Shiree Team

GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH PROJECT DIRECTOR

Md. Asadul Islam joined  EEP/Shiree as the Project Director in July 2010. He is a civil servant with a  background of working in field administration, Magistracy, Collectorate and in Ministries and Directorates. He obtained M.Sc. in Entomology (1st Class) from the University of Dhaka in 1978 (held in 1982) and MBA from Bangladesh Open University. He joined the Bangladesh Civil Service (Administration) through the Special BCS 1982 as a Magistrate. He stood 1st in the 46th Senior Staff Course in the BPATC. Prior to joining the EEP team, he was the Director of Administration in the Directorate of Relief & Rehabilitation. Throughout his career, he has contributed to a diverse number of projects and initiatives of the GoB in different capacities. His expertise is in the area of ICTs, resource mobilisation, natural disaster management and human resources management. He contributed to the launching of the Early Warning Cell Broadcasting System through Cell phones (a Disaster Management & Relief Division and A2I initiative of the GoB). He has mentored the MATT2 (Management at the Top-2) PIP Team thrice (a GoB and DFID initiative under the Ministry of Public Administration in Bangladesh). He has received  trainings on Regional Disaster Management from Bournemouth University, UK; Innovations in Capacity Building for Education and Development in the School of Policy, Planning and Development in the University of Southern California, Disaster management course in South Korea etc. He has visited UK, USA, Australia and other countries. Asadul Islam is also an active member of various academic, social and professional organizations including the ‘Dhaka University Registered Graduate Forum’, ‘Dhaka University Alumni Association’, ‘Dhaka University Zoologists Forum’, ‘West End 1971 Forum’, etc. He is blessed with a son Anharul Islam and a daughter Auruba Islam..

MANAGEMENT CONSORTIUM: PROGRAMME DIRECTOR

John Woolner is the Chairman of Harewelle International Limited, incorporating PMTC International, PMTC (Bangladesh) Limited and ULG International Limited. John has experience working with local governance, community development, sustainable livelihoods, particularly focusing on small farmers, fisher folk, and women. This has covered all aspects of vocational training and institutional strengthening. Administration and management, the fundamentals for DFID interventions and John oversees the delivery of overseas project proposals, planning, design and evaluation, reporting, budgeting and financial control. John is also an avid bird watcher and nature lover.

Monjur Hossain is Managing Director of PMTC Bangladesh Limited. Following his earlier career as a senior in the Plantation Industry, Monjur has been involved in the development aid sector since the late 1990s and is a recognized professional in Project Management. He has been the Project Director for numerous projects with a wide-array of different donors including DFID, SDC, USAID, DANIDA and ADB.  As an Attorney of Harewelle, Monjur is a signatory in the execution of the accountable grant agreements between NGOs and EEP/shiree Programme and supports that programme in matters concerning HRM.

THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM

In 2010 SHIREE formed a Senior Management Team (SMT) to provide overall programme direction and oversight under the Chairmanship of CEO. The SMT meets regularly and has been successful in bringing a new coherence and drive to this large and complex programme.

Colin Risner joined shiree as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in May 2010.  He has prior experience of working in Bangladesh having been a team leader for a major DFID/World Bank funded project (ASSP/ASIRP) between 1997 and 2001, as well as undertaking a number of short term assignments. Colin started out as a lecturer in economics before joining a large UK local authority, transitioning into development work via a range of local government related assignments in the 1990s.  Since leaving Bangladesh in 2001 he has worked in 15 African and Asian countries on projects ranging from the macro and strategic (country programme reviews, donor harmonisation, public sector reform), to operational level interventions (community driven development, gender auditing and organisation development). Immediately prior to joining shiree, he spent 6 months establishing a civil society sector monitoring project in Ethiopia. Colin has a wide range of experience but his focus throughout has been on facilitating local ownership, exploring innovative approaches and helping teams to perform to their potential. Principles that he is building on in shiree. He has been based in Cornwall for the last 10 years and still harbours ambitions to become a passable surfer – although time is fast catching up with him!

Ahmed Jamal Khan serves as the Chief Operating Officer (COO), overseeing all Scale and Innovation Fund operations. After studying and working in the United States, he worked in the development sector in South Asia and the Middle East, and served as a consultant to a number of organisations including DFID, the Asian Development Bank and PA Consulting. Most recently, he was the Director of Programs at JOBS-IRIS in Bangladesh. Jamal is a development economist by training and has particular interests in the application of multi-disciplinary approaches to extreme poverty, livelihoods, conflict resolution and coping strategies for climate change. Jamal also enjoys playing squash, horse riding and going hiking with his wife.

