People

Members

Azar Sheibani
Azar Sheibani is a senior lecturer in Community Development at London Metropolitan University. Her research interests include refugee reception and integration, gender and migration, and transnational communities.
Bastian Vollmer FRSA focuses on migration, borders, security, politics and the discourses that surround these thematic areas. He is a Professor at the Catholic University Mainz.
Bella Kosmala
Bella Kosmala (Director and Chair of the MigrationWork Trust) brings policy expertise at local government level, front-line experience working in migrants‘ rights charities and her own living experience of being a migrant in the UK.
Headshot: Caroline Robinson
Caroline Robinson has particular expertise in policy engagement, research for policy and impact evaluation and programme development.
Caroline Rogers is a freelance researcher and facilitator with 7 years of experience conducting research for non-profit organisations, including leading Policy and Research for Refugee Action for 2 years. She specialises in qualitative research on sensitive topics and is particularly interested in using creative or participatory approaches.
Ceri Hutton
Ceri Hutton (Director) has special expertise in the areas of evaluation, strategic review and stakeholder consultation; she also is a sought-after facilitator.
David Garratt
David Garratt (Director) has worked in the refugee sector since 1999 running operations for Refugee Action. He has expertise in strategic and operational planning and governance across a range of social care sectors.
Dirk Gebhardt (Director) is an associated senior researcher at GRITIM-UPF Barcelona. He works on local immigrant integration and wider urban policies.
Dr Alexandra Bulat is a migration researcher with experience delivering projects on EU citizens’ rights, East European migration in the UK, migrant youth engagement and migrant democratic participation.
Elizabeth Balgobin is voluntary and community sector consultant and interim leader with over thirty years’ experience of local, national and regional frontline delivery and infrastructure organisations.
Headshot: Georgia Luling Fielding
Georgia Luling Feilding has experience within the migration sector in London, Bristol and Northern France and manages the Community Integration Awards.
Ivelina Hristova
Ivelina Hristova is a multilingual social scientist with in-depth knowledge of labour markets, migration and integration. Her research focuses on labour market inequalities and integration, and national identity.
Juliana Fornasier (Administrator) is the administrator for the UNITES project. She has been building experience on EU-funded projects and has worked for renamed international organisations in the field of migration.
Lilian Lee (Administrator) is the administrator for Migrationwork CIC, providing administration and operational support to Migrationwork, the directors and members.
Nancy Kiousi
Nancy Kiousi has 10 years of experience in human rights protection and humanitarian assistance including emergency operations. She has supported human rights defenders as well as refugees from varied ethnic and religious backgrounds.
Rachel Marangozov
Rachel Marangozov (Director) has expertise in the field of unemployment and labour market disadvantage, particularly regarding ethnic minority and migrant groups.
Reyes Castillo specialises in international migration, social policies, anti-trafficking and smuggling, and democracy and human rights.
Richard Stanton
Richard Stanton (Director) who previously led work on immigration and asylum for the Mayor of London, offers particular expertise in strategy for migrant integration including employment, use of data, and policy analysis at national or EU level.
Richard Williams
Richard Williams (Director) focuses on UK/EU refugee and migration policy analysis, advocacy and evaluation, bringing experience from the voluntary sector and journalism.
Sandra Peňaloza T-Rice is co-founder and manager of Migrant Support since 2011, contributing to one of the most significant and widely recognised grassroots’ charity organisations supporting vulnerable migrants living in Greater Manchester
Simon Guentner
Simon Güntner specialises in urban development and migration, social policy and social cohesion. He is based in Vienna, Austria.
Stephen Lord
Stephen Lord is an expert in public spending and local government finance, and former Director of Local Government Finance at London Councils.
Sue Lukes
Sue Lukes (Director) is a local councillor and Islington Migrant Champion; and does migrant integration via consultancy, bringing 30 years experience delivering, evaluating and developing services.
Syeda Zinnat Akhter is an Employment Adviser at Shaw Trust supporting vulnerable adults into work, education, or further training against common mental health barriers.
Tamsin Koumis
Tamsin Koumis has worked with migrant and refugee communities in London, the West Midlands and France focusing on legal rights, integration and migrant leadership.

Past Members

Devan Kanthasamy has more than 20 years of experience working in the social housing sector in various senior management roles.
Fazil Kawani is Communities Coordinator at Asylum Welcomes and has worked as a director at Refugee Action Kingston (RAK) and the British Refugee Council.
Fran Smith
Fran Smith has a background that spans the asylum and immigration advice and support sectors, and she formerly project managed the Strategic Legal Fund.
Gerry Hickey
Gerry Hickey has worked in advice services since 1990 and holds a particular expertise in asylum support law. She previously managed the Strategic Legal Fund.
Jo Wilding
Jo Wilding is a barrister specialising in immigration, asylum and unlawful immigration detention. She writes, carries out research and delivers training on a range of migration and detention issues.
Maknun Ashami
Maknun Ashami has considerable knowledge of the UK’s voluntary sector, and also of poverty and development funding. His current research is on young undocumented (irregular) migrants in the EU.
Marian Mackintosh
Marian Mackintosh is a demographer and data analyst with 25 years of experience, who specialises in data on migrant groups.
Myriam Cherti is a National Programme Officer at the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Sarah Kyambi
Sarah Kyambi is an immigration policy expert experienced in policy-relevant research for local, regional and national government.