Our people

Nigel Harris, CEO

Nigel has a strong background in finance, relief and development. Prior to joining FARM-Africa Nigel was Chief of Staff at Save the Children UK. Nigel was the Chief Executive of New Philanthropy Capital, and has also worked for Tearfund and the Department for International Development. He spent the earlier part of his career as an investment banker for Schroders.

Helen Altshul, Regional Director, Kenya

A natural resources manager, Helen Altshul has 15 years' international development experience in Africa and Asia, ranging from soil conservation and sustainable livelihoods to monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment. Before taking up her current post with FARM-Africa she was country director of FARM-Africa Kenya and prior to that, worked in Kenya on farming systems research with the UK Overseas Development Administration (now DFID). She also managed East African development programmes for Christian Aid.

Natasha Clayton, Director of Resources

Natasha started her career with 10 years of experience in the audit practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). She then departed for Tanzania working as Programme Director for Trade Aid an NGO focused on the development of a small community in the South, before spells at Save the Children and PWC Australia. Most recently, Natasha has worked as Corporate Planner at Diabetes UK and joined FARM-Africa from her previous role as Project Manager at Start the Prince’s Charities, where she developed the Garden Party to Make a Difference in the gardens along the Mall. Natasha is also a trustee of the Pesticide Action Network.

George Mukkath, Director of Programmes

George is an agricultural economist with 30 years' experience in the private and NGO sectors in India, Eastern Europe and Africa. George worked with Oxfam (GB) holding senior positions in the field, including country director for Angola. As a consultant, George worked with several organisations including the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation. George was development director at EveryChild (UK) before joining FARM-Africa.

Pam Williams-Jones, Director of Fundraising and Communications

Pam Williams-Jones is FARM-Africa’s Director of Fundraising and Communications. Pam has held a number of senior roles, including: Fundraising and Communications Director roles with GAP Activity Projects; ORBIS UK; and The Fred Hollows Foundation in New Zealand. She has also worked in chief executive roles with ORBIS UK and Sense International. Pam also has a commercial background with Unilever and Quadrant, part of the Royal Mail. Pam is a Trustee of Vision 4 Children and a Member of the Selection Committee for The Princes Trust Youth Business International 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year.

Michelle Winthrop, Ethiopia Country Director

Michelle has over 14 years experience working in International Development, many of which were spent in the UK government's Department for International Development. She has worked in Eastern Indonesia on livestock health, in Central America on small enterprise development, and has held a variety of key policy positions in the UK on climate change, gender policy, and rural livelihoods. She has also managed large programmes in Latin America for DFID. Michelle has also spent 3 years working in Ethiopia with the World Bank, with a strong emphasis on food security, agriculture and pastoral area development.