful national campaigns for restrictions on tobacco and junk food marketing, and built an international programme to support tobacco control advocacy in LMICs. Last year as Policy & Research Director for the Global Climate & Health Alliance, she coordinated the delivery to the global climate summit, COP26, of the Healthy Climate Prescription from organisations representing 46 million health professionals worldwide.
Joanna joined NCD Alliance Policy and Advocacy team in November 2023 to lead on the care agenda. Joanna has a PhD in cell biology from University College London and has recently completed an Executive MBA at Kellogg-Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Most recently, she was working with the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation to improve access to healthcare for people with multiple sclerosis in low-resource settings. She worked closely with international neurological organisations to shape the World Health Organization (WHO) Intersectoral Global Action Plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders (IGAP). She was the programme lead for a multi-year programme to add (for the first time) medicines for multiple sclerosis to the WHO’s Essential Medicines List. WHO listed the proposed treatments in July 2023. She is a member of the GRADE working group on essential medicines. Previously, after leaving lab work, Joanna also worked in science engagement and communications at Cancer Research UK, supporting high-value fundraising for multi-million-pound proposals.
Liz is responsible for the policy and advocacy work on NCD prevention and health promotion, by advocating and supporting the implementation of public regulations and policies that reduce exposure to the main NCD risk factors and address the social and commercial determinants of health. Prior to this, she worked at FDI World Dental Federation, advocating for the integration of oral health promotion and care within health systems, and before that, she worked for the partnerships and membership team of the NCD Alliance. She also has experience in the field of humanitarian aid and protection, working for Professionals in Humanitarian Aid and Protection (PHAP) and the European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), and she was a consultant with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). She holds a Master’s degree in European Interdisciplinary Studies from the College of Europe, and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
As NCD Alliance’s Policy and Advocacy Manager based in New York City, Marijke is responsible for covering financing policy and United Nations advocacy. Prior to joining NCDA, Marijke worked in international peace and security and human rights focusing on gender and the WPS agenda, mass atrocity prevention, and the protection of civilians in conflict. She has also worked in legal aid and advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers in Cape Town, South Africa. Marijke holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Master’s degree in Human Rights from Columbia University.
Toyyib is a Senior Policy and Campaign Officer with NCD Alliance supporting the organisation’s work around non-communicable diseases (NCD) prevention, meaningful engagement of young people and the Global Week for Action on Non-communicable Diseases campaign (www.actonncds.org). His academic background is in the medical sciences and public health. In 2018, he was awarded a UK Commonwealth Scholarship to complete a Master of Public Health degree. As a public health professional, Toyyib has international experience in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Nigeria; with over 6 years of experience contributing to population health at different levels (including Oyo State Ministry of Health in Nigeria and WHO Headquarters in Switzerland) while developing important health and research skills toward a career in global health. Toyyib is a member of the Royal Society for Public Health. Through his work in global health, he longs for a fairer and healthier world with reduced inequalities and preventable deaths.
Dr Cristina Parsons Perez is the Capacity Development Director for the NCD Alliance where she is responsible for initiatives supporting national and regional civil society to drive improvements in NCD prevention and control. She oversees the Global NCD Alliance Forum and efforts to meaningfully involve people living with NCDs in the NCD response. Cristina has over 10 years of health advocacy and capacity development experience. She consulted with Catalyst Consulting Group on advocacy capacity building and was involved in the conceptualizing and roll-out of United Patients Academy – a digital training platform for health NGOs. Cristina worked at the American Cancer Society's Global Health Department where she was Director of Advocacy and helped lead efforts targeting the 2011 UN High level Meeting on NCDs. She supported the establishing of the Latin American advocacy coalition for women’s cancers (ULACCAM) and oversaw multi-million multi-country capacity development initiatives to strengthen the cancer movement in the Latin American region. She worked as a Senior Policy and Information Officer at Breakthrough Breast Cancer UK (Breast Cancer NOW) where she managed grassroots advocates and developed policies to support campaigning efforts. She has a PhD in gene therapy and her mother tongues are Portuguese, Spanish and English.
Lorena joined NCDA in 2022 as Capacity Development Senior Manager and is responsible for the roll out of the flagship Advocacy Institute. She is a recognised NCD advocate, with a track record in tobacco control and advocating on food policies. She has a strong research background, she was a researcher on tobacco control and healthy nutrition at FIC Argentina between 2009-2012, the PI on a number of projects and is an author of several peer reviewed publications. She was Director of the Food Policy Department for FIC Argentina between 2012 and 2020 and consultant at the Panamerican Health Organization (PAHO) to provide technical and political support for the promotion of sodium reduction policies in the LAC Region between 2020 and 2022. In addition, Lorena is well recognised for her advocacy work on food policies, she was a member of the Independent Expert Group for the Global Nutrition Report. Since 2021 she has been consulting with NCDA, working on the topic of industrial trans-fat (iTFA) elimination, supporting our global advocacy work as well as national work in Mexico and Pakistan as part of NCDA partnership with Resolve to Save Lives. Lorena is based in Argentina.
