Evert is an institutional fundraiser specalised in programme development, proposal writing, and consortium building. Over the years, he has raised tens of millions of euros for a variety of projects. He also designs and conducts trainings in fundraising, theory of change development, and monitoring, evaluation and learning. His areas of expertise include entrepreneurship and job creation, arts and culture, media, and civil society.

He also loves nothing more than to flaunt his extensive knowledge of Islamic history and comparative discussions about German philosophers and Sufi mystics. Or darts.

Evert holds an MPhil in Islamic Studies and History from Oxford University, as well as an MA in European Union Studies and a BA in History from Leiden University.

Evert currently spends his time between Egypt, Tunisia, and the Netherlands.

Katie is a programme manager and facilitator who works at the intersections of entrepreneurship, regenerative economies, and the arts. She specialises in scaling new initiatives up (or down) across disciplines and geographies for funders, creatives, and entrepreneurs, among others.

Over the years, Katie has managed programmes for coworking spaces, organised international festivals and conferences, and failed to set up Star Wars tours in southern Tunisia. In a previous life, she was also a Junior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a Presidential Associate at the American University in Cairo.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Katie has called a number of places home, including New York, Cairo, London, and Tunis. These days, she can usually be found living somewhere along the Mediterranean, brushing up on obscure Arabic grammar, or jumping into the sea.

Leila is an innovation ecosystem builder and advocate for localised green and regenerative economies. Originally a software developer, Leila launched and directed innovation entities such as the Microsoft Innovation Center in Tunisia, Yunus Social Business Tunisia, and Impact Partner. During this time, Leila also led multiple startup incubation, acceleration and early-stage financing programmes, advised entrepreneurship support organisations across Africa, and mentored countless entrepreneurs.

More recently, Leila worked on setting up the first impact investing fund in Tunisia. She is also driving green economy initiatives, such as spearheading the first edition of the Green Growth Summit in Tunisia and advising on green finance policies and fostering multi-stakeholder operationalisation.

Leila holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Leila also volunteers with several ecological NGOs in her home country of Tunisia, where she currently lives.

Ines has been exploring the fields of non-formal education and social development as an instructional designer and facilitator since 2013. Prior to joining New Silk Roads, she spent over ten years working for a variety of Egyptian non-governmental organisations, where she experimented with, and observed, the various ways in which art can be used in education and how people learn in a range of modalities and contexts.

More recently, Ines has focused on building the capacity of facilitators, designing interesting and challenging curricula, and exploring the world(s) of education technology and online learning. In tandem, she has been incorporating theories of change, including Future Thinking, Theory U, and Transformative Scenarios, into her work across different contexts and topics.

In between, Ines has cultivated her lifelong fascination with stories and storytelling through filmmaking and writing children's stories. Ines lives in Cairo.

Arthur manages programmes in digital rights, civic space, arts and culture, and freedom of expression. Arthur is committed to strengthening cultural organisations, foundations, civil society, and social enterprises to maximise their effectiveness and make them future-proof. Previously, he worked at Hivos, where he managed various strategic grantmaking programmes such as the R.O.O.M programme and the Mideast Creatives programme.

Arthur established Digital Earth, a research fellowship supporting young creatives, technologists, and activists worldwide through educational initiatives, decentralised residencies, and public programmes in Beirut, Dakar, Paris, Moscow, Dubai and Shanghai. Recently, he led various research programmes for New Silk Roads, such as a study on just and sustainable technologies in tropical forest countries for the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA) and a study on impact investment in arts and culture for the DOEN Foundation. Arthur was also the editor of Vertical Atlas, a book about technological developments’ influence on 21st century geopolitics.

Arthur also curates art exhibitions and events in museums and art spaces worldwide. He (mostly) lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Trained as a scientist, Safa Omrani is now working at the intersection of technology, art and community building. Since joining New Silk Roads in early 2022, Safa has contributed to impactful projects spanning climate action, the green economy, entrepreneurship, and culture. She has played a pivotal role in organizing high-profile events such as the Green Growth Summit 2024, developing strategic communication plans, and highlighting stories of innovation and resilience through meaningful collaborations.

Safa holds an engineering degree from the National Engineering School of Tunis. She was also a recipient of the U.S. State Department Thomas Jefferson Scholarship, an exchange programme through which she studied technology and engineering management at Saginaw Valley State University.

Born and raised in Tunisia, Safa has made homes in Syria, Mauritania, France, and at one point, Michigan. She is also the founder of Khyoott, a unique embroidery business that uses traditional techniques to create modern art pieces.

Farah is a trainer and fundraiser who helps impactful organisations secure funding and scale their programmes. Working with both startups and NGOs, Farah specifically trains growing teams in proposal writing and programme development, supporting them to turn their bold ideas into fundable realities.

Previously, she worked with Hivos and GFA Consulting Group, where she supported entrepreneurs tackling big challenges, such as green innovation, migrant-led businesses, job creation, and community-driven spaces. She is also the co-founder of Noss e Noss, a collective for and by Dutch-Egyptian women that explores bicultural identity through word, image, and sound.

Farah splits her time between Cairo, Amsterdam, and, more recently, Dubai: three cities that keep her inspired and always on the move.

Mutaz is a monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) specialist with a professional (and personal) interest in climate-conscious agriculture. With a background in social entrepreneurship, Mutaz leads New Silk Roads’ monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment programming, market research, and ecosystem studies.

