The people behind IAHV UK.

Board

Charles Appleby

Charles has volunteered for IAHV UK for 10+ years and is board member. His background include a career in sales with IT Services such as HP and Dell. He is passionate about mitigating and building education around climate change. He’s involved in tree plantation as a low cost solution to climate change that also enables families to uplift themselves out of extreme poverty. Charles founded the project n0co2.org to make it easy for business and people to plant trees to remove their CO2 emissions. Today Charles is in talks with Investors to fund the planting of millions of trees in the Amazon Rainforest for Carbon Credits, with the aim to uplift a whole indigenous community out of extreme poverty. IAHV serves as an extraordinary platform for grassroots action to address so many critical social problems. By focussing now on the impact of our projects, he believes IAHV can make an even bigger difference and achieve much greater awareness about our extraordinary work.

Board

Jaydeep Pancholi

Jaydeep is a Board Member for IAHV UK. He supports, along with other members with the day to day operations and governance of the organisation. He is also a board sponsor for key projects supported by IAHV such as the ‘Healing, Resilience and Empowerment’ (IAHV’s flagship trauma relief programme). Addition to this role, Jaydeep works in Executive Education at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, developing custom programmes. He recognises that education has a power to shift mindsets and establish strategic direction for a sustainable economy. He’s previous experience includes working on eMBA and MSc courses, non-profit, e-commerce and automotive sectors. Jaydeep achieved a PhD in Management, researching stakeholder influences on strategy in conflict zones. Additionally, he is a trainer in personal development and stress management for over 10 years, teaching programmes for all profiles and ages, embedding the core of what matters in life, happiness and ‘Human Values’.

Project Manager - Prison SMART

Ruth Fretwell

Ruth is now an Independent Criminal Justice Advisor, a yoga teacher, and a chronic pain relief massage therapist. Her involvement in IAHV enables her to bring together her two worlds. As a grandmother to her three gorgeous grandchildren, her heart has opened wide, watching them explore this world with wide-eyed curiosity.

Core Management

Shailen Mittal

Passionate about ESG and Net-Zero pathways, he visited UN Climate Conferences namely COP26 in Glasgow, COP28 in Dubai and COP29 in Baku as an international delegate. He is a qualified facilitator for Climate Fresk, a French non-profit workshop for Climate Science and a Guest faculty at the University of Cambridge for the same. He leads the Project IAHV Climate Action Now project that has planted 1.8 million trees, also generates employment and protects biodiversity; serving five UN Global Goals. Shailen Mittal until recently worked for HSBC Bank Plc in London. He is part of the Regulatory Data Compliance team and in the committee for HSBC London Climate Action Network. Prior to banking, he has a decade of Commercial leadership experience in FMCG global commodities/ produce and a decade of being an entrepreneur in the export business of fashion accessories. Shailen graduated from SCBS, University of Delhi, did Masters from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade and then studied Sustainability Leadership at the Imperial College of London. Shailen loves to follow Geo-politics, indulge in Youth Empowerment and is an ambassador of the belief that HUMAN VALUES are the HIGHEST expression of human life, He speaks 5 languages including German, Portuguese and Urdu and dreams of retiring in Portugal or Italy. He loves to meet new people and is open to twenty min virtual coffee chats. Born in New Delhi, he lives in London with his wife and daughter.

Project Manager - Gift A Smile

Anish Patel

Anish Patel is a seasoned Database Engineer and Consultant with over 20 years of experience in IT, working predominantly within the financial sector while also supporting clients in the public sector. He has seen first hand the importance of embracing new technologies to transform business challenges into opportunities for innovation and growth. Having gained an Engineering degree that opened doors that might otherwise have remained closed, Anish believes deeply that education should be a right for every child, not a privilege. Through the IAHV Gift A Smile project, he is committed with helping to ensure access to free education becomes a reality for children.

