About us
We provide emergency shelter to people who have lost their home to disaster, enabling them to rebuild their lives.
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Photograph by Emily Whitfield-Wicks
HRH opening the new ShelterBox visitor centre – Truro.
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Patron – Her Majesty The Queen
We are honoured that The Queen has retained Patronage of ShelterBox.
The Queen was first introduced to ShelterBox in 2006 whilst on an official visit to Pakistan as the former Duchess of Cornwall.
Together with His Majesty The King as the Former Prince of Wales, they learnt about our work supporting communities who had lost their homes in the Kashmiri earthquake.
The Queen has been a keen supporter of our work ever since. We have been proud to welcome her on a number of occasions to meet the team and to learn more about our work.
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Chief Executive – Sanj Srikanthan
Sanj joined the ShelterBox team in December 2019. Sanj spent 10 years at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), where he was Senior Vice President, Europe and Executive Director, UK.
In a previous role at IRC as Emergency Field Director, Sanj managed responses in Mali, Syria, Liberia, Lebanon and Turkey. Earlier in his career, Sanj worked for UN OCHA (the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and was previously a Captain in the British Army.
‘It is a huge privilege to lead ShelterBox, an organisation with such a powerful clarity of mission – to turn despair into hope through shelter provision. Over the course of my career, I have seen first-hand the direct impact that quality emergency shelter can have in helping people begin to recover from disaster.’
Executive Team
Euan Cranshaw
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Euan Crawshaw – Director of International Programmes
Euan Crawshaw is the Director of International Programmes at ShelterBox.
He has 15 years of experience in humanitarian programmes and emergency response, including as the former Humanitarian Lead at Oxfam, as a Country Director in the Philippines and as a member of Save the Children’s global emergency response team.
Euan has lived and worked in South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Iraq, Myanmar, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, managing large emergency programmes and field and area offices. He has held regional leadership roles in responding to the Syria refugee crisis and the wider Middle East region, with a particular focus on Yemen and Gaza.
“ShelterBox has one sole purpose – to provide emergency shelter and other essential items to people across the world who have lost their homes to disaster or conflict. The work we do to deliver lifesaving assistance is effective and efficient and the flexibility we have to respond is inspiring.”
Lisa McCormack
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Lisa McCormack – Director of Fundraising & Communications
Lisa is responsible for setting and driving the income generation and communications strategy for ShelterBox.
She has 20 years experience of working in the non-profit sector. Lisa has experience working for medical, disability, and animal welfare charities and has worked as head of fundraising at the Donkey Sanctuary.
‘I am honoured to join the remarkable supporters and team at ShelterBox; an organisation renowned for its commitment to people made homeless by disaster and conflict. Together, we will work tirelessly to provide critical shelter when people need it most.‘
Michael Collins – Director of Finance
Michael provides leadership to our finance, facilities, IT and legal teams.
He has 30 years experience across corporate services, at home and abroad, in the Not for Profit and Commercial sectors with prior experience also gained at a global humanitarian NGO.
“We work to ensure every donor gift is treated as a precious commodity, that is protected, kept safe, and utilised efficiently to maximise impact for those in need of shelter across the world.”
Ruth Evans – Director for People
Ruth provides leadership to our HR, learning and development teams.
She has over 30 years’ experience in the NHS. As a former Macmillan Nurse, she changed her focus from care of patients to care of colleagues, Ruth joins ShelterBox from her most recent role in NHS England where she has been supporting organisations to develop leadership capabilities for compassionate and inclusive cultures.
“I am excited to be supporting all of our people – colleagues, volunteers and affiliates – to have the right skills, competencies and behaviours that enable them to be the best they can be for the global communities they serve.”
Natasha Eden
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Natasha Eden – Chief Operating Officer
Natasha is ShelterBox’s first Chief Operating Officer, responsible for steering our day-to-day operations and streamlining processes.
She joined ShelterBox from Sanctuary, where she has been overseeing a multi-million-pound social housing decarbonisation fund, and a strategic partnership with Cornwall Council that will see £100m development investment in the county over the next 10 years.
“I’m thrilled to be working in a charity with such a clear vision, no one without shelter after disaster, and as the new chief operating officer I am committed to working with our global team and partners to ensure we strengthen our impact through the achievement of our strategic objectives and that we do this effectively and efficiently.”
Trustees
James Sinclair Taylor
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James Sinclair Taylor – Chair
James is a partner at Russell-cooke solicitors where he advises charities and not-for-profits on a range of governance regulatory and other issues.
James is personally involved with a range of charities and is Protector of NESTA and chair of a housing association.
‘Disasters are sudden, terrible and unexpected. I am passionate about ShelterBox’s ability to go all out to respond to those disasters. Going all out, both to get shelter to those in the open, and to gather the supporting funds necessary to make this response.’
Claire Goudsmit
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Claire Goudsmit – Vice Chair
Claire is a self-employed consultant focused on improving the impact of humanitarian aid on crisis-affected people and communities by supporting organisations at the strategic and programme management levels to continuously improve their practices.
Claire advises on accountability and quality management initiatives, applying the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) and how to ensure the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) in humanitarian aid. She is also an independent Senior Auditor for the Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative (HQAI) conducting third party certification and verification audits against the CHS. Claire has been interested in the work of ShelterBox for some time and did a short consultancy back in 2015.
