Meet The Team

HART makes every effort to keep overheads down. Our small UK team maximises resources for local partners.

Our Patrons

Lord Alton of Liverpool

Lord Alton is Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights.

Fiona Bruce

Fiona served as the UK Special Envoy for Religious Freedom 2020-24.

Dr Rowan Williams

Dr Williams was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury (Photo: T M Ashley).

Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE

Lord Singh is widely recognised as the de-facto leader of Britain's Sikh community.

Sir Geoffrey Nice KC

Sir Geoffrey is among the UK's most distinguished human rights lawyers.

Our Founder

Baroness Cox

Baroness Cox, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, founded HART in 2004.

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Key People

Sam Mason

Chief Executive Officer

Much of Sam’s professional life has focused on development assistance and human rights advocacy. He formerly worked in the UK Parliament, whilst supporting relief projects overseas.

Hassan John

Senior Programmes Manager

Veteran humanitarian journalist Hassan navigates tough environments to document human rights violations, famously breaking news of the Nigeria Chibok kidnapping.

Sylvia Bourhill FMAAT, CFICB

Head of Finance

Sylvia is Managing Director of an award-winning accounts firm near London. She has practiced as a bookkeeper and accountant for over 20 years.

Beth Stephens

Partnerships Director

Beth works closely with HART’s local partners to deliver high-impact programmes, including in the spheres of child education, disability equality and women’s empowerment.

David Thomas

Project Logistics

David was a Chaplain in the Royal Navy and with the Royal Marines for 20 years before joining HART. He has worked alongside NGOs in numerous war-torn countries and has extensive training in logistics and trauma care.

Anaïs Arroyo

Advocacy Coordinator

Anaïs amplifies the voices of our local partners and keeps our supporters informed. With a background in literature, languages and law, she brings untold stories to the fore. 

Pippa Gerhard

HART Ambassador

Pippa is a humanitarian and hope-bringer. She coordinates HART-US, our sister organisation in North America.

Local Partners

At the core of HART’s ethos is a commitment to working in partnership with local people.

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Active Projects
Past Projects

Board of Trustees

Colonel David Bates

Laura Parker

Stuart Notholt

Prakash Patel

Steven Turner

Tom Skidmore

Jo Russell

Bring hope to forgotten conflicts