Anwar Chowdhury is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Anwar has 21 years of experience in programme and project fund management, which includes experience in internal control, operational systems auditing, internal systems management and financial capacity building. He also has experience in providing financial management training and has prepared a training module for finance and non-finance managers in the public sector. Anwar also has substantial experience of internal & external auditing, especially in donor financed projects, national NGOs, micro credit institutions, and specialised banks. Anwar’s friendly attitude and contagious laughter make him a special shiree member.

Shazia Ahmed is the Head of Advocacy and Communications. Shazia previously worked as a communications specialist at IFC-World Bank, Bangladesh and as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers, NYC. Shazia completed her undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College, USA and her masters in social psychology at LSE, UK. Shazia is also a pilates instructor, an author, and a mother of two beautiful babies.

ADVOCACY and COMMUNICATIONS

Tareq Salahuddin is working as the Communications Manager. Before joining shiree, he worked at UPPR as a Communications and Documentation Expert. Tareq has experience working in the development sector with organisations like UNDP, WaterAid Bangladesh, ILO, SAFE, Unicef, Save the Children and World Vision. He also has strong links with national and international media. Tareq is a medical graduate from Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital, Dhaka Bangladesh. He intends to build his career as a public health professional. Tareq has expertise in photography, graphics design, website development and social networking.

Shaveena Anam is a Young Professional (YP) at the shiree Communications and Advocacy team. She graduated from Bard College with a major in Human Rights and Film and has previously done part time work with Aparajeo Bangladesh, BRAC Human Rights and Legal Services Deparment and Protibondhi Foundation. She is particularly interested in urban poverty and inclusive education and hopes to do good work for the economic and social development of Bangladesh.

Kira Galbraith is the Associate Programmes and Advocacy Manager at shiree where she acts as the liaison between research, advocacy and operations. She holds a BSc in International Relations from Bard College, New York, and an MA in Immigration Management from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. Her interests include social safety nets, welfare provisions, the social impacts of internal migration, and community-based gender dynamics. Prior to joining shiree, Kira worked for International Development Enterprises-Bangladesh where she developed skills in business development, donor management, and grant writing. She’s never without a cup of coffee in her hand and you can often find her playing squash or running through the streets of Dhaka dodging rickshaws.

Tarun K. Barua is the shiree Assistant Manager. He has over 25 years of experience in office administration, secretarial positions and general management. His background includes working with various GoB and NGO programmes, along with a rich variety of experience in the corporate sector.

PROGRAMME MANAGERS

Delwar Hossain is a shiree Programme Manager and has 28 years of practical experience in rural and urban development. Before joining shiree he worked with CARE International and the Chars Livelihoods Programme (CLP). His primary areas of expertise are Infrastructure, Monitoring and Evaluation, Office Management, Contract Administration and Disaster Management.

Masud Rana is a Programme Manager at shiree. He has over 18 years experience in various development projects in Bangladesh. Rana has extensive experience in institutional and human resource development, capacity building, training and community development. He is a good facilitator and experienced in planning and conducting training and workshops. Rana has previously worked on DFID, Danida funded projects and at BRAC. Rana is a novice zoologist and has an eye for rare indigenous species across the country.

Md. Abdus Salam is working as a Programme Manager. He has more than 30 years work experience both at home and abroad. Salam’s core set of skills include agriculture extension and management, training administration / management and facilitation, training needs assessments, curriculum design and material development, strategic planning, public sector and NGO capacity building, human resource development planning, PRA, socio-economic bench mark surveys and impact assessments.

Sutapa Paul serves as one of the Programme Managers of shiree. She has more than 20 years of experience in various development programmes in Bangladesh. Sutapa has extensive experience in capacity building, programme management, organisational development, community mobilisation, extreme poverty and PRA. She is a very good facilitator and presenter. Sutapa previously worked at BRAC for 18 years. She was the first female area manager, regional manager of the BRAC Development Programme, and chief trainer at the Training and Resource Centre (TARC). Sutapa also worked on the CFPR-TUP BRAC programme for over 2 years as a Sector Specialist in Social Development during 2002-2004. In addition to this, she has worked as a Freelance Consultant in conducting Problem Solving Workshops for SHOUHARDO of Care-Bangladesh and the Poverty and Working Children (PWC) Programme of SC-UK. Sutapa is a very positive and lively person. She dreams of a world without any discrimination.

