Our people

Gulalai Ismail is a humanist and women’s rights activist from Pakistan. She is one of the most known and inspirational figures within the global humanist movement since the very beginning of her activism, which started when she was only 16 years old.

In 2002 she founded Aware Girls, a non-governmental organization in Peshawar, Pakistan. The organization was founded to address violence and discrimination against women and young girls in Pakistan, and advocate for women’s rights, education, and access to sexual and reproductive health resources.

A Pashtun human rights activist, Gulalai is also the chairperson of the Youth Peace Network. She speaks on the subject of promoting peace and women’s empowerment at conferences internationally and is the recipient of the International Humanist of the Year Award from Humanists International, and of the Fondation Chirac Peace Prize for the Prevention of Conflict.

Gulalai Ismail’s political and social engagement cost her a lot. In September 2019, Gulalai Ismail was forced to escape from Pakistan and to reach the United States, after fearing for her life for speaking out against sexual assaults and disappearances allegedly carried out by the Pakistani military.

For more than 13 years, Uttam Niraula has worked to promote humanism, human rights, good governance, civic space and culture within Nepal and on the global stage. From May 2016 until June 2022 Niraula served as a Board Member of Humanists International. In this capacity, he was instrumental to the growth of the organization at a critical phase.

Domestically, Niraula founded Society for Humanism (SOCH) Nepal in 2007. Niraula has been influential in promoting secularism in Nepal and the institutionalization of humanist values through participation in constitutional commissions and his work with parliamentarians. Niraula has been a staunch campaigner against Witchcraft persecution as well as the persistence of harmful traditional practices in Nepal, engaging with a range of mechanisms including the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

Additionally, Niraula has worked for the United Nations’ Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and civil society organizations to deliver impactful programmes on the ground. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Conflict, Peace and Development.

Andrew Copson was appointed Chief Executive of Humanists UK in 2009, having previously been its Director of Education and Public Affairs. He is a former director of the European Humanist Federation (EHF) and former head of the Humanists International delegation to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. He joined the Board of Humanists International in 2010 and served as President from 2015 to 2025. In his time as President, he led sweeping changes to Humanists International, making the General Assembly more democratic and the Board more globally diverse. He chaired the working group that developed the Amsterdam Declaration of Modern Humanism (2022). His best-selling books include The Little Book of Humanism (2020) with Alice Roberts and Secularism: a very short introduction (Oxford University Press, 2019).

Gary joined Humanists International in February 2017. Before this he worked for the Humanist Society Scotland since 2013 as Head of Communications and Public Affairs. He has also previously served as a Board member of the European Humanist Federation based in Brussels, as well as a board member of the Scottish Joint Committee on Religious and Moral Education.

Before working in Humanist campaigning, Gary worked for a global citizenship project at the Mercy Corps European headquarters in Edinburgh, and also in policy and service delivery in education and social work.

He has a BSc (hons) in psychology, a diploma in childhood and youth studies and master’s in human rights law, in which he researched the approach of the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations’ approach to so-called ‘blasphemy laws’.

Céline joined Humanists International in September 2024. She is responsible for coordinating the research and production of the Freedom of Thought Report.

Céline has previously worked in campaigning and advocacy for several international NGOs and human rights organisations including the Bar Human Rights Committee, Oxfam and Médecins du Monde. Focus themes of her work have included conflict and humanitarian crises and young people in conflict with the law.

She holds MAs in International Development and French & Spanish.

Celine is based in France.

Florence joined Humanists International in April 2025 as the Finance and Admin Officer. She provides financial and administrative support to the team, member organisations, donors, and stakeholders. With over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance within the charity sector, Florence ensures a meticulous and detail-oriented approach to the organisation’s day-to-day financial operations.

Florence is a Fellow Member (FMAAT) of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and holds an NVQ Level 4 in Accounting.

James joined Humanists International in June 2025 as Fundraising and Communications Officer. He is an experienced communications professional with a background in education, politics, and grassroots campaigning. He is also a qualified teacher by background and specialised in social, emotional and mental health provision.
As well as previously being Humanists UK’s Student President, James also co-founded Exeter Humanists and represented humanism on Devon’s Faith and Belief Forum.