Project Manager - Read Library

Ashish Monga

Ashish Monga has been the dedicated lead of the IAHV Read Library initiative for many years, driven by the belief that books can transform lives. In his professional career, Ashish works as a product manager in a financial firm. Bringing his structured expertise in strategy and execution to his humanitarian work, he has bridged the gap between donors, volunteers and schools and has helped bring the joy of learning to thousands of underprivileged children.

Project Manager - Yes for Schools

Birgit Konig

Birgit is a paediatric doctor by training with 25 years of practice experience both within the NHS in the UK and in Tanzania. She has vast experience working with young people from all walks of life with diverse issues, including mental health problems. She is passionate about supporting young people through the challenging times of growing up. Birgit is a youth teacher since 2019.

Project Manager - Gift A Smile

Dipti Patel

Driven by my love for children, I’ve committed myself to Gift A Smile Free School project to ensure no child misses out on a safe and happy childhood. My goal is to turn maternal empathy into practical action for those who need it most. I’m passionate about Gift A Smile project because I believe every child deserves the same love and opportunities I strive to give my own children. My background in accounting will allow me to provide the strategic oversight needed to grow Gift A Smile Project reach and ensure long-term stability for the children we serve.

Clinical Lead for Mental Health Director, Manage Your Mind-CIC

Dr Farnaaz Sharief MBChB, MRCGP

Programme Director Peacebuilding

Dr Katrien Hertog

Dr. Katrien Hertog is a peacebuilding researcher, trainer and practitioner with 15 years of experience in the academic and non-governmental sector. She has a MA in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford and a PhD from the Centre for Peace Research at the University of Leuven. Thanks to her book “The Complex Reality of Religious Peacebuilding: Conceptual Contributions and Critical Analysis” (Lexington, 2010), she has become an international reference and resource on religious peacebuilding. Dr. Hertog has worked as project manager for different peacebuilding INGO’s and as Senior Peacebuilding Trainer and Facilitator at International Alert. As a trainer in peacebuilding, rehabilitation, stress management and capacity development, she has trained 1000+ people, including UN and EU personnel, Dutch and UK government, NGO’s and CSO’s, students, journalists, refugees and prisoners. Currently she is Director of the internationally renowned prisoner rehabilitation program Prison SMART for Europe and independent consultant trainer and researcher. Her working experience has mainly been in the Middle East, Asia and Russia / North Caucasus.

Project Manager - Mind Body Wellness (Wales)

Dr Manmeet Kaur

Dr. Manmeet Kaur is a GP Lead and Project Manager for the Mind & Body Wellness Programme. Combining medical expertise with extensive training in yoga, meditation, and breathwork, she champions NHS patient and staff well-being. Her impactful work, especially the mindfulness during COVID and other work has earned multiple accolades, including the 2021 EMWWA Award and the 2024 ABUHB Staff Recognition Award, honouring her dedication to community health.

Project Manager - Gift a Smile

Nimisha Trivedi

Project Manager - Sri Lanka Orphanage Homes

Sundar Sivasundar

Trustee

Madhu Rao

Madhu Rao began his career as a Chartered Accountant and for more than a decade partnered with a leading Chartered Accountancy firm in Mumbai. Thereafter he migrated to Hong Kong where he took charge as CFO of a business group and 30 years later retired as the Vice Chairman and CEO of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. He is currently serving as the Chairman of The Art of Living Trust.

Trustee

Puja Handa

Puja Handa is a Senior International Faculty of the Art of Living Foundation; teaching for over 20 years; currently a Trainer of Trainers for Europe. She is a Trustee of the UK chapter of a worldwide humanitarian charity International Association for Human Values. Puja’s passion for community peacebuilding interventions and mental health empowerment for youth took her to teach courses across numerous countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, including the UK of course which is her base. Puja has been a Moderator and host for numerous women leadership organisations, including International Women’s Conference. Puja was born in Botswana, graduated from London School of Economics; and has worked in corporate America over 2 decades ago. She is also a mother, and passionate about spreading peace & joy!