Meet the Team

The Former Duchess of Cornwall was our Patron.

The Former Duchess of Cornwall and Prince of Wales were first introduced to ShelterBox in 2006.

While on an official visit to Pakistan, they learnt about our work supporting families who had lost their homes in the Kashmiri earthquake.

The Former Duchess of Cornwall has been a keen supporter of our work ever since and 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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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.’

Harriett is jointly responsible for setting and driving the income generation and communications strategy for ShelterBox.

She has 20 years experience of fundraising and communications in the non-profit sector, working for organisations including Oxfam, Alzheimer’s Society and MAG.

‘I feel passionately about what ShelterBox does, and am really privileged that it is my job to communicate with the people who make it happen – our supporters! With a growing need for emergency shelter, it is vital that we reach more people who need our help, and we can only do this by continuing to inspire our global network of supporters.’

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.”

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 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.”

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 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.”

Bill is a specialist in branding, strategy and risk and consultancy who has also previously held roles in government relations.

He is the co-founder of The Hub, a meeting and events space, based in Philadelphia.

‘I am impatient for ShelterBox to possess the resources that will enable it to have a deeper, more meaningful and positive effect on the millions of displaced persons who require shelter in the wake of disasters every day.’

Leo Skyner is Chief Financial Officer of Save the Children Denmark.

Prior to that, he was Head of Finance for Global Programmes at Save the Children UK, Head of Operations and Development for International Alert’s Africa Programme, and originally worked for Save the Children in various roles across Africa.

Before moving into the INGO world he was Finance Director of a global print, media and technology business – in which he remains a partner.

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.

Rowan is currently employed as Head of Humanitarian Coordination & Change at Save the Children UK. Additionally, she supports as a psychosocial specialist for the British Red Cross & FCO.

In her spare time, Rowan is also a volunteer lifeboat crew on the Thames.

‘ShelterBox is an organisation I’ve followed with interest since its inception, partly because of its simple but critical objectives (and to be honest, partly because I’m half Cornish!). I hope to bring technical expertise, broad sectoral knowledge and perhaps most importantly, high enthusiasm for the evolution of humanitarian assistance.’