He brings experience in social media campaigning, supporter engagement, and community outreach. His background includes managing national social media campaigns, developing supporter databases, and creating content to raise awareness and mobilise action. In 2019, James co-founded Yes! I Will Vote – a national youth voter registration campaign- which went on to sign up over 100,000 young people to the electoral register ahead of the general election.

James holds an MA in European Politics from the University of Exeter, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Oxford Brookes University, and a BA in English from the University of Reading. James is also currently studying for a PhD in critical digital literacy at the University of Helsinki.

Javan joined Humanists International as Young Humanists International Coordinator and Social Media Consultant in February 2021. He works with young humanists worldwide, focusing on their development and growth as humanists. He also manages the social media platforms of Humanists International and assists in creating materials to promote humanism. In 2022, he was made the Membership Development Officer, tasked with looking after the Members and Associates of the organization.

Before joining Humanists International, Javan has been active in community work zeroing in on environmental conservation, climate justice, human rights, and civic engagement advocacies since 2012. He is currently the Chief Executive of Humanists Alliance Philippines International, a government-registered and progressive humanist organization in the Philippines that stands for human rights, secular education and strives for a world free from violence and division.

Javan is the co-founder and former pioneer president of the Association of Young Environmental Journalists, a youth-led environmental media organization. He is also the former Director for Design and Creatives of ATO-ClimatEducate Project, scholar alumni of Temasek Foundation International – Specialists Community Action and Leadership Exchange program in Singapore, and represented the Philippines during the ASEAN Plus Three Youth Environment Forum 2019 in Thailand.

Javan is based in the Philippines.

Jonas joined Humanists International in July 2025 as the European Advocacy and Research Officer. In that role, he is responsible for coordinating the European Policy Forum, conducting advocacy at the European institutions, and contributing to the Freedom of Thought Report.

Previously, Jonas worked on human rights advocacy and research for Ahmed Shaheed in his role as the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. He also has experience in multilateral diplomacy, international justice, and monitoring & evaluation.

Jonas holds a LL.M. from the Geneva Academy in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po Paris.

Kacem El Ghazzali is a MENA Advocacy and Casework Consultant at Humanists International. He has been representing Humanists International at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva since 2013.

His work focuses on researching, providing information and evaluating strategies relating to cases originating in the MENA region together with the Humanist at Risk coordinator and the rest of the team.

Kacem is also an essayist and a passionate advocate of secularism and humanism. His essays have been published, among others, in Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Neue Zürcher Zeitung and The Huffington Post, and he is the co-editor of the secular Arabic/French magazine La Vague Culturelle. In 2018, he was among 30 other personalities named as Swiss of the Year by the Swiss Sunday newspaper SonntagsZeitung.

Leon joined Humanists International as an Advocacy Officer in September 2023. He supports our work at the United Nations Human Rights Council, as well as our broader advocacy work. Leon also supports members in their engagement with UN human rights instruments, helping them to make submissions and statements as part of the Universal Periodic Review process.

Prior to joining Humanists International, Leon worked at the UN Security Council for the Permanent Mission of Malta where he advised on humanitarian and human rights files. He also has experience in the NGO and education sectors. Leon holds a law degree from University College Dublin and a master’s in International Relations from New York University.

Nick joined Humanists International in June 2025 as the Casework and Research Manager. He is responsible for supporting humanists at risk and managing the Freedom of Thought Report.

He has a Master’s Degree in Human Rights and possesses experience designing and implementing initiatives to support human rights defenders, conducting human rights research, and providing protection and emergency assistance to individuals at risk.

Nick has previously worked for EarthRights International, Amnesty International and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA).

Timea joined Humanists International in November 2025. She oversees and safeguards the organisation’s financial governance and compliance, while also contributing to senior leadership across strategic planning, organisational development, and operational effectiveness. Alongside her technical expertise, she brings extensive global experience in programme leadership and governance across complex and fragile contexts.

Before joining Humanists International, she held senior roles in international NGOs and global alliances, managing multi-country portfolios and major donor-funded initiatives in Asia, Africa, and Europe. She is an ACCA Fellow and holds a Master’s degree in Global Diplomacy from SOAS University of London.