Saidur Rahman is a Programme Manager employed at Shiree since January 2008. He is a livelihood expert and khasland specialist, a Lawyer and expert on Rights Based Approach (RBA). He began his career with BRAC in the 80’s, working mostly with the BRAC rural development programme as an Area Manager. He moved to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) in the 90’s. He held various senior positions with ASK including the Directorship for 12 years. As an ardent admirer of the philosophy of equality, he passionately promotes Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) along with accelerating advocacy actions in favour of the extreme poor.

Mohammad Ali, a veterinarian by profession, currently works as a Programme Manager at Shiree. He has vast working experience in multidisciplinary rural development and poverty alleviation projects for more than 35 years in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Sudan, Indonesia, Italy, Peru and the UK. He managed several livelihoods and food security programmes efficiently and effectively in collaboration with partner NGOs. Mr Ali was the Member Secretary of GO-NGO-Private Sector Liaison Committee constituted by the MoA under NAEP and hosted the Secretariat. He operated District Focal Area Forums constituted by the district heads of line departments, research institutes and NGOs.

 

Manotosh Kumar Madhu is a Shiree Programme Manager having 19 years of practical experience in rural and urban development of Bangladesh. He worked with three international NGOs including CARE Bangladesh before joining Shiree. His major competencies are Strategic Planning, Programme Designing and Delivery, Programme Monitoring & Evaluation, Capacity Building, Partnership Management, Institution Building, Human Resources Development, and Reporting. He has wide-range of expertise in food security programme management along with other development programme.

Sam Beckwith works as an Associate Programmes Manager at shiree. Working between the Operations and Nutrition team he works closely with three Innovation Fund partners to provide project management support. He also has a role in supporting the implementation of shiree’s nutrition intervention across the Scale Fund. Sam’s interests lie in health and poverty reduction programming for vulnerable groups, particularly people with disabilities and marginalized indigenous groups. In this area Sam leads shiree’s research and strategy formulation. Sam holds an MSc with merit from University College London in ‘Global Health and Development’ and a BSc (Hons) in Immunology from the University of Edinburgh. He has previously worked with the international development consultancy ‘Harewelle International Ltd’ and the University of Southampton. Sam has lived in five different countries and hopes to explore every corner of Bangladesh. He really likes reclining seats and cashew nuts.

Vishal Gadhavi works with Shiree as an Associate Programmes Manager. This involves providing managerial advice and operational support to NGOs that are contracted by Shiree in the Innovation Fund round of NGOs. He graduated in 2008 with a Bachelors degree in Economic History at the London School of Economics (LSE) and completed his Masters in Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 2010. Previously he worked with VSO in Morocco on an environmental project, living and working closely with members of the community in a small town near the Atlas Mountains. His interests lie in rural development and the role of informal labour in developing countries, with a special focus on South Asian countries. He enjoys eating street food including pushkar and samosas, despite the risk of upsetting his stomach!

Marie Sophie Pettersson works with Shiree as an Analyst in the Management Support Unit. This involves analysing, investigating and reporting on the overall outputs generated by the Change Monitoring System to support both operational and advocacy functions. She graduated in 2011 with her Masters in Gender, Development and Globalisation from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and in 2010 with a Bachelor Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) from the University of Warwick with an intercalated year at Sciences Po Bordeaux. Previously she worked for Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) in Bangladesh on an RMG Compliance and Gender Empowerment Project, and completed internships for Womankind Worldwide and VSO in London, as well as for OECD’s Development Assistance Committee in Paris. Her main interests are Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. She loves mango season, learning Bangla and getting the chance to travel around Bangladesh to meet friendly people and beautiful nature!

RESEARCH and NUTRITION

Sally Faulkner is working as Research Focal Point at shiree. She completed her BSc in Economics and International Development at the University of Bath and her MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development Studies at SOAS, London. Sally has previously worked at a development consultancy firm in Hanoi, Vietnam where she gained experience both in business development and in conducting primary and secondary research for donor funded projects. She has also spent time in Tanzania working at a local secondary school. Her interests include gender, food security, humanitarian aid and disaster risk reduction, migration and child rights. Sally enjoys beaches and cake and apparently has terrible taste in music.

