I’ve worked in nutrition for around 35 years, starting out in the humanitarian sector focussed on the large-scale management of wasting and infectious disease in the 1980’s Ethiopian famine. In complete contrast and after studying human nutrition at the still brilliant LSHTM, I spent 7 years with FCDO (formerly DFID) designing, supporting and studying the impact of a nationally focussed multi-sectoral nutrition programme in Tanzania.

On returning to the UK, I co-founded and worked as a senior partner in NutritionWorks, a specialist consulting group providing policy, programme and technical advisory support across Africa, Asia and Middle East for 8 years before circling back to the humanitarian sector as interim GNC Coordinator which included time on the devastating Haiti earthquake.

I then took up the position of Technical Director at ENN for 10 years during which time I coordinated numerous technical workstreams, worked for 5 years on a large knowledge management support project to the SUN Movement and set up and co-edited a nationally focussed publication, Nutrition Exchange as well as Asia region focussed versions.

Perhaps my proudest work in ENN was co-leading on the links between wasting and stunting which has been very influential. I helped evolve the organisations strategy and direction to embrace a more holistic approach to nutrition and worked on numerous publications and peer reviewed papers and meetings. I invested a lot of my energy in what I hope has helped the sector to understand the importance of overcoming the silos between different forms of malnutrition and between humanitarian and development systems.

I’m very proud to be a member of the Independent Expert Group for the Global Nutrition Report which remains a vital resource for us all in tracking progress and holding us all to account for our efforts in reducing malnutrition.
When I’m not wearing my professional nutrition hat, I’m to be found in the flower beds talking to my plants, counting worms and studying honey-bees.

With 25 years’ experience in international development, focusing on nutrition, food security and livelihoods, I am the youngster on the N4D team.

Following a brief flirtation with academia in the mid 1990’s, I decided that if I wanted to help change the world I needed to get out into it, get my hands dirty and other such clichés. Consequently, I joined Action Against Hunger, managed emergency food security programmes in various countries and learnt how to grow up rather quickly. The passion and commitment of Action Against Hunger’s volunteers to live up to the organisation’s name remain with me to this day.

The next few years were spent at Oxfam GB’s headquarters in the UK supporting country programmes and increasingly trying to ensure that global advocacy and campaigning were informed by country realities. On the back of the 2009 global food crisis, I had the good fortune to be posted to Rome, as Oxfam’s food and agriculture adviser and became involved in the reform of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). I was abruptly and justifably made aware, by social movements already active in Rome, of the need for big INGOs like Oxfam to avoid crowding out the voice of organisations directly representing the most affected people. It was, for me, a sharp and much needed awakening.

On the back of the CFS reform, I worked with a wide diversity of civil society organisations to help establish the Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) for relations with the CFS and became a member of the CFS Advisory Group. Thereafter, CSM members selected me as coordinator of the CSM Secretariat, constantly, and quite rightly, reminding me that my role was to facilitate participation, not to represent members in the CFS – another powerful lesson. This experience was at times a tough journey, but it left me with a sense of optimism that a diverse range of actors can find ways of working together and achieve results, even if they do not always see eye to eye.

I ended my work with the CSM in 2014, shortly before the birth of my twin boys, with a strong feeling of achievement, learning and exhaustion. As you can imagine better than I could at that time, I was just about to find out the true meaning of exhaustion as I simultaneously embarked on the paths of parenthood and consultancy.

As a consultant, I have been able to utilise prior experiences and learning to help strengthen the work of the various organisations and initiatives with whom I have worked in evaluation, strategic and operational development, facilitation and capacity building roles. I have certainly learnt a lot from engaging with them and look forward to continuing to share and learn through my work with N4D.

When I am not working, I am being educated, moulded and entertained by my sons.