“A Shelter can provide a family and individuals with adequate space to rest, get some security and a little privacy in times of extreme vulnerability and uncertainty. ShelterBox has an innovative approach to meet the need for shelter in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, responding quickly and effectively.”
Leo Skyner
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Leo Skyner – Hon. Treasurer
Leo Skyner is Chief Financial Officer of Oxfam International.
Prior to that, he was Finance Director of CARE International UK, and held several leadership roles within Save the Children across the UK, Europe and Africa
Before moving into the INGO world, he was Finance Director of a global print, media and technology business.
After starting his INGO career in humanitarian response, he knows what a contribution ShelterBox can and does make in ensuring everyone has a home after a disaster or during a crisis.
Michelle Jeuken – Trustee
Michelle is Head of Communications and Engagement at Cornwall Council.
Before taking up this position, she worked in London as Global Director of Marketing and Communications for World Animal Protection, and was Head of Internal Communications for Save the Children.
With 25 years working in social justice, the international humanitarian sector and disaster management, coupled with a track record as a highly successful marketing, communications and fundraising director, Michelle is really looking forward to applying her skills, expertise and passion to help steer ShelterBox towards even greater success.
George Pennock – Trustee
George manages Four Seasons Ventures, an early-stage investment firm. He has spent the past 20 years working with both entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs across a wide range of sectors, to help grow their operations.
He was previously a trustee at the Venture Partnership Foundation, one of ShelterBox’s early supporters and advisors.
“ShelterBox provides individuals and families hit by disaster with the security, privacy and dignity of shelter, from which they can go and out and start rebuilding their communities and livelihoods as rapidly as possible. I joined ShelterBox because I believe that it has developed an incredible level of understanding and expertise around how to support people efficiently and effectively, in the most challenging situations. I hope to use my experience of scaling businesses to help ShelterBox and its team expand its reach and resources, so it can offer its expertise and assistance to more families and communities across the globe.”
Yinka Babalola
Olayinka (Yinka) Babalola is a Lead Facilitator, specialising in leadership coaching and change management for businesses and non-profits.
An accomplished Health, Safety and Environment practitioner, Yinka has extensive experience managing HSE in diverse, multicultural, large footprint operations. Yinka is a Past Vice President of Rotary International, ShelterBox’s partner in disaster relief. Having started his Rotary journey as a Rotaractor, Yinka is a member of the Rotary club of Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt District 9141, Nigeria. Yinka has significant experience across the region through his time as the EndPolio Now Zone Coordinator for English speaking Africa, the Rotary International Reach out To Africa (ROTA) Water and Sanitation Coordinator and the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee.
Steve Horan – Trustee
Steve Horan is the Chair Emeritus of ShelterBox USA’s Board of Directors and brings significant private and charity experience to the organization.
Currently residing in New Hampshire in the US, Steve has led large organizations in the technology sector, while also volunteering for Peru Medical Mission and the Museum of Science, Boston. He has deployed to Nepal following a devastating 2015 earthquake for Habitat for Humanity.
Steve was drawn to ShelterBox because of the opportunity it provides to help those in need. “We all take shelter for granted,” he said. “Like the air we breathe and the water we drink, everyone should have access. It is a basic human right and need.”
Beyond his professional and volunteer work, Steve enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends. He has also set out to hike all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail over the next four years.
Penny Richards – Trustee
Penny Richards is the CEO of the Aspen Institute in the UK.
She’s a leader with an exceptional track record of delivering change and meaningful results for international organisations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the BBC. Penny spent many years working in foreign news at the BBC, finally as their Asia Bureau Editor, responsible for the news coverage of half the world’s population. She has also been the COO for The Elders, a group of independent former world leaders including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President Jimmy Carter, working together for peace and human rights. Most recently Penny was the Executive Director of the Institute of Masters of Wine, the wine industry’s only prestigious global education and membership organisation
Srikaran Srivivekanadarajah – Programme Delivery and Quality Committee
With over two decades of dedicated service in international development, Srikaran stands as a pillar in the sector, championing both humanitarian and developmental initiatives. As the current Head of Development Programs at Plan International UK, he oversees a diverse range of projects across 35 countries, demonstrating a commitment to the global betterment of girls. His career trajectory includes impactful tenures at renowned institutions such as Care International UK, where he led as Programme and Policy Director, and pivotal roles at Oxfam and the British Red Cross. He is an expert in commercial contracts, complex bid development and consortia programme management. Prior to his remarkable journey in development, Srikaran’s academic pursuits in genetic science laid a strong foundation for his analytical skills. Beyond his professional realm, he is a fervent advocate for gender equality and diversity, actively participating in related training and advocacy. In moments of tranquillity, Srikaran is an avid gardener, finding peace and fulfilment in the cultivation of his vegetable allotment.
“Joining the ShelterBox Programme Delivery and Quality Committee is not just a role; it’s a commitment to humanity. Together, we stand at the forefront of compassion, ensuring that emergency shelter brings not only relief but dignity in the aftermath of disaster and conflict. Our partnership is our strength, reaching further, with the well-being of people and planet held firmly at heart.“