Md Masud Rana is working as Nutrition Focal Point at shiree. He completed his undergraduate and Masters Studies at the University of Dhaka in Nutrition and Food Science. Prior to joining shiree, he worked with BFRF for one year as a Research Assistant and as a Survey Supervisor for various DFID and ADB funded research projects. He specialises in health and nutrition research and M&E.

Faria Shabnam is working as Programme Manager (Nutrition) at Shiree. Prior to this, she worked at BRAC Health Programme’s community component of Alive and Thrive Initiative, Improving Maternal, Neonatal and Child Survival (IMNCS) Project and was also involved with the Mainstreaming Nutrition Initiative (MNI). Faria holds an MPH from the James P. Grant School of Public Health and an MSc in Food & Nutrition from Dhaka University. She had been working as a Nutritionist in Young One of Chittagong Export Processing Zone before she joined the MPH Programme.

MIS UNIT

Abdul Jabber Jufry is an IT systems analyst and brings to shiree over 13 years of professional experience in system analysis, computer design, system requirements specification and software development. He is also able to implement and communicate backend (database) with front ends of software using LAN/WAN, and has conducted various surveys and data analysis for different donors in different government organisations and the private sector. Jufry plays a key role in developing a comprehensive MIS for shiree, facilitating data processing, generating and consolidating various types of reports as required by the programme. He is also engaged in enhancing the capacity of the programme partners in database management. He plays an active role in preparing systematic and regular analysis of socio-economic statistics, trends and indicators to provide policy makers and other stakeholders with an improved understanding of programme outputs and outcomes.

Muhammad Masudul Alam is a Network Administrator of shiree. He is able to administrate networks in both Linux and Windows platform. He is playing an important role in MIS to achieve the project goals. He has several years experience working in IT, especially in networking in different organisations like Proshika Computer System Trust and Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Just before joining shiree he worked in Jaxara (a USA based leading software Development Company) as an Assistant System Engineer. Masud is playing a key role in the roll out of SHIREE’s innovative mobile phone based monitoring system (CMS2).

 

Mahbuba Islam Lucky joined shiree in November 2009 as an Information Services Officer in the MIS unit. She has previous work experience as a Researcher on poverty and monga with RDRS Bangladesh. She has also worked for the Green Foundation (a project of Action Aid) as a Research & Management Officer. She is an expert in developing geographical maps through GPS, different GIS software, Google Earth and remote sensing technology. She is also good in data management and data analysis through MS Access and SPSS. She obtained her B.Sc and M.Sc degree in Geography and Environment from Jahangirnagar University. Just before joining shiree she worked for the Chars Livelihoods Programme (CLP) (a DFID funded programme) as a Consultant for GIS mapping.

Khaled Arafat Ahmed is working as Information Officer in the MIS Department of Shiree. He is actively involved with field level implementation and supervision of Shiree’s Socio-economic & Anthropometric Survey (CMS3). Prior to joining Shiree, he completed his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Asia Pacific. Currently he is studying MBA in HRM from Victoria University. He has keen interest in project management, training management and monitoring & result management. He is an enthusiastic photographer.

FINANCE

Mirza Laila Ferdous is working as Senior Accounts Manager at shiree. Laila has been working with the accounts & audit sections in the Development & Private sector for 10 years. She has extensive experience in preparation of financial reports (GoB reports and for projects themselves), DPPs, budget and budget variance reports. She has experience of dealing with internal, external and GoB Auditors. Laila also has experience in conducting audits of multinational and national enterprises, corporations, banks, leasing companies, NGO and donor aided projects. Laila enjoys travelling with her family, cooking her favourite dishes and playing with her son.

 

Jasmin Ara Jui is working as shiree Accounts Manager. She brings over seven years of working experience in accounts. Previously she worked for the DLGP (funded by USAID), CLP, SHOUHARDO & an NGO forum for DWSS service. Her skills include working on financial reports and budgets. She has a rich experience in working with external auditors and monitoring branch offices and partner NGO accounts.

Jashim Uddin is working as Accounts Manager. He previously worked with S. F. Ahmed & Co. as an Audit Supervisor. Jashim has extensive experience in financial systems design and implementation, institutional development, auditing, accounting, taxation and management of multinational and national enterprises, corporations, banks, leasing companies, NGOs and various donor-assisted aid projects.

