Core Experts

Therese Turner-Jones - Nassau, Bahamas

Therese is a seasoned macroeconomist and senior development advisor with over three decades of experience in international financial institutions, including the IMF, Inter-American Development Bank and Caribbean Development Bank. Her work spans public financial management, regional development, institutional transformation, and climate finance—particularly in small island developing states (SIDS) and the Caribbean region. She has held senior leadership roles, including Vice-President of Operations and Director of Projects at CDB, and General Manager of the Caribbean Department at the IDB, where she oversaw strategy, lending operations, and high-level partnerships.

Therese is recognised for her expertise in transformational leadership, strategic planning, and promoting inclusive growth through gender equality, diversity, and sustainability. She is the founder of MaxGwen Ltd., where she provides high-level advisory services to governments and institutions on macroeconomic reform, circular economy strategies, and climate resilience.

Languages: English, Spanish, French

Janina Arsenjeva - Brussels, Belgium

Janina is a senior legal and policy consultant with over 15 years of experience in human rights and inclusive development, with a strong focus on Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She has worked with a wide range of international actors, including UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, the International Disability Alliance, and the European Disability Forum. Her areas of expertise include CRPD-aligned legal and policy reform, inclusive governance, disability-inclusive SRHR, and the development of e-learning content on disability rights.

Janina has led numerous situation analyses, developed national disability strategies, and supported civil society organisations in engaging with UN human rights mechanisms. She brings a strong record of UN and EU-level advocacy, combined with practical experience in training, research, and content development. She has contributed to multi-country initiatives on inclusive education, accessibility, social protection, and gender-transformative programming.

Languages: Russian, English, French, Estonian, Spanish, Dutch

Peter Andrew Burbank - London, UK

Peter is an accomplished risk management expert with over three decades of experience in the financial sector, spanning global markets, including the U.S., Europe, and emerging regions. He has held senior roles such as Risk Director at MicroVest-DAI Capital Management, where he oversaw portfolio monitoring for impact investment funds. Peter has also held strategic positions at DBRS Ratings, Lloyds Banking Group, and Moody’s Investors Service, gaining expertise in credit trading, investment analysis, and ESG strategy. His career began at leading institutions like J.P. Morgan and McKinsey & Company, where he built a foundation in structured finance, high-yield credit, and financial risk management. He has extensive international experience and he is well-versed in navigating global financial landscapes, and has a strong commitment to integrating sustainable practices within financial frameworks.   

Languages: English, Danish, German, Italian 

Rejaul Siddiquee - Dhaka, Bangladesh

Rejaul is a disability inclusion expert, trainer, socio-legal researcher, human rights activist and a public interest lawyer at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. He has led trainings and developed strategic partnerships with organisations such as UNICEF and WFP. Through out his 17 career, he delivered services to GOs, NGOs, INGOs including International Disability Alliance, BlueLaw International, Maxwell Stamp PLC and IMC Worldwide in different capacities. He is the co-author of a few books and articles including a Lawyer’s Manual and DPO Advocacy Handbook and Mobilising Disabled Peoples’ Organisations to Implement Bangladesh’s Disability Law. He achieved the Acumen Fellowship 2020 as a change maker in Bangladesh. His work spans from Bangladesh to missions in Kenya, Rwanda and Switzerland, advocating for inclusive policies and accessible development. 

Languages: English, Bengali

Rahma Mustafa - Aldie, VA, United States

Rahma Mustafa is a disability rights, inclusion, and organizational development specialist with more than 14 years of international experience supporting disability-led, refugee-led, and civil society organizations across humanitarian and development contexts. Based in the United States, she has worked with organizations including the International Disability Alliance (IDA), UN Women, UNICEF, CBM International, Islamic Relief Worldwide, and the World Blind Union, providing technical expertise on disability inclusion, governance, policy development, and human rights-based programming.

Rahma specializes in participatory strategic planning, organizational strengthening, governance frameworks, and the development of constitutions, safeguarding policies, membership frameworks, and accountability mechanisms. Her expertise includes UNCRPD implementation, qualitative research, stakeholder consultations, facilitation, monitoring and evaluation, and the design of disability-inclusive and refugee-led approaches that promote meaningful participation and sustainable institutional development. 

