We are delighted to announce the 2026 nominees for the CHS Alliance Governing Board
Thank you to the candidates and the nominating organisations for putting themselves forward to support the leadership of the CHS Alliance.
Six (6) seats are open for election. Among those seats, the Board is looking for four (4) full member representatives and two (2) independent Board members with lived experience of Humanitarian Assistance (this role must be independent of a CHS Alliance member).
For the membership seats, we are particularly looking for leadership of humanitarian programming; understanding of, and engagement in, major humanitarian policy discussions, especially as regards issues related to localisation and / or accountability; expertise and skills in the areas of financial literacy and / or human resources; and experience in complaints, investigations and safeguarding.
Process and notes for Members on voting
- Voting focal points were notified of candidates on 13 April 2026.
- The election will be held from 20 April to 22 May 2026. Votes will be cast online via an election platform, with one vote per organisation, through the voting focal point.
- CHS Alliance global networks also have one vote for the whole global network.
- Only members of the CHS Alliance in good financial standing can vote.
- Members must have notified the CHS Alliance in writing of the name of their authorised representative (focal point) before exercising voting rights.
- Election results will be announced via a General Assembly on 26 May 2026.
- Elected candidates will join the June Board meeting.
Full information can be found on the Board elections page
If you have any questions or concerns about the Board election process, please contact us at ga@chsalliance.org.
Re-election of existing Board members
2026 Board Election Candidates
Person with Lived Experience of a Humanitarian Crisis (Independent)
| Name | Nominating Organisation |
| Mr. Peter Kidi Utong | Finn Church Aid |
| Additional candidate(s) to be added in the coming days |
Membership Seats
| Name | Nominating Organisation | Candidate’s Position |
| Ms. Ugochi Cynthia Abazie Abang | LM International | Global Program Manager |
| Mr. Mansoor Ahmed | FRDP | Executive Director |
| Ms. Lina Alhaj | War Child Alliance | Global Accountability and Participation Advisor |
| Mr. Eak Raj Chhatkuli | Nepal Focus | Executive Director |
| Ms. Danny Harvey | Concern Worldwide | Director of Technical Assistance |
| Ms. Sandra Mounir Saleh | Nusaned | Head of Operations, People and Culture |
| Ms. Carly Sheehan | Oxfam (currently Board Member and Board Vice Chair) | Accountability Advisor |
| Ms. Janaina Tavares | ActionAid International | Global Head of People and Culture |
Person Affected by a Humanitarian Crisis (Independent)
Peter Kidi Utong
Position:
Organisation: Finn Church Aid
What motivates you to join the Alliance’s Board?
Beyond writing, I have been deeply engaged in community-level advocacy. I speak on behalf of those who are silenced by fear of deportation or intimidation. I have seen women and children pushed into despair, suicide, and dangerous journeys back across borders due to flawed aid policies. These are not abstract statistics for me they are my daily reality. I bring to the CHS Alliance Board lived experience, creativity, and a strong commitment to accountability. I know what it means when humanitarian standards are not applied, when communities are excluded from decision-making, and when aid policies ignore the human cost. I want to contribute this perspective so that humanitarian systems are shaped not only by policy-makers, but also by the voices of those they affect.
Nominated Members
Ugochi Cynthia Abazie Abang
Position: Global Programme Manager
Organisation: LM International
What motivates you to join the Alliance’s Board?
I am motivated to join the CHS Alliance Board because I want to contribute to strengthening accountability and quality in humanitarian response from both a global and practitioner perspective. As a human rights lawyer with extensive field experience, I bring a rights-based and principled approach to humanitarian action, grounded in a strong commitment to safeguarding, including PSEAH, and accountability to affected populations. My professional journey, shaped by working across diverse humanitarian contexts and by my Nigerian background, drives my commitment to advancing localisation and ensuring that actors from crisis-affected settings are meaningfully represented in global decision-making spaces. I believe deeply in elevating perspectives that are often underrepresented and in bridging the gap between policy and practice. Working from Sweden also gives me a Nordic perspective that values transparency, quality assurance, and robust accountability mechanisms. Through my engagement in networks such as SNHA, I regularly contribute to dialogues with Nordic actors and donors, advocating for stronger recognition of the CHS and supporting systemwide discussions on CHS passporting. Joining the Board would be an opportunity for me to help the Alliance deepen its impact by translating standards into practice, strengthening partnerships with local actors, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and accountability across the sector. With my combined legal background, field-level experience, and policy engagement, I aim to contribute constructively to the Alliance’s mission and to the continued strengthening of humanitarian quality and accountability globally.
