Our people

D I R E C T O R S

James

Lavender

Founder & Managing Director

James oversees management of enterprises across our Group, and government and corporate collaborations. He has considerable experience in designing and delivering specialised training programmes.

He gained a 1st Class Degree in English from University College London (UCL), and has also studied Mandarin Chinese at Peking University in China.

Languages: English, Mandarin Chinese (working proficiency)

Joel

Sugarman

Research Director

Joel directs our growing Knowledge Resources portfolio, with particular focus on IDEAS Insights. He additionally leads the research, monitoring and evaluation underpinning our enterprise development and consultancy.

He graduated in Medical Sciences, and balances his directorship in IDEAS alongside a second career in Medicine.

Languages: English, Welsh (fluent), French (working proficiency)

Jose

Calero

Non-Executive Director

Jose advises our management team on operational setup, financial planning, pipeline development, and strategic relationships. He has supported IDEAS Globally as an executive business-advisor for over three years, and has extensive experience in change management (including at J.P Morgan, UBS and EY).

Languages: English (native), Spanish (native), Catalan (fluent), Italian (fluent), French (fluent)

M A N A G E R S

Vivek

Shah

International Programmes Manager

Vivek manages our international education and training ventures, taking a leading role in local programme delivery and working directly with young & professional learners in several countries.

He graduated with a prestigious degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with Data Science, from University College London (UCL). Vivek has also worked with IBM as a Business Development leader, where he was awarded a patent.

Languages: English, French (fluent), Spanish (working proficiency).

Renata

Brites

Events Manager

Renata manages our event portfolio: she organizes public talks, conferences and workshops that enhance our perspectives on the cultures with whom we are working, and development in these emerging markets.

She graduated in Biomedical Sciences and is a contributor to a wide range of start-up ventures in Education and social enterprise, outside of IDEAS Globally.

Languages: English (native), Portuguese (native), Spanish (fluent), Italian (fluent)

Sina

Dupslaff

Programme Consultant

Sina plays a leading role as content-supervisor for creative learning activities.

She was awarded a 1st Class Degree in Arts & Sciences from University College London (UCL). She has broad experience working with technological social enterprises, and has also worked in a variety of highly sought-after creative roles, including at Google and a major Advertising company in London.

Languages: German (native), English, Spanish, French

P A T R O N S

Solava

Ibrahim

Development Patron

Solava is an affiliated Lecturer at the Centre for Development Studies, University of Cambridge, and Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University.

Michael

Simpson

Social Innovation Patron

Michael is the Head of Programme & Partnerships at Year Here, a hub for social innovation based in London.

Areeq

Chowdhury

Youth Engagement Patron

Areeq is the Founder of a youth-led think tank to modernise political participation in the UK.

Mandana

Seyfeddinipur

Global Linguistics Patron

Mandana is the Director at the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme, focusing on cultural preservation and linguistics in development.

Michael

Walls

Governance Patron

Michael is a Course Director at UCL Development Planning Unit, teaching development management and researching on the Somali Horn of Africa, Uganda and Sierra Leone.