Throughout her career, Rahma has supported governments, international organizations, and civil society networks in advancing disability rights, gender equality, and inclusive development. She has led research, policy analysis, and strategic planning processes across multiple regions, while facilitating accessible consultations and capacity-strengthening initiatives that amplify the voices of persons with disabilities and refugee communities. She holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in Human Rights with a specialization in International and Comparative Disability Law and Policy from the University of Galway, Ireland.

Languages: Arabic, English 

Samaneh Shabani - Brussels, Belgium

Samaneh Shabani is a human rights, disability inclusion, and gender equality specialist with experience working across international organizations, civil society, and multilateral institutions. Based in Brussels, she provides consulting and advisory services on human rights, disability rights, gender equality, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), advocacy, policy development, and accessibility. Her work spans both national and international contexts, with particular experience in European Union and United Nations policy environments. 

Samaneh specializes in international human rights law, disability inclusion, gender equality, accessibility, and inclusive programme design. She has supported policy development, research, strategic advocacy, and stakeholder engagement initiatives with organizations including the European Disability Forum, UNDP, Humanity & Inclusion, the United Nations Spotlight Initiative, and the European Commission. Her expertise includes disability-inclusive governance, accessibility and usability testing, qualitative research, partnership building, and the integration of human rights principles into development and humanitarian programming.

Throughout her career, Samaneh has worked to advance the rights of women and persons with disabilities through evidence-based advocacy, policy analysis, and institutional strengthening. She currently contributes to initiatives focused on gender equality, disability rights, and inclusive development while supporting organizations in designing accessible, rights-based, and participatory approaches. She holds a PhD in International Law from the University of Tehran and a Master of Advanced Studies in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law from the Geneva Academy.

Languages: English, Persian, French 

Stefano Capodagli - Bridgetown, Barbados

More than 30 years of C-Suite and senior advisory/consulting experience in Strategy, Structured Finance, Financial Inclusion, Sustainable Development, Climate Finance, Private Sector Development (PSD), risk, financial and capital management, commercial and investment banking in Africa, Central Asia, Eastern, Southern and Western Europe, and the Caribbean. 

He collaborates with entities such as Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Hellenic Bank Group (Eurobank Group) Cyprus, Arab Banking Corporation (ABC Bank), African Development Bank (AfDB), European Investment Bank (EIB) and UniCredit Group.

Mr. Capodagli is team coach, capacity building expert and professional trainer for DFIs/MDBs in Strategic Planning and Development Finance Result Management, Structured, Project and Climate Finance, Risk Management, Finance and Administration, Banking.

Languages: English, French and Italian, with basic knowledge of Spanish and Ukrainian

David G. Lee - Kingston, Jamaica

David G. Lee is an environmental management and ecology specialist with more than three decades of experience in environmental assessment, natural resource management, protected areas planning, pollution control, wastewater treatment, and climate resilience across the Caribbean. Based in Kingston, Jamaica, he is the Managing Director of Caribbean Ecosystems Limited and has provided technical advisory services to governments, international organizations, development banks, private sector clients, and civil society organizations throughout the region.

David's expertise spans environmental and social impact assessments, environmental audits, environmental compliance, protected area systems, freshwater and coastal ecosystems, environmental policy and planning, and sustainability project design. He has led or contributed to numerous projects involving national parks and protected areas, watershed management, environmental safeguards for major infrastructure developments, wastewater management systems, and climate adaptation initiatives. His experience includes assignments with organizations such as the World Bank, UNDP, UNEP, FAO, the Global Environment Facility, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and multiple Caribbean governments.

Prior to establishing Caribbean Ecosystems Limited in 1996, David served in senior environmental management roles within the Government of Jamaica, including Project Manager of the USAID-funded Protected Areas and Resource Conservation Project (PARC), which helped establish Jamaica's first managed national parks and laid the foundation for the country's protected areas system. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Biology from the University of Cambridge, specializing in freshwater ecology and environmental change, and remains actively engaged in regional environmental governance, conservation, and sustainable development initiatives.

Languages: English