OUR ADVISERS
People supporting our work behind the scenes
Our Board of Advisers bring expertise from finance and wealth management, law and diplomacy, psychotherapy and safeguarding, creative leadership, and hospitality. Each contributes something different: specialist knowledge that sharpens our decision-making, and networks that open doors to partners, funders and institutions we might not otherwise reach. Several have also spent their own careers helping women move forward in fields that weren't built with them in mind, work that speaks directly to what we do at The Lotus Flower.
Dr Leyla Hussein
Leyla is a psychotherapist, consultant and human rights advocate who has spent over two decades supporting survivors of sexual violence, female genital mutilation and other forms of gender-based violence. She combines clinical expertise with lived experience, offering trauma-informed, culturally responsive support grounded in dignity, empowerment and hope.
Beyond her clinical practice, Leyla advises governments, international organisations, NGOs and businesses on trauma-informed leadership, safeguarding and human rights, helping embed a do-no-harm approach into how organisations work. As an Adviser to The Lotus Flower, she brings this survivor-centred expertise directly to bear in support of the women and girls we work alongside.
Rejna Alaaldin
Rejna is an international lawyer and entrepreneur with over 15 years' experience advising political and business leaders across Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, the UK and beyond. As founder of RKA Global, she works at the intersection of law, policy and diplomacy, guiding governments, businesses and investors through governance, strategy and legal reform.
Born during a time of war and raised between two worlds, Rejna has seen first-hand how broken institutions can silence people, and how the law, used with intention, can help restore their voice. That belief shapes her work as an Adviser to The Lotus Flower, where she brings her legal and diplomatic expertise in support of women and girls affected by conflict and displacement.
Nayaab Rais
Nayaab is an Executive Creative Director with close to two decades of creative leadership across the Middle East, Europe and Asia-Pacific. She has helped more than 50 global brands earn international recognition, collecting over 200 industry awards, and sits on award juries and regional advisory boards for young creatives.
In an industry where creative leadership rarely looked like her, Nayaab has built a career redefining what leadership can look like, and now mentors and trains the next generation of women in the creative industry to find their voice and hold their own in the room. As an Adviser to The Lotus Flower, she brings this same commitment to amplifying unheard voices in support of women and girls affected by conflict and displacement.
Bjorn Rosendahl
Björn brings over three decades of experience across investment banking, private banking and digital assets. He is the Founder and Managing Director of RSNDL, a Swiss advisory firm working with family offices, institutions and Ultra High Net Worth Individuals. He began his career as an Equity Derivatives Trader at Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt, London and Chicago, before moving to Reuters and later Pictet & Cie, where he led a team serving European and Asian institutional clients. He subsequently spent nearly a decade at J.P. Morgan International Private Bank as Head of Custody EMEA.
Björn later moved into digital assets as Global Head of Sales at regulated custodian Digivault and today advises technology companies across blockchain infrastructure, Regenerative Finance and Longevity. He is also a Financial Services Ambassador for the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC). Outside work, Björn is an avid sailor, combat-sports practitioner and classic-car enthusiast.
Kate Webber
Kate is the founder of Her Wealth Network, and has spent over 30 years in the industry across consulting, strategy and product management. She enjoys the mix of the practical and the creative that product management brings, and is excited by how new technology can improve accessibility and transparency for investors
Through Her Wealth Network, Kate helps people build the confidence and networks to be braver in their careers, work that speaks directly to what we do at The Lotus Flower. As an Adviser, she brings this experience and her wider network in financial services to support women and girls affected by conflict and displacement.
Sabrina Gidda
Sabrina is a chef, hospitality consultant and author whose career has been shaped by a commitment to challenging convention and creating greater opportunity within the industry. She twice reached the final six of one of the UK’s most prestigious culinary scholarships, the only woman to do so at the time, before going on to lead the kitchen at a renowned Marylebone restaurant and shape the food and drink offering for a women’s members’ club with locations in London and Los Angeles.
Today, Sabrina works across food, hospitality, culture and consultancy, while continuing to champion women within the industry and encourage the next generation, particularly young women, to see hospitality as a place to build ambitious and rewarding careers. She is also an Ambassador for a UK charity close to her heart.
As an Adviser to The Lotus Flower, Sabrina brings her industry experience, voice and platform to support the organisation’s work with women and girls affected by conflict and displacement, helping to amplify its mission and create meaningful opportunities for connection, visibility and support.
Charles Day
Charles is an advisor and confidant to the leaders of some of the world's most innovative and creative companies, from iconic global brands to founder-led startups. His work combines both the strategic and human dynamics of leadership. Charles is host of the acclaimed 'Fearless Creative Leadership' podcast, featuring intimate conversations with the world’s most original and inspiring leaders. From the pragmatic to the personal, Charles’ guests reveal how they unlock creativity in themselves and the people around them.
He writes frequently for Fast Company and speaks regularly on Creative Leadership. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at New York’s Columbia University, teaching the art and science of building companies that unlock 'Profitable Creativity’, and coached at The Harvard Business School in their Executive Education Program.
Charles is proud to be a board member of PAWS Chicago, one of the world's most progressive and innovative animal welfare organizations. He and his wife Chris live in Scotland with their rescue dogs, Sam and Gracie.
Viyan Duman
Viyan Duman is a seasoned strategy and transformation professional with over 15 years of experience with managing change across global organizations. Known for her human-centric approach to change, she specializes in translating high-level strategic ambition into meaningful, real-world impact.
As a child of Kurdish refugees raised in the diaspora, Viyan brings a profound personal connection and dedication to her role as an ambassador for The Lotus Flower. By combining her corporate strategic expertise with her lived understanding of the displaced community’s resilience, she is committed to helping the organization scale its reach, amplify its voice, and empower women and girls impacted by conflict.