Any of us could be refugees if circumstances change.
For many, getting a helping hand and somewhere to stay at a time of crisis is all they need to get established in a new life. We match those with a spare room in their homes with refugees and asylum seekers who need a place to stay.
Daniel is our Chair of Trustees, taking the lead on ensuring that we are well governed and act in the best interest of our beneficiaries. He helped set up Refugees at Home in 2015 and has been actively involved in running the charity ever since. He is a senior equity partner at leading law firm, Travers Smith and an expert in corporate governance and diversity and inclusion. Daniel is an experienced charity trustee and his other appointments include serving as Trustee Chair of Just Like Us, the LGBT+ Young People’s Charity. He has hosted a number of our guests and can frequently be found encouraging others to get involved.
Lauren is our Executive Director and has been part of the team since 2018. Working closely with our Trustees and placement team, Lauren is responsible for the effective delivery of our day to day operations and development of our projects. After graduating from the University of Dundee with a Masters in International Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Lauren developed her frontline and managerial experience working with charities across London. This includes frontline experience of working with families in crisis and managing a winter night shelter, which supported asylum seekers and refugees with temporary accommodation.
Sara was a co-founder of Refugees At Home in 2015 and has been actively engaged ever since. She has hosted twenty one guests from seven nationalities for stays from one day to nine months. Her key responsibilities are core operations, media and social media, and she is active in our fundraising team. Before Refugees At Home started to absorb all her energies, Sara had a portfolio career in the public sector as a broadcast journalist and regulator.
IT Trustee at Refugees at Home since November 2019, supporting the charity with technology oversight and support. Chief Technology Officer at Travers Smith with overall responsibility for all technology operations at the firm. Previously at Freshfields in programme delivery and technology strategy roles – background in technology, leading tech teams and delivering large programmes at law firms.
Magid has over ten years’ experience in the non-profit sector with particular expertise in data insights and strategic decision making. Currently at Comic Relief Magid has experience from NSPCC where his team developed the organisation’s supporter-centric communication strategy, focused on increasing engagement and building data models to predict supporter behaviour. Prior to that, he spent 3 years at The Children Society.
Much of Magid’s focus is about making data accessible and simple. It’s all about disseminating the right information with the right amount of detail to the right people by translating complex datasets into rich and tangible insights. Data aside, Magid was born in Khartoum, Sudan so deeply interested in migration, international aid and people-empowerment. He is also a long-suffering Arsenal fan and a new dad to his baby daughter.
Jon found the experience of hosting a Syrian asylum seeker so rewarding he decided to join the organisation. After a career in finance and risk management Jon’s focus as our treasurer is on our finance and risk management. Jon is driven by making life fair – for everyone
Rebecca is a former solicitor who worked in corporate litigation. She has subsequently worked for the University of Cambridge and has set up, run and programmed an independent cinema. She has served on the boards of various small charities.
Ahmad Al-Rashid was born in Aleppo, Syria. He studied English literature before fleeing the country due to the conflict to the Kurdistan region of Iraq late 2012. Ahmad worked there as a volunteer teaching English in the Syrian refugee camps. In mid-2013 he joined UNICEF to work for both the Syrian refugee response and the Iraqi displaced people response after Mosul fell for ISIS in 2014. Since his arrival in the UK mid-2015, Ahmad has been working with various groups and organizations raising awareness about the Syrian crisis and the plight of refugees in the region. In 2017, Ahmad graduated from SOAS – University of London. He holds an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development.
Becki joined the board in November 2021 as our Fundraising Trustee. She has 15 years‘ experience as a fundraiser and marketer in the not-for-profit sector and is currently Head of Individual Giving and Engagement at CARE International UK. Becki is passionate about fighting inequality, social justice and helping people to realise they have the power to make change happen. She is mum to one child and one sausage dog!