Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke | Founder, President
After completing her B.A. at King’s College, Cambridge University, Lindsey joined Human Rights Watch in New York. She worked for several years in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire for UNICEF and later for 6 years with the humanitarian organization Children of Asia, which operates programs in South-East Asia. In 2008, she trained in Bangladesh with Grameen Bank (founded by Nobel Peace Prize-winner Muhammad Yunus) and later obtained an Executive MBA at ESCP-Europe, Paris, in 2009, for which she received the International MBA Student of the Year award, bestowed by AMBA (the Association of MBAs) and The Independent newspaper. In 2011, she was named a “40 under 40” European Young Leader by EuropaNova and nominated a “Women in IT Role Model” by the Digital Agenda of the European Commission in 2013. In 2015, Lindsey was named one of the Inspiring Fifty, Europe’s 50 most inspiring women leaders in the technology sector. In 2016 Lindsey was selected as a Young Entrepreneur and member of the French delegation to participate in the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance Summit in Beijing.
Andrea Ashworth | Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief
Andrea received her B.A., M.A. and D.Phil. in English literature from Oxford University and received Fellowships at Yale University and Princeton University. Andrea is the author of the award-winning Once in a House on Fire, which recounts how she grew up in inner-city Manchester, England, in a family troubled by violence and poverty, before escaping to study English Literature at Oxford University. Once in a House on Fire has been translated into more than ten languages and incorporated into the curricula of schools and universities around the world. As a critic, author and spokesperson for the importance of children’s literacy and education and against the ravages of poverty and domestic violence, Andrea has participated in many radio and television programs worldwide. Her writing has been featured in many publications, including The Times, The Observer, The Independent, The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement, Elle, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Granta. Andrea lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children and is working on a novel.
Arundhati Pal | Co-Founder, Director of Development
India-born, Arundhati Pal, serves as W4’s Director of Development from Seattle, Washington. Arundhati obtained her Master’s in Public Policy, with a specialization in Economics and International Relations, from Pepperdine University and has spent over a decade working with organizations dedicated to fighting global poverty and improving women’s health and status, including CARE International and Asha for Education. In 2008, Arundhati saw first-hand the powerful impact microfinance can have on the lives of poor women when she interned with Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. She also worked with Polaris Project in Boulder, Colorado, raising awareness about the detrimental effects of human trafficking on women. Most recently, Arundhati has worked with King County’s Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget in Washington, conducting equity impact analyses of budget decisions. She currently serves with King County’s Executive Office of Equity and Social Justice, doing strategic planning and program development.
Jenny Yun | Co-Founder, Researcher & Writer
New York-born Jenny Yun is a researcher and writer for W4. Jenny received her B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies with a specialization in Child Development from Cornell University and her Ed.M. in International Education Policy at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She later went on to earn her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where she co-founded and co-directed the Legal Education and Advocacy Program, which was awarded the 2005 New York State Bar Association President’s Pro Bono Award. She has volunteered as a pro bono attorney with Human Rights First, inMotion, the Public International Law & Policy Group, Everybody Wins! and the UNDP. In 2009, she moved to Chennai, India to become in-house counsel for International Justice Mission, a human rights organization that works to combat human trafficking and then moved to Hong Kong to work as an attorney for the Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre in 2012. Currently based in New York, she is an attorney at Baker & McKenzie LLP.
Gaby Levy | Co-Founder, IT Project Manager
Originally from México, Gaby worked in Mexico city for an International Educational Investment Fund as direct marketing and telemarketing manager, where she had the opportunity to develop partnerships in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia. After moving to Paris in 2007, Gaby joined the W4 adventure, as Co-Founder, then worked in offline and online marketing before assuming the position of IT Project Manager. Gaby continues to assist with W4’s online marketing and has the nickname of “sunshine” in our office.
