Driving Diversity and Change

David Lale

Group CEO

David is the Group CEO of Oxford HR having worked alongside and within the charity sector in executive search and recruitment for over 25 years. David is passionate about supporting and transforming the ‘for purpose’ sector.

He has a particular interest in innovation and re-thinking the way the sector works. He’s also Chair of Charity People, the specialist UK Charity recruiter, and former Chair of Tiny Tickers, a charity supporting babies with congenital heart disease. He is a guest lecturer on the Trustee Academy training programme and has recently been honoured with an award as a Global Leader in Corporate Responsibility. He holds an MBA, is a Fellow of the RSA and currently studying for a Degree in Computing and AI.

Corina Straatsma

Associate Executive Search Consultant - Europe and Americas

Corina has over 30 years of experience in International Development, 22 years of which as Regional Director of Hivos in Central and South America and Southern Africa. Human Resource Management and recruitment of senior positions such as program managers and country representatives has been an essential part of her work.

She has a vast knowledge of development issues such as human rights, sexual and reproductive rights, media and press freedom, women’s rights and gender and sustainable land use and renewable energy. She has work experience in She has work experience in the Netherlands, Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and Botswana), India, Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize) and South America (Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia).

Corina has participated actively in European networks, over the past 20 years with the Alliance and previously with Women in Development Europe (WIDE) and Eurostep.

Finding the right people for key jobs is crucial for the effectiveness of development work and the credibility of the sector. Better results will lead to positive changes in people’s lives. Besides having the desired capacities and capabilities, Corina considers it important that candidates are creative, open minded and able to think out of the box. The circumstances for development work are usually difficult to predict, then you need people who can act and adjust fast.

In order to find the ideal candidate, it is crucial to know the client’s mission and achievements, it’s specific wishes and organizational culture. She is highly committed to find the best candidate for your job.

Yolanda Weldring

Associate Director - Europe

Yolanda is based in the Netherlands and has over 30 years of experience in Human Resources Management, 18 years of which in International Development. She was International Director with Oxfam Novib and Regional Director East and Southern Africa with Save the Children UK, as well as member of senior groups of Oxfam International and Save the Children International. In the years before joining Oxford HR, Yolanda has done interim-director and management roles in Africa and Asia and in all those jobs she was responsible for recruitment of senior roles. Yolanda has also experience at Trustee-level and as Advisor to Boards. Yolanda’s professional training as Clinical Psychologist supports her judgement on personal qualifications of candidates. Yolanda has work experience in the Netherlands, UK, East Africa, Southern Africa and South and Southeast Asia. 

Yolanda is committed to finding capable and high-performing candidates for jobs in organisations and networks in international development, as this contributes to the strong delivery of programs and quality policy development by the organisations, which helps to reduce disparity in the world. Yolanda is able to bring her own and Oxford HR’s wide networks to you as a client.

Maria Grigore

Head of Research

Maria joined us in 2015 after volunteering with Amnesty International Spain. She holds an LLM in International Law, Globalisation and Development. Her master thesis focused on Cities as personalities of international law instead of states, and the duties they would carry.

This was followed by an assignment with UNDP IICPSD in Istanbul, where she worked on gender mainstreaming in skills development with case studies from India and Turkey. Maria has extensive experience in delivering search assignments with multilateral and global international globalisations such as IFAD, GCF, ActionAid, MSF, The Syria Campaign, CARE, BRAC, Action Contre La Faim, Doctors of the World, IWMI/CGIAR and ILEP. She speaks English, Spanish, Catalan and Romanian, and has lived in Mexico, Turkey, Spain, the UK and Romania.

Lisanne Schut

Researcher

Prior to joining Oxford HR, Lisanne worked within the Security Sector in Stockholm, as Team Leader in a monitoring Centre. She has an MSc in Disaster Management and Sustainable Development. Lisanne’s main areas of interest are: Migration, post-war reconstruction and civil society building. Furthermore, she is fluent in four languages and is looking to learn at least two more.

Lisanne’s main areas of interest are: Migration, post-war reconstruction and civil society building. Furthermore, she is fluent in four languages and is looking to learn at least two more.

Helena Newton

Project Administrator

Helena joined Oxford HR recently. She holds an MA in International Development and has undertaken research in Nepal and a research placement in Sierra Leone, where she collaborated with the University of Makeni (UNIMAK). She has also volunteered both in the UK for non-profit organisations such as Oxfam and in Uganda for East African Playgrounds. Her main areas of interest include: availability and accessibility of health facilities alongside health promotion and disaster and emergency management.

Ruth Davis

Project Administrator

Ruth joined Oxford HR in 2018 after completing a BA in international history at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She completed multiple economic development courses, in addition to her dissertation which she wrote on the Anglo-American response to the AIDS epidemic, looking at international relations through a human rights lens.

Ruth has volunteered with Oxfam, Widening Participation and Crisis, and hopes to complete a masters degree in the future. Her main areas of interest are the justice system in the United States and economic inequality.