Executive Leadership Team

Anne Reitsema was appointed as Medair’s Chief Executive Officer in 2023. Anne joined Medair in 2004 and has since led Medair’s programmes in Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, and overseen Medair’s programmes in the Horn of Africa from the Global Support Office. In 2019, Anne became International Programmes Director and in 2021 Anne joined the Global Emergency Directors Group. Before joining Medair, Anne worked as a social worker and counselor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the North West University Potchefstroom in South Africa, and a master’s degree in Counselling from CTS in Saint Louis, Missouri in the US. Anne was born and raised in South Africa and currently lives in Switzerland.

Heidi became Information Technology Services Director in 2019. Previously, Heidi was Country Director for Medair’s programmes in Nepal, the Philippines, and Myanmar. Heidi has more than 20 years of experience in management and information technology in both the private and humanitarian sectors. She studied Telecommunications Management, holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, and a graduate certificate in International Development from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Heidi oversees Medair’s information technology and communications resources worldwide, and supports country programmes in harnessing innovation and technology to increase Medair’s global impact. Heidi is Australian and lives in Switzerland.

Jean-Bernard studied at HEC in Paris. He began his career with L’Oréal in Finland then in France as a business controller. A few years later, he moved to the Bourjois-Chanel Group where he held different positions in controlling, business development and sales. In 2005, he moved with his family to Switzerland to work for Nestlé. After a couple of years as a project leader in marketing and innovation, he spent ten years as global marketing manager contributing to the launch and worldwide roll-out of the Nescafé Dolce Gusto brand. In 2017, he created his own consulting company working for religious communities, to help them define and execute a long term vision and balance between community life and economic activities. Jean-Bernard is both Swiss and French, is married with Claire and they have 5 children.

Adeola Akintoye joined Medair in 2022 as Finance Director. She is a member of the association of chartered certified Accountants (ACCA) and has been a senior leader in the international charity sector throughout her 25 year career. Adeola holds Masters Degree in Business Information Technology from Middlesex University, United Kingdom, as well as a Masters Degree in Leadership and Development from Kings College University, United Kingdom. Adeola oversees financial management to support the delivery of Medair’s worldwide mission. She brings a broad range of skills and experience to her role including leadership, organisation development and risk management. Adeola is a Nigerian-British national blessed with three beautiful daughters.

Fraser joined the Executive Team in 2023. His primary responsibility is to lead on strategy development and build partnerships within the humanitarian sector and the global church. He served as Vice-Chair of the International Board of Trustees from 2018-2022. Previously he led emergency responses for Medair in South Sudan, Darfur and Uganda from 1997-2008. In between his stints with Medair, Fraser built a global development practice for a leadership consultancy, grew a family business and led a community of prayer. Fraser holds a Masters Degree in International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham.

Gareth became Medair’s International Programme Director in 2023. He joined the company in 2019 as Head of Country Programmes for Sudan, Jordan, and Iraq, after spending 12 years working with international humanitarian organisations, including Merlin and Tearfund in fragile contexts around the globe. Before launching into the humanitarian sector, Gareth spent 5 years working for the British Government, where he coordinated strategic priorities on international development and foreign policy across government departments. Gareth is a British national and lives in Switzerland.

Peter founded his career in advertising, serving in multinational commercial strategy roles with GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. He was then asked to establish a new communications and behavioural change unit within the Home Office of the UK government. Leading a team of specialists across the public and private sectors in the UK, EU, and US, they delivered programmes to disrupt criminal and terrorist activity and protect the vulnerable and those at risk. Peter then moved back to the commercial sector, delivering innovation in financial services with Legal & General plc. He is currently leading growth strategy for Stewardship Services, a leader in donor-advised fund management. He has served on Medair’s International Board of Trustees since 2015, and on the Medair UK Board since 2019.

James has many years experience in the international charitable and business sectors, with a particular emphasis on governance and the application of his Christian faith in all walks of life. He worked in the City of London for 30 years, and for 20 of these as a corporate partner of Slaughter and May, one of the City’s leading international law firms. Whilst there, he led or founded numerous Christian initiatives. For six years, he was chair of the committee advising Europe’s largest ethical investor on ethical investment, and particularly helped to re-orientate its approach to climate change and the global extractives industry. James works with YWAM, one of Medair’s founding partners, and from 2015-2021, he was chair of The British and Foreign Bible Society. James has written and spoken extensively on the need for business to better serve the common good, and is the general editor of a book on global business and human rights. He has a degree in theology and law from Cambridge University. James is married, with five adult children and 10 grandchildren. He is passionate about the countryside and seeing young people fulfil their potential.

