Our trustees

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Dr Hany El Banna, Founder and President

Dr Hany El Banna has founded several charities including The Humanitarian Forum, Islamic Relief, and the Muslim Charities Forum. He is also a board member of the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty (CIFA). He has visited over 60 of the world's poorest and most vulnerable countries on behalf of these organisations.

Dr El Banna originally trained in Medicine, both in Egypt and the UK. Amongst his many achievements, he has been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE), the Ibn Khaldun Award for Excellence in Promoting Understanding between Global Cultures and Faiths (UK) and the UK Muslim Power 100 Lifetime Achievement award.

Visit The President's Pages blog for Dr El Banna's recent activities and thoughts

Sir Nicholas Young, Trustee

Sir Nick Young is Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, the UK's leading voluntary crisis response organisation, and part of the worldwide Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement. As well as having an active international role in the Movement, he is also a key player in various strategy and operational reviews both nationally and internationally.

Originally a commercial solicitor, Sir Nick worked with various charities before his current role. He is a member of the Office for the Third Sector Advisory Body, a Trustee of the Disasters Emergency Committee, and Chairman of the Monte San Martino Trust. He was knighted in 2000 for services to cancer care and made a Freeman of the City of London in 2007.

Mr. Adam Leach, Trustee

Adam Leach is Chief Executive of the International Business Leaders Forum, which works with over 100 of the world's major companies, to put business at the heart of sustainable development. An MBA graduate, Adam has had a distinguished career in sustainable development, at both operational and strategic levels.

Adam was previously Regional Director at Oxfam, responsible for the Middle East, Russia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe. He led a team responsible for over 200 staff in 15 countries, working with over 140 partner organizations. Adam has promoted civilian protection in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, been a public advocate for action on the humanitarian crises in Iraq and Lebanon, and increased access to water in Tajikistan.

Mr. Ibrahim Hassaballa, Treasurer

Mr Ibrahim Hassaballa has been the Director General of the International Islamic Charitable Organisation (IICO), Kuwait for 14 years. He oversees activities in several poor countries, providing communities with basic human needs. Mr Hassaballa was previously a Director and Managing Director of several investment and industrial corporations, in countries as diverse as the USA, Malaysia, Egypt, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Mr Hassaballa studied in the U.S. and Egypt, and has an MBA in business administration, an MA in History, and a diploma in Islamic Studies. He is passionate about empowering poor communities, and has worked with multilateral, international, and regional agencies in relief and humanitarian activities.