Imkaan is thrilled to announce the appointment of Mary Clarke (left) and Ghadah Alnasseri (right) as the new Co-Executive Directors of Imkaan.

Mary is a social activist with a long history of using legal systems, compliance rules and collaborative approaches to bring about fundamental change for communities and organisations. With over 30 years experience of the voluntary and community sector, 15 of those in leadership roles, Mary has supported hundreds of charities with free community resources, advice, and consultancy. Mary has both challenged and led local commissioners and policy makers, successfully, to improve public services to benefit vulnerable people. She has managed multi-million pound charities and has a history of initiating collaborative funding bids resolutely focused on improving grassroots services, particularly for Black and minoritised communities. Before joining Imkaan, she held senior roles at UNICEF, where she worked on International Aid packages totalling £50 million; and at Citizens Advice as a Chief Officer managing complex, multi-site services, including VAWG services. She has consistently been elected by her peers to chair local, regional, and national multi-agency networks.

Mary is a first generation university graduate from a welfare benefits-dependent family, of mixed Jamaican and English heritage, with lived experience of VAWG, racism, and discrimination. She uses her survivor status to empower and enable others, whilst holding powerful institutions to account, as a critical friend, an activist and when necessary, an adversary.

Mary says: “This is a critical time in the sector where specialist Black by and for services are increasingly threatened, yet there are opportunities to transform our organisations and those institutions tasked with delivering democracy and social justice. Together with my co Director, the trustees, and staff, I will help Imkaan to resume its leadership of the Black and minoritised VAWG by and for sector, amplify the voices of Black and minoritised women and girls, and help end gender based violence”.

Ghadah is an accomplished strategic leader with a deep commitment to advancing the rights and wellbeing of Black and minoritised and migrant women and girls. Her diverse professional journey of over 15 years has equipped her with the expertise required to implement strategies, achieve organisational cultural change, and build relationships with various stakeholders within immigration, criminal justice and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sectors. Her track record of successfully securing and managing multi-million programs funded by institutions in different regions such as the UK, Europe, Middle East and North Africa and Latin America showcases her ability to manage complex challenges and deliver impactful outcomes nationally and internationally.

Her commitment to ending violence against women and girls, tackling inequality, and addressing intersectional needs of Black, ethnic and minority women align with Imkaan's mission. She brings an in-depth understanding of violence faced by Black and minoritised women and girls, along with the structural barriers that increase these challenges. This understanding has been gained through her lived experience in migration and VAWG, as well as her work in different humanitarian and international development organisations and global voluntary networks across different contexts and regions.

Before joining Imkaan, Ghadah has successfully led Hibiscus Initiatives’ policy and influencing work with a focus on reforming legislations in relation to migrant women’s experiences in the criminal justice and immigration system. She was recently given an award for her work in campaigning, changing lives, and challenging narratives to empower both women and girls in the UK.

Ghadah says: “I am excited to join Imkaan as I admire the organisation's impactful work in amplifying the diverse voices of Black and minoritised women within the VAWG sector. I want to contribute significantly to implementing Imkaan’s mission to increase awareness and support for the rights of Black and minoritised women experiencing violence, often remaining underreported due to reasons such as fear, stigma, lack of awareness, or mistrust in the UK system. Black and minoritised women face gaps in legal frameworks and policies, and their complex, intersecting needs frequently go unmet, making it difficult for them to access specialised support. I am excited to be part of Imkaan's team and work with my co Director where we will engage on a strategic level to address these systemic challenges and foster systemic change in policies and practices that protect and support the rights of women experiencing violence”.

Anber Raz the Chair of Imkaans board says: “Over the past few years, and in particular, during and in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, we have seen a marked increase in the need for services that can offer support to Black and minoritised women and girls. Working against a backdrop of an epidemic of violence against women and girls and lack of trust in police responses, with an increasingly hostile political environment towards Black, minoritised and refugee communities, the need for the work of Imkaan and its member organisations has never been greater.

We are delighted to welcome two exemplary Co-Directors to join and lead Imkaan’s work. Both Mary and Ghadah bring with them the determination and heart of activists with a passion to ensure that the needs of Black and minoritised women and girls are not sidelined and that all women and girls are able to actualise a future free from violence and discrimination. As a Board of Trustees we look forward to working with them both and supporting them on this journey.”

January 2024