Structure and governance
VSO is governed by the International Board, which sets the strategic direction of the organisation.
International Board of Trustees
The International Board (IB) meets digitally at least four times a year and in-person when possible. For further information on the roles and responsibilities of the International Board of Trustees, of any of the IB committees, or to contact any of our trustees with respect to their involvement with VSO, please email the VSO company secretary.
The current members of the International Board of Trustees are:
Julia Lalla-Maharajh OBE - Chair
Julia brings experience from the corporate, not for profit and voluntary sectors. She is Founder and former CEO of Orchid Project, an NGO for a world free from female genital cutting. She is a former VSO volunteer in Cambodia and Ethiopia.
Member of the Governance Committee.
Susan Hickey
Chartered accountant, Group Finance and Investment Director at igloo Regeneration, and former Chief Financial Officer at Peabody.
Audit and Risk Committee member.
Christopher Muwanguzi
Trustee of the Uganda Board for Child’s i Foundation, and recipient of the Nelson Mandela Award at the International AIDS conference in Durban, 2000, for his contribution to the fight against AIDS.
Audit and Risk Committee member.
Janet Muir
Director of Finance with over twenty years working in the not for profit sector in international development and education. Member of Chartered Accountants Ireland and the Corporate Governance Institute.
Maryam Abisola Adefarati
Chief Financial Officer with Microsoft Africa Regional Cluster. Co-owner of a foundation that is supporting the community in the areas of health, education and poverty alleviation.
Monalisa Sibongile Zwambila
Award-winning business executive widely regarded as one of South Africa’s top independent agency leaders. Founder and CEO of Riverbed South Africa.
Vincent Mohau Motholo
Vincent Mohau Motholo is a Chartered Accountant (South Africa). He is the Chief Financial Officer at the University of Cape Town and serves as a Non- Executive Chairman of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Belay Addise
Regional Manager at the Global Partnership for Education covering East and Southern Africa. Board Member of the Horn Center for Democracy.
Geoff Skingsley
Non-Executive Board Member of Médecins Sans Frontières Foundation. On the Global Leadership Council of the Said Business School in Oxford, UK; and member of the CBI's London Council.
Governance Committee member.
Mashaer Bashir-Ali
Mashaer has advised senior leadership and boards on legal, regulatory, and governance matters at global financial companies like Swiss Re and Aviva, and established a BAME network at Canada Life to promote equality and diversity. Additionally, she has volunteered with refugee youth to support their assimilation into British society.
Executive Board
The International Board delegates VSO's day-to-day management to the Executive Board. The Executive Board has operational oversight of VSO's global work and holds responsibility for the quarterly setting and reviewing of objectives and budgets.
Donné Cameron
Co-CEO
Donné is an international development expert with 25 years of leadership experience at Habitat for Humanity and VSO. Her commitment to people-centered development began when she volunteered in her home country of South Africa, supporting marginalised communities during the country’s transition to a unified and democratic nation.
She has held various leadership roles, shaping the future of these organisations by setting strategic visions and building high-performing teams. Donné holds degrees in law from the University of Cape Town and in Organisational Leadership from Eastern University, Philadelphia. She joined VSO in 2012 and has been an Executive Director since 2015.
Kathryn Gordon
Co-CEO
Kathryn is a strategic leader with 30 years of experience across private, family-owned, and non-profit organisations, including 15 years with VSO. She is passionate about merging purpose, people, and digital innovation to create large-scale impact. Her introduction to volunteering for development came through the Corrymeela Community in Northern Ireland, where she witnessed the power of collective action for social change.
Kathryn holds an Institute of Directors Diploma in Company Direction and an MIT Data Leadership Certificate. Since joining VSO in 2009, she has served as Director of People and Organisation Development and has been an Executive Director since 2015. She also serves on the global board of Humentum.
Clare Sisson
Finance Director
Clare Sisson joined VSO in 2022 as the Head of Finance Operations moving into the Finance Director role in 2023.
An auditor by profession, Clare has worked both in the not-for-profit and private sectors with a focus on developing strong internal controls and coherent financial reporting.
Strategic Leadership Group
The Directors on the Executive form part of a wider Strategic Leadership Group who have collective
responsibility for developing and delivering the VSO strategy and operating plan.
The members of the Strategic Leadership Group are:
- Gillian Claugher - Head of Public Fundraising, working from the UK.
- Papa Diouf - Practice Area Lead, Health, working from Cambodia.
- Ezekiel Esipisu - Programme Design and Development Lead, working from South Africa.
- Joyce Laker - Practice Area Lead, Inclusive Education, working from Cambodia.
- Kaday Mansaray Sibanda - Operations Director, working from South Africa.
- Kirit Naik - Head of Risk and Internal Audit, working from the UK.
- Martha Newman - Head of People Operations and HR Business Partnering, working from the UK.
- Tim Newman - Strategic Donor Partnerships Lead, working from the UK.
- Geoffrey Odaga - Global Implementation Lead, working from South Africa.
- Shaleen Rakesh - Volunteering for Development Engagement and Leadership Lead, working from India.
- Alok Rath - Knowledge, Evidence and Learning, working from India.
Find out more about VSO
Vision, values and strategy
A fair world for everyone. Creating lasting change through volunteering.