Charlotte joined the NCD Alliance in February 2023 and is responsible for Capacity Development’s flagship program, the Our Views, Our Voices initiative which seeks to put people first in the NCD response and leave no one behind, enabling people living with NCDs to be leaders and active players in the response to these diseases and conditions. Between 2021-2023 Charlotte worked as a consultant for the NCD Alliance overseeing key policy, advocacy, and capacity development deliverables. Prior to this Charlotte worked in Cambodia for GIZ where she provided technical and capacity development support to the Cambodian Ministry of Health’s Noncommunicable Diseases; as a consultant for the Health Finance Institute as a Cambodian Country Ambassador; and for the Cambodian NCD Alliance which she co-founded in 2018 and led to advocate for accelerated action on NCDs. She worked for HelpAge International from 2012-2016 supporting health policy and program development in low- and middle-income countries. Charlotte has also studied maternal health and nutrition-related chronic disease and has led a breastfeeding peer support group in Cambodia. Charlotte holds a Master’s degree in public health in Developing Countries from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations.
Linda works as a part of the Capacity Development team, supporting the roll out of the flagship Advocacy Institute, responsible for grant administration duties, monitoring of local conditions and opportunities and collecting M&E data. She supports the Advocacy Institute training programmes and the development of capacity development research and knowledge products. Linda is experienced in providing analytical, project management and advocacy support to teams across multiple settings including NGOs, private entities, and public institution with particular interest in health systems strengthening, access and UHC agendas. Before joining NCDA, Linda collaborated with People’s Health Movement as a part of the WHO Watch Team and worked at a health technology company performing data and policy analysis on the NHS. Linda holds a BSc in Global Health from Queen Mary’s University London and a MSc in Health Policy Planning and Finance from LSHTM and LSE.
Nyla joined the NCD Alliance in November 2023 as a Capacity Development Officer working on the Our Views, Our Voices initiative and supporting the meaningful involvement of people living with NCDs across the organisation and network. She supports the Capacity Development unit with grant administration, developing advocacy agendas and implementing community engagement activities. Nyla has a background in community engagement and advocacy through local campaign development, as well as intervention design, roll-out and evaluation. She also has consulting experience for clients across the health sector including NGOs, local governments and private corporations through conducting research and impact assessments. Nyla holds a BSc in Global Health from Queen Mary University and an MSc in Public Health from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Jessica joined the NCD Alliance in January 2022 as a Capacity Development Officer, to support the roll out of the flagship Advocacy Institute, responsible for grant administration duties, context and advocacy opportunities monitoring and M&E processes. She supports the Advocacy Institute training programmes and the development of capacity development research and knowledge products. She has experience in global health, research and capacity strengthening having most recently worked in implementation focused capacity strengthening research programmes in LMICs contexts with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. She also worked in Guinea within the NGO ALIMA where she oversaw the monitoring and reporting and learning processes of humanitarian projects and a vaccine trial implementation. Jessica holds a MPH from the EHESP School of Public Health (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique), and a MSc. in Global Health from the University of Maastricht and McMaster University.
James Bramble has twenty years’ experience as a grant maker, manager, and fundraiser. He began his career developing funding programmes for the UK’s largest funder, the Big Lottery Fund, and has since worked in resource mobilisation for a wide range of INGOs including Amnesty International, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, and Mental Disability Advocacy Centre. In 2016 he founded his own fundraising consultancy, Grant Smart, and has advised clients including Medical Aid Films, HelpAge International, The Mix, Whizz-Kidz, SOS Children’s Villages UK, Global Green Grants UK, We Protect and many others.
Vanessa is the Partnerships and Business Development Manager and is based in Washington, D.C. where she manages strategic engagement with partners and coordinates business development with existing and new sectors. She specializes in international development and partnerships and is skilled in policy analysis and project management. Throughout her professional career, she has developed strategic partnerships for large scale international NGOs. She has a proven track record of institutional growth, donor and partner relations with governments, corporations, and foundations. She holds a Master’s degree in International Development Policy from Duke University and a Bachelor’s in International Relations from Tecnologico de Monterrey; and has postgraduate certificates in Latin American & Caribbean Studies, Fundraising Management, Project Design for International Cooperation, and Public Relations.
Sara Fasoli joined the NCD Alliance in April 2023 as Partnerships and Membership Manager to support the strategic growth of NCDA’s partnerships and membership. She is responsible for NCDA’s strategic engagement with NCD Alliance partners and for membership outreach. She has an extensive experience in the NGO and healthcare sector. Prior to joining NCD Alliance she worked 10 years in Brussels, covering a variety of roles which included project and event management, membership outreach strategies and corporate relations. Passionate about stakeholder engagement and international affairs, she also worked for the private sector and for a regional organization focusing on security and cooperation. She holds a master’s degree in international politics and diplomacy from the University of Padua, Italy.
Grace joined the NCD Alliance team in March, 2023. Her role as a Partnerships and Memberships Officer involves working across the alliance to build engagement among supporters and members. Prior to joining the team, she worked in communications and content marketing. She received an MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she wrote her dissertation on NCDs in humanitarian settings.