Salomé Millet-Berthomé | Manager Field Programs & Development
After completing her undergraduate degree in Foreign Languages (including a study exchange program at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico), Salomé completed her Master’s degree in Languages, Culture and International Affairs, majoring in the Americas. It was in the course of her work experience abroad, volunteering with a foundation in Costa Rica to defend the rights of children and teenagers from underprivileged communities, that she resolved to pursue a career in humanitarian and development work. Salomé is currently W4 Manager of Donor Relations, Field Programs & Development. Having already travelled in Latin America and the US, Salomé is keen to continue to discover new cultures and to further her work in the field of women’s empowerment, with a particular focus on local initiatives around the world dedicated to women’s rights and women’s empowerment.
Alexia Jacob | E-mentoring Program Coordinator & Field Program Assistant, Nepal
Alexia obtained her undergraduate degree in Chinese and international relations at Leeds University in England and her MSc in psychology at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She has worked with various humanitarian and educational programs, notably programs to support refugees in the UK and Malaysia. Between her degrees, Alexia spent a gap year working at a community center for Myanmar refugees in Kuala Lumpur. She is passionate about issues concerning human rights, mental health and international solidarity. Alexia is currently working with the W4 Paris team, coordinating W4’s e-Mentoring program and assisting with management and development of W4’s field programs in Asia. In July, Alexia will join W4’s field program in Kathmandu, Nepal, working to provide girls and young women from marginalized communities with IT and entrepreneurship training.
Sterenn Dakouo | Field program assistant, Kajiado, Kenya
Sterenn has a BA in political science and a Master’s degree in African Studies, both from Paris 1 University. She has strong personal and professional interests in intersectional feminism. (Her Master’s thesis included a fascinating sociological study, conducted in hairdressing salons in Paris and Ouagadougou: “Afro hairstyles: from injunctive norms to emancipated identity.”) Sterenn is passionate about women’s empowerment and is keen to work to drive progress at the grassroots level. She is currently volunteering on a year-long mission with W4’s field program in Kajiado, Kenya, working to defend Maasai girls’ and women’s right to education and to provide Maasai girls and women with access to IT and entrepreneurship training, thereby enabling them to obtain formal employment or set up their own enterprises.
Cosima Ano | FIELD PROGRAM ASSISTANT, NAIROBI, KENYA & DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
Cosima is assisting W4’s field teams in Kenya and Tanzania to provide young women in underserved areas with access to advanced IT & entrepreneurship training. This regional program facilitates women’s access to formal employment and promotes women’s tech-based social entrepreneurship. Cosima recently earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Social Development at the ESCD 3A sustainable business school in Lyon. As a student, she undertook a university exchange program in Brazil, then resumed her studies in France with a focus on the humanitarian sector, reaffirming her professional goal of working in the development sector. Just before joining W4, Cosima worked with a children’s rights organization in AEC-Foyer Lataste, Cambodia. Cosima is passionate about Africa – the continent’s geopolitics, economics and socio-cultural aspects – and has written a thesis about waste management in Lomé, Togo, after having worked on an environmental project there.
Eva De Foucaucourt | Offline & Online Marketing & Communications
Eva recently completed a three-year degree in Marketing, Communication and Digital Strategies at IPAG Business School, Paris. Her studies included a session abroad in China, a program on international marketing at Yunnan Normal University, and a program on sociology and marketing at the Institute of Technology Tallaght, Ireland. Eva is passionate about new technologies and plans to pursue a specialized Master’s degree on the sociology of consumption and communication in 2020. Thanks to her family, she has been immersed in the world of philanthropy since she was a child, and she is currently devoting her gap year to working with the W4 team on offline and online Marketing and Communications. If you’re following our #WomenInnovate4Change social media campaign (and we hope you are!), Eva is the brain and source of creativity behind this wonderful campaign!
Lucie Lebaz | UX/UI & print design expert
With her signature creativity & passion, Lucie leads W4’s branding and communications. Born and raised in Paris, Lucie is a branding, UX/UI and print design expert. She has studied in Paris and Quebec City, obtaining a Master of Arts with honors in Graphic Design from the Ecole de Communication Visuelle in Paris and a degree in UX Design from the Ecole Intuit’Lab. She began her career in London, working with leading design and advertising agencies, including Landor, Creative Leap and Fitch, before launching her own company in Paris, Lucie Lebaz Créative. Lucie has won several awards for her work, including the Creativity International Award (twice!) and the International Design Awards, and she has served on various international design award juries.