Mansoor Ahmed
Position: Executive Director
Organisation: Fast Rural Development Program
What motivates you to join the Alliance’s Board?
Mansoor has years of experience in the humanitarian sector and more importantly from different complex humanitarian situations. The experience gained and challenges, that humanitarian organizations face in emergencies, should reflect in the CHS Alliance which is promoting accountable humanitarian actions. I think, Mansoor being in the Board of the CHS Alliance will be an opportunity to bring them in to the right forum.
Lina Alhaj
Position: Global Accountability and Participation Advisor
Organisation: War Child
What motivates you to join the Alliance’s Board?
Joining the CHS Alliance Board would allow me to contribute my experience to the Alliance’s strategic direction while supporting its continued growth, credibility, and influence. I strongly believe in improving accountability and quality across the sector, especially in times of shrinking resources and increased organisational pressures. I welcome the opportunity to help ensure the Alliance remains responsive to the evolving needs of its members and to the people and communities they work alongside. I am motivated to join the Board to support the Alliance and its members in applying the Standard and further championing principled, accountable, and high-quality humanitarian action.
Eak Raj Chhatkuli
Position: Executive Director
Organisation: Nepal FOCUS
What motivates you to join the Alliance’s Board?
With over three decades of leadership in community development and humanitarian action, I am keen to join the CHS Alliance Board to represent the voice of local NGOs from the Global South. As ED of FOCUS Nepal and an active member of global networks like NEAR, APLL, pledge for change, and shift the power, I bring deep grassroots experience combined with international collaboration. I believe my expertise in accountability, localization, and equitable partnerships aligns strongly with CHS values, and I am motivated to contribute toward ensuring humanitarian assistance remains people-centered, ethical, and responsive to the needs of affected communities.
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Danny Harvey
Position: Director of Technical Assistance
Organisation: Concern Worldwide
What motivates you to join the Alliance’s Board?
Values of equity, fairness and respecting people have guided my work and directed my career choices and I believe they are embodied in the work and leadership of the Alliance in our sector. In particular, in my current role as Director of Technical Assistance at Concern Worldwide, my current work; to drive programme quality and learning delivering impact for people affected by crisis in fragile and conflict affected contexts, maps directly onto the CHS Alliance Mission to improve aid quality and accountability. I believe that my experience, with a strong focus on application of the commitments in practice, would add value to the Board and I would be excited to support an organisation where the values are quite literally embodied in the work that it does.
Sandra Mounir Saleh
Position: Head of Operations, People and Culture
Organisation: Nusaned NGO
What motivates you to join the Alliance’s Board?
Having led CHS compliance certification at Nusaned, I have seen firsthand how transformative structured accountability can be for governance and organizational culture. I am motivated to contribute to the strategic direction of the Alliance, particularly in strengthening localization, supporting national NGOs, and integrating CHS commitments into practical operational systems. I bring a systems-oriented mindset, governance expertise, and a strong ethical compass. Serving on the Board would allow me to help shape standards that are both rigorous and realistically implementable across diverse humanitarian contexts.
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Carly Sheehan
Position: Accountability Advisor
Organisation: Oxfam
What motivates you to join the Alliance’s Board?
I am seeking a second term on the Board to continue in my role as Vice Chair, and to keep championing for collective approaches to improving accountability across members of all shapes and sizes. I am proud to have helped shepherd the Alliance’s new Strategy through its development and endorsement by the General Assembly, and the opportunity to continue playing a role on a Board that steers such a diverse movement is energizing. I look forward to contributing to shared momentum, fostering collaboration, and amplifying voices, especially those of local and national actors whose leadership is essential for accountability.
CHS Alliance Current Board Member
Board attendance: 100%
Janaina Tavares
Position: Global Head of People and Culture
Organisation: ActionAid International
What motivates you to join the Alliance’s Board?
I think of myself as a true world citizen. I was born in Brazil, have lived and worked in different parts of the world, and have spent over 20 years building People and Culture strategies across multiple countries and cultures. That journey has given me something I think is genuinely valuable for a Board like this, I can move fluidly between the Global South and the Global North, and I understand both worlds from the inside, not just from a distance. What motivates me is precisely that perspective. I know what it feels like when global standards are designed without the realities of Latin America or the broader Global South in mind. And I know what best-in-class people practices look like in some of the world’s most demanding environments. I want to bring both of those lenses to the CHS Alliance Board, to help shape a humanitarian system that is not only more accountable to the people it serves, but also more honest about the diversity of experience that needs to inform that accountability.
*As per article 21.1.1.5 of the Statutes.