Rosie joined the London team in November 2021. Her role as Partnerships and Membership Officer involves supporting the strategic growth of NCDA's NGO Partners and Members in line with the new NCDA strategy. Before joining NCDA, Rosie completed a BSc in Biology at the University of York followed by an MSc in Global Health and Social Justice at King's College London. Her postgraduate dissertation investigated the partnerships between civil society organisations and unhealthy commodity industries. During this research she developed a keen interest in conflicts of interest within global health and the commercial determinants of health.
Jimena leads the development and delivery of NCDA’s communications and media strategy and activities. Jimena has over 20 years of experience working on content creation in international and multilingual contexts, with a special focus on global health, development and human rights. Before joining the NCD Alliance in 2014, she worked as senior editor at a communications agency in Barcelona, where she led the strategic design of awareness-raising campaigns on social and health issues for European audiences. She has also worked for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as communications officer in Geneva and Buenos Aires. Between 1994 and 2001 she worked as journalist in Argentina, her home country. She volunteered for Amnesty International for a decade. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communications (Universidad de Buenos Aires), a Master in Visual Culture (Universidad de Barcelona) and another in Social Media (Universidad Alcalá de Henares). Her mother tongue is Spanish, and she is a fluent speaker of English and French.
Caitlin joined NCD Alliance in April 2021 as Communications Manager. She leads the design and development of NCDA's digital and communications strategies, managing all digital platforms, supporting media relations, campaigns and strategic communications. Caitlin is a subject matter expert in HIV and rights - with over ten years of experience curating content in these areas. She has led the reporting of scientific and social research news and the delivery of digital information products for health-related behaviour and social change. She has expertise in creative and editorial content creation, co-creation, website management, digital communications, campaigns development and project management. Caitlin has a BA in Spanish and Business Management, qualifications from the London School of Journalism, and an MSc in Development Economics from the University of Manchester.
Jennifer forms part of the NCD Alliance Communications team, as the Editorial Specialist. She plays a key role in creating diverse types of content and is involved at all stages of development. She collaborates across all units within NCDA and also with external organisations including partners and member alliances. She is also involved in NCDA’s media relations, liaising with journalists and media outlets. Prior to joining NCD Alliance, Jennifer worked for over a decade as a freelance writer, editor and translator. She has worked to produce materials for many clients in public health and education, including the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the World Health Organization. Jennifer holds a BA in Political Science with specialisation in International Relations and Journalism from the University of Wisconsin. She is passionate about human rights and the social and commercial determinants of health.
Nataliia joined NCD Alliance as a digital communications officer in 2022. She is responsible for social media communication and e-mail marketing. Before joining NCD Alliance, Nataliia worked as a communications consultant with the UN Industrial Development Organization in Ukraine where she organized events and was responsible for media relations and maintaining relations with key stakeholders including government officials. In the past, she also worked in communications in humanitarian settings with Save the Children and Médecins sans Frontiers (MSF) in Ukraine. She holds a Master’s degree in International Communications and Development from City, University of London.
Marion is the Head of Operations Unit of the NCD Alliance, responsible for the organisational operations of NCDA, including finance, office administration, human resources, IT support and contracts. In this role, Marion leads on the financial management of NCDA, including audit, budgeting and producing financial data and reports, and on the development of NCDA staff policies. Prior to joining NCDA, Marion worked in the finance and administration department at the Union for International Cancer Control, where she managed accounting processes. Marion has an Advanced Degree in Finance and Account Management Expertise from the Institute of Accounting of Gland, Switzerland, and a Bachelor in Social and Economic Sciences from the University of Grenoble, France.
Jackie is Senior Executive Assistant to the NCD Alliance CEO, Senior Management Team and Board, supporting day-to-day activities and governance of NCDA’s global operations. She has over 30 years organisational and management experience in the public and private sectors having worked in multi-national and multi-cultural environments worldwide. She has also been responsible for the top-to-bottom organisation and delivery of events including the first two Global NCD Alliance Forums in Sharjah, UAE. Her experience spans Executive Boards, development agencies including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Department for International Development (DFID UK), and African Development Bank (AfDB), multilateral agencies, civil society, British and Middle Eastern royalty and dignitaries, embassies, high commissions and high level government officials including prime ministers and health and finance ministers throughout Africa, Middle East and the Caribbean.
After more than 10 years as a field sales representative for external clients in the hygiene sector, Erica decided to move into Human Resources to fulfil her need for professional fulfilment. She joined NCD Alliance in October 2023 as HR Officer. She reports to head of operations. Her role consists in providing general support on HR process and systems. She will also manage the recruitment processes and practices from advertising to appointment and feedback to unsuccessful candidates. She will coordinate the induction process as per defined responsibilities for her role. And she will take care of staff development through annual appraisals and developing training.
Nathan joined NCDA Geneva in December 2021, to strengthen its operations as Finance Officer. He has long experience in finance, project management and coaching in Geneva. He consulted on education and training for community-based projects with the South African Qualifications Authority. He also studied financial analysis, project management, international financial reporting standards and holds an MBA in Accounting, with Webster University, Geneva, ACCA UK and the Management Institute, Lausanne. Nathan is currently pursuing a finance degree with the University of Cambridge, UK.
