Our Staff Team
Francesca Mott
Chief Executive
Francesca has spent her career in the nonprofit sector with over a decade of experience in the UK and internationally. Her varied roles have included teaching and working in early-years learning and adult education in the Caribbean and West Africa as well as leading business development teams for UK-based education charities. She joined the Old Dart Foundation in 2016 where as CEO she leads the Foundation's work in Latin America, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. She holds an MA from King's College London as well as a BA from the University of Cambridge.
José Zegarra
Regional Programme Manager (South America)
José has over twenty years’ experience in economic and social development. He has principally worked in the mining sector, leading on community health and education projects with vulnerable rural populations in various parts of Peru. José holds a degree in Economics from the National Agrarian University La Molina in Lima, Peru and has an MBA from the School of Business Administration of Barcelona (EAE) in Spain and Nottingham Trent University in England. José works with ODF’s current and prospective partners in Chile and Peru, performing due diligence, providing project management support and helping the Foundation further its mission.
Chrissy Cattle
Grants Manager
Chrissy has a background in fundraising and communications within small international development organisations both in the UK and overseas. Chrissy holds a MSc in Environmental Change & International Development and a BSc in Zoology, both from the University of Sheffield. She supports the ODF Board of Trustees and staff team with research, grant management and grant administration.
Sheila Avila
Regional Programmes Officer (South America)
Sheila has over six years’ experience in communication and sustainable development. She has worked across the private and public sector, in both non-governmental organizations and think tanks in low- and middle- income countries. Her focus has largely been around sustainability, gender equality and the fight against poverty. Sheila holds a degree in Communications from the University of San Martín de Porres, Lima, Peru and studied Public Administration at The London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE) in the UK. She joined ODF in early 2020 as the Regional Programmes Officer for South America.
Amaëlle Marchal
Grants Officer
Amaëlle has a background in grant making in the UK, and has experience volunteering for organisations locally and overseas. She holds a BA in Spanish and Politics from the University of Bath and an MSc in Latin American Development from King’s College London. She joined the Old Dart Foundation in August 2020 as a Grants Officer supporting the team in the UK.
Ron Brew
Regional Advisor (Papua New Guinea)
Ron is a community relations specialist with over forty years’ experience working in both government and industry, specifically the mining sector. Ron has worked in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Australia and West Africa as a field-based practitioner and advisor, providing corporate policy guidance and project managing local teams. Ron works with ODF’s current and prospective partners in PNG, performing due diligence, providing project management support and helping the Foundation further its mission.
Our Trustees
The Old Dart Foundation is led by a Board of Trustees which brings together a broad range of knowledge and experience from across the private, public and philanthropic sectors. They are actively involved and highly engaged in the work of the Foundation and give a significant amount of their time to review applications, visit projects in our focus countries and engage with grantees and other actors in the sector.
Luis Baertl
Geoff Loudon
Charles Lutyens (Chairman)
Katherine O'Reilly
Caroline Perry
Marie Rabbett