Riffat Jahan is working as the Contract Manager at shiree. She previously worked with CARE-Bangladesh in the field of Monitoring and Evaluation of donor-funded projects, and later with both the Swiss Agency for Development, a Cooperation Village Farm and Forestry programme, and at the British Council in the field of financial management of donor-funded projects. Riffat is experienced in the overall financial management of grant-funded and donor-funded projects. She is also experienced in managing different programmes implemented via civil society and NGOs.

Md. Aman Ullah is working as Senior Accounts Manager at shiree. He has previously worked with S.F. Ahmed & Co. as a Senior Associate. Aman has extensive work experience in auditing, accounting, taxation and management consultancy of various NGOs, multinational and national enterprises, banks, and leasing companies. He also has auditing experience in Afghanistan as an external auditor of BRAC.

Tarun Kumar Mandal is working as an Accounts Manager at shiree. He has previously worked with BRAC as an Audit Officer for two and half years in CFPR, STUP, with CARE Bangladesh as a Sub Grant Officer (Finance Department) for one and half years, and with the SHOUHARDO (funded by USAID). He has extensive experience in Financial Systems design and implementation, auditing, accounting, taxation, budget, budget variance reports and capacity building of partner NGOs. He is interested in travelling, watching cricket matches and playing chess. His favourite past time is watching movies, listening to songs and sleeping.

Marufa Haque is working as the Human Resources and Accounts Manager at Shiree. Previously, she had experience of working with European Commission and International Trade Centre (ITC) with various public & private stakeholders including donors and development partners. She also had experience of corporate sector, multinational and international agencies of EPZ. She has completed her regular MBA in HR, graduated in Commerce and received a Diploma Engineering in Computer Science & Technology. She is a professional member of the Junior Chamber International and BSTQM. She has keen interest in article writing and contributed in Shiree Op-Ed campaign. She would like to have further study in human resource management areas. In her personal life, she loves to travel, watching movies, listening to music. Marufa is cordial and friendly.

Helen Kujur is working as a Young Professional – Finance. She has completed her BBA and MBA degrees, major in Accounting and Information Systems from the Dhaka University. Previously she has worked with Green Housing & Energy Ltd, a concern of ASA. She has extensively worked with shiree partner NGO Uttaran as Project Chief Accountant and gathered the experience of working with the grass root level of extreme poor community in the south-west area of Bangladesh. Before that she has worked with A. Qasem & Co after completing CA course. She has expertise on auditing, accounting and taxation. In leisure time she loves to listen to the music, reading novels & poems and also travelling.

Shishier Kanti Das is working as an Accounts Manager. Previously he worked for some leading group of manufacturing companies. After completion of graduation he joined to K. M. Hasan & Co. Chartered Accountants on March 2008 and has taken registration from ICAB to be a Chartered Accountant. He is aiming to be a Chartered Accountant.

Kamrun Nahar is an Accounts Manager at Shiree. She worked in Dhaka Elevated Express Way Co. Ltd. (an Italian-Thai Joint Venture) as a Senior Tax Accountant before joining Shiree. She also worked at S F Ahmed & Co.Chartered Accountants and Management and Tax consultants firm as an Audit Supervisor and completed professional practice course there. During the time of her course she worked in the fields of auditing, taxation and accounting services. She completed BBS and MBS in Accounting from Adamjee Cantonment College, Dhaka. She really likes travelling and adda and she always dreams to be a Chartered Accountant.

Administration

Shamsul Alam is the shiree Office Manager. He has more than thirty years of experience with a number of international organisations, especially in the field of Administration/Management of projects. He has field level experience in socio-economic and health/nutrition development work. At shiree, Shamsul is responsible for providing administrative and logistical support to the projects and organisations, liaising with the counterpart agencies, ministries, NGOs, international organisations, local government authorities and other related agencies, organisations and individuals. Shamsul is also known for his versatility and is an expert at juggling a dozen tasks at the same time.

DRIVERS

Abdur Rahim	Abul Kalam Azad
Md Maniruzzaman	Md Salahuddin
Abul Hossain	Shamsul Haque

 

SUPPORT STAFF

Shamoly Mrong	Hosne Ara Khatun (Shilpi)
Tushar Sangma	Direndra Marak