Rachel is a UK-qualified lawyer who has worked in London for international and national blue-chip clients. In 1997, she decided to join Medair and made a huge, life-changing move to South Sudan, shifting from working with the wealthy and privileged in London to serving the poor and forgotten in the Global South. What was initially meant to be a 2-year experience turned into a 16-year adventure in East Africa working in aid and then development. Rachel advised international NGOs and institutional donors on legal and governance issues, advocacy and justice campaigning but more importantly met so many inspirational people along the way which enriched her life perspective and vision. Rachel has been instrumental in, and has convened, a wide range of governance structures and organisational committees within church communities as well as professionally. As Secretariat to the multi-donor group on Private Sector Development and Trade, she coordinated the work of major bilateral and multilateral donors in Tanzania in private sector development and trade. She is a linguist who is passionate about the value of cross-cultural communication and of bringing different communities together for mutual benefit. Rachel was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) honour by the Queen in 2015 for “services to international development, humanitarian relief and poverty reduction”.

Jean-Claude has more than 35 years of broad leadership experience, having occupied multiple senior executive positions in the pharmaceutical and IVD (In Vitro Diagnostics) industry with Roche in 10 different countries on five continents. Since retiring in 2018, he has focused on various volunteering and philanthropic activities. Jean-Claude is Council Chair of the International Protestant Church in Zurich and is also a member of the Ashoka Support Network. Prior to serving on Medair’s International Board of Trustees, Jean-Claude had been working closely with Medair since 2018, providing valuable coaching and strategic support

Anne is an international business leader operating at the board level with a strong strategy, innovation, and marketing background. She is a business mentor supporting start-ups and scale-ups, in collaboration with leading universities in Switzerland and the UK. Anne is currently a member of four corporate boards and one non-profit board (Medair). She was a past board member of two non-profit and two corporate boards. Anne works as Growth Expert and Tutor in the Entrepreneurship Centre of the Said Business School of the University of Oxford. Prior to this, Anne was co-founder and partner of Crescendo Marketing in Switzerland, a market research and marketing strategy agency. She served as Marketing Director of the L’Oreal Group in the UK and worked in brand management for Procter & Gamble in Switzerland. Her first career steps were in management consulting with McKinsey & Co in Switzerland. Anne earned a Master of Science in Business with honours from HEC Lausanne (Faculté des Hautes Études Commerciales), where she later served as a Business Advisory Board Member. She also holds an MBA from INSEAD (the European Institute of Business Administration) in France.

Benoit is currently a partner with Dominicé & Co, working as Head of Private Asset Management. Early in his career, he served as a manager for Arthur Andersen in London and Geneva, where he worked in auditing and bank reorganization. Benoit later moved to PricewaterhouseCoopers in Geneva, where he implemented a banking software system and reviewed several financial institutions. Prior to his current position with Dominicé & Co, Benoit worked with Lombard Odier & Cie Geneva, a private bank, with a focus on wealthy foreigners resident in Switzerland. Benoit is also on the board of the Papoose Foundation.

Thabani is the Managing Director of Country Programmes for Gavi, a world-class global health NGO. Based in Geneva, he oversees operations in 73 countries, managing Gavi’s relationships with governments and providing grant management oversight. Prior to joining Gavi, Thabani worked with World Vision International for over 16 years, climbing through the ranks to the senior-most levels of global humanitarian operations. Thabani is an outstanding leader in the humanitarian sector, with gifts in horizon-scanning for trends in the global INGO and health sectors, and insight into how to create strong programme quality and expertise in partnership building.

David serves as the Executive Director of Windle Trust International, a well-regarded education NGO working in the East and Horn of Africa region. He has worked as an education professional for over 20 years, including as the Windle Trust International Country Director in South Sudan for over 10 years. David travels regularly across East Africa, including Sudan and South Sudan. He maintains strong government and donor relations in the region and a deep insight into the challenges and opportunities of working in these contexts. As a former refugee himself, David brings insights based on lived experience to the challenges facing displaced people. David holds an MBA from the University of Nottingham, an MA in Educational Research from Durham University, and an MSc in Education and Training for Development from the University of Reading.

Chidi is the Founder and CEO of Asante Financial Services Group, a leading NeoBank for growing businesses in Africa, with operations in Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda. Prior to that, he was the Group Managing Director for Fintech and Digital at Atlas Mara Inc., where he led the Digital Financial Services business group. Before Atlas Mara, Chidi was Founder and CEO for Airtel Money Africa, where he built the Mobile Money business across 17 countries in Africa. He has also served as the Group Executive in charge of retail banking for United Bank for Africa Plc, overseeing personal and business banking across 19 markets in Africa, and as a Senior Consultant in Financial Services Strategy Consulting with Accenture. Chidi is a Digital Economy enthusiast, and he is committed to an African future of inclusive growth and shared prosperity. He is an avid badminton player and holds an MBA from the University of Nigeria and a Sloan MSc from the London Business School as a Chevening Scholar.