Mutaz previously worked as a Research Associate at Voluntas, where he managed assessments on entrepreneurship ecosystems and climate policy across 10 countries, including Libya, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. He also worked as the Impact Lead for Hivos' GreenWorks programme, where he created impact measurement tools to capture employability and social impact outcomes linked to job creation in the green economy in North Africa.

After living in the Netherlands, Tunisia, and the United States, Mutaz currently resides in his home country of Libya, where he can spend his lunch breaks tending to his olive trees or visiting pristine Roman ruins.

Nada is a connector of worlds and a weaver of networks working on entrepreneurship and innovation. Deeply curious about the people behind the work, she strives to bridge localised wisdom with global insights.

Having worked as an innovation manager, startup launcher, fundraiser, and more,

Nada enjoys bringing together people who do not usually cross paths, connecting entrepreneurs with funders and institutions with changemakers. She has designed and led donor-funded initiatives and supported startups and SMEs through programmes that combine hands-on capacity building with long-term growth strategies. Her experience covers fundraising, proposal development, consortium building, stakeholder engagement, and business development.

With a vast network and genuine curiosity, Nada strives to achieve meaningful impact through collaboration and creativity. Nada lives in Cairo.

Laura is a researcher and evaluator working in arts, culture, and social change. She is interested in collaborative approaches based on the situated perspectives of practitioners, foundations, and communities and has conducted external evaluations for a range of national and international programmes, primarily working on effective support for cultural ecosystems.

Alongside this work, Laura has developed and led fundraising workshops for emerging artists in Lebanon, Indonesia, Colombia and India, and published the open source resource Funding Demystified. She also created the event series Seeing Like a Fund to facilitate critical reflection on the role and power of funders in cultural practice.

Laura lives in Berlin, but can often be found back in Amsterdam.

Ahmed is a film director, writer, and producer. Originally an engineer, he later embarked on a filmmaking journey which quickly progressed from creating digital advertisements and music videos to a profound passion for his craft. While studying film as a Chevening Scholar in the United Kingdom, he produced his first short narrative film and his first feature documentary, which toured the world through various film festivals.

Today, Ahmed has left his creative mark in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and the UK through filmmaking work spanning short fiction films, commercials, music videos, digital content, and documentaries. His work in particular is a testament to his dedication to increasing representation in media and fostering narratives that break down cultural barriers.

Ahmed currently lives in Cairo and works extensively across the region.

Mariem is an innovation ecosystem, access to finance, and impact entrepreneurship specialist. With experience from across Africa and the Middle East, she designs and manages programmes that strengthen the investment readiness and financial sustainability of startups, SMEs, and NGOs, particularly those serving underserved communities.

Her work spans digital innovation, climate adaptation, gender inclusion, and cultural heritage, combining financial structuring expertise with a deep understanding of ecosystem needs. Previously, she co-founded a wellness startup and is currently managing an archival project on religious minority communities. Mariem lives in Tunisia.

Jenna is a researcher and evaluator focused on conflict, governance, livelihoods, and gender, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Previously, Jenna has worked on reports and assessments in Jordan, Libya, and Sudan, as well as on social and behavior change initiatives across Asia.

Jenna holds an MSc in Political Science (Conflict Studies and Comparative Politics) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. When she is not working, you can find Jenna cooking, hosting dinner parties, or traveling.

Helga Delaere works in the field of cultural entrepreneurship, international cooperation, social impact, and creative industries.

She is the co-founder of New Silk Roads and served as the director until 2022. During this time, Helga initiated several new programmes, such as Afkar Fellows, the Bavaria Expedition, and Future Labs. 

Previously, Helga was the business director at the creative collective Lima Limo, project leader of the first conference on broad prosperity in the Netherlands, community architect of Enviu- creating world changing companies-, and project manager of the first regional Coworking Summit in Tunis.

She holds a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam, where she studied cultural anthropology and sociology. She lives in the Netherlands.

Dorothé Bongaerts-Stubbé is the Chair of the New Silk Roads board. In her work, she  thrives to guide others with creative resilience to grow both personally and professionally. She  has worked as a candidate-civil law notary, a team manager, a project manager, a coach, and several other positions along the way. Her extensive experience includes working with larger corporations, changing teams, young professionals, and even children. 

She holds a Master’s of Law from Leiden University and  is currently initiating a new consultancy company, Helix Felix, which aims to  empower resilience in society, organisations, and people’s lives. Dorothé lives in the Netherlands.

Boudewijn Niels is a partner with Atlas Tax Lawyers, where he heads the M&A/National practice. Boudewijn is an all-round tax lawyer and specialises in advising the tax aspects of transactions, projects, and investments, as well as day-to-day tax advice to Dutch-headquartered corporations. He also possesses extensive knowledge in the field of Dutch corporate tax, income tax, real estate transfer tax, and international tax.

Before joining Atlas in 2015, Boudewijn worked in the Amsterdam and Dusseldorf offices of two UK-based global law firms as an M&A tax lawyer for seven years. He studied Tax Law and Corporate Law at Leiden University, followed by a postgraduate course in International and European Tax Law at the International Tax Center Leiden. He also holds a BSc in Economics and Finance from the University of London/London School of Economics.

Boudewijn joined the board of New Silk Roads in 2014 and regularly visited New Silk Roads projects across Europe and North Africa.