The Asian Tsunami - 20 Years on

Chair: Lamees Hafeez

(Director of Strategy and Communications, Muslim Aid)

Lamees Hafeez is the Director of Strategy and Communications at Muslim Aid. She has worked in international development since 2008, starting in campaigns, advocacy and development education, and has a Masters in Humanitarianism and Conflict response.

Like many, she began her career as a volunteer with a passion being fortunate enough to be able to support people from the Philippines to Nigeria. She is committed to capacity building, partnerships and working local. From 2013, she worked extensively on the Syria response based mostly in Turkiye and Iraq, with travel across the region. During this time, she established field offices, worked extensively on cross border programming, institutional donor funding and partnerships, and advocated on behalf of Syrian NGOs.

 She was a founding member of the Partnerships Initiative and the Syrian NGO Alliance. More recently, she has worked at HQ level in the UK on programmes in Yemen, Palestine, and Bangladesh, as well as the Turkiye/Syria earthquake response.

She is UK based but enjoys travelling extensively for work and in her spare time. She is also a climate advocate and believes strongly in ethical, sustainable living – living that vegetarian/vegan life! She believes in living our values and leading from the front, but we can only make change together.

Speaker: Fadlullah Wilmot

(Fellow, Muslim Institute UK)

Br. Fadlullah is a fellow of the Muslim Institute UK and a contributor to the Australasian Muslim Times.

His journey in humanitarian work began after the 2004 Tsunami in Aceh, where he initially volunteered but later became Country Director for Muslim Aid. Under his leadership, Muslim Aid's disaster response, rehabilitation, and disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts expanded to Yogyakarta and West Sumatra.

Over the years, Fadlullah has worked extensively in Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, Lebanon, Jordan, and across the Middle East and Africa, leading many of Muslim Aid’s major humanitarian initiatives.

In 2014, he became Deputy CEO and Head of International Programmes for Islamic Relief Australia. Though he retired in 2022, he remains active as a Director of the Islamic Renaissance Front in Malaysia, Co-Chair of the Queensland Branch of Muslim Votes Matter Australia, Secretary of the Brisbane Muslim Fellowship supporting Muslim converts, and a volunteer with the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network.

He enjoys traveling and spending time with his six children and 18 grandchildren across the US, UK, Malaysia, and Australia.

Speaker: Dr. Amjad Mohamed Saleem

(Non-Resident Fellow, Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, Doha)

Amjad Mohamed Saleem serves as a Trustee on Muslim Aid’s Board and as Chair of the Programmes Committee. A political scientist, he has extensive expertise in peacebuilding, humanitarian affairs, South Asian studies, interfaith engagement, and development work.

Currently, Amjad works with the IFRC and is a (Non-Resident Fellow, Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, Doha. Previously, he was Country Director for Muslim Aid in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

He has also worked with International Alert, KAICIID, Search for Common Ground, the Islamic Development Bank, the Commonwealth Foundation, the Cordoba Foundation, and Islamic Relief.

Amjad is a member of the Leadership Council of the Joint Learning Initiative for Faith and Communities and co-chair of their advocacy working group on the Fair and Equitable Work Stream. His past roles include thematic advisor for the World Humanitarian Summit (2014–2016), vice-chair of the NEAR Network (2016), and civil society advisor to the Commonwealth Foundation (2012–2014).

An alumnus of the International Visitors Leadership Program and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, he is also a Hive Global Leaders Fellow. Amjad holds an M.Eng from Imperial College London, an MBA from U21 Global Singapore, and a PhD from Exeter University.

Speaker: Hamid Azad

(Former CEO Muslim Aid)

Hamid served at Muslim Aid for over a decade as CEO, Acting CEO, and Head of International Programmes. He is currently a Strategic Advisor & Consultant at McAndrew Leadership, bringing over 20 years of expertise in community and charitable development. His deep understanding of diverse communities spanning various faiths, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds has enabled him to address complex social challenges effectively.

He has also held leadership roles as CEO at Muntada Aid and DG World, in addition to key positions at Muslim Community Association, Lawmatic Solicitors, Blackseed Group, Leaside Law Solicitors, and Ark International School.

As a skilled mediator and negotiator, Hamid specialises in conflict resolution, organisational development, and program management. He has successfully established and managed numerous community and charitable organisations, leading impactful initiatives to support disadvantaged, BME, and faith-based communities.

Speaker: Faizer Khan

(Country Director Muslim Aid Sri Lanka)

Faizer began his career in the corporate sector in 2001 as an internal auditor. Driven by his passion for helping those in need, he transitioned to the humanitarian and development sector in 2005, gaining over 20 years of professional experience in the field.
He currently serves as the Country Director of Muslim Aid (UK) Sri Lanka Office. Faizer joined Muslim Aid Sri Lanka (MASL) in 2005 as a Finance and Administration Officer and, as the organisation's programs expanded, took on various senior roles across finance and programs.
In addition to his role at MASL, he is the Chairman of Muslim Aid Micro Credit Guaranteed (Ltd.), where he provides strategic leadership and management for the organisation’s development in Sri Lanka.

Faizer holds a bachelor's degree in business administration (BBA Special) from the University of Colombo and a master's degree in Disaster Management from the Open University of Sri Lanka. He has also completed the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification and is a life member of MAAT Sri Lanka.

Speaker: Elfi Hasnita

Chairperson of Yayasan Kemanusiaan Madani Indonesia (YKMI)

Elfi Hasnita is a dedicated humanitarian and development professional with 20 years of experience in managing resources, operations, and community development projects across Indonesia. She has extensive expertise in team building, small and medium enterprise (SME) development, and cooperative business initiatives.

Elfi has worked closely with multi-donor agencies, government stakeholders, and United Nations organizations, including UNHCR, UNICEF, and UNDP. She has a proven track record of leading strategic initiatives that drive impact at both the grassroots and institutional levels.

Currently, she serves as the Chairperson of Yayasan Kemanusiaan Madani Indonesia (YKMI) (2018–2025), where she spearheads humanitarian and development efforts to empower communities. Previously, she was part of the Senior Management Team for Human Resources Management at Muslim Aid Indonesia (2005–2018), where she played a key role in resource management, organisational operations, and program development.

Elfi is passionate about strengthening organisations, fostering collaboration, and ensuring sustainable development through effective leadership and operational excellence.