Marianne Tellier

Co-founder / Board Chair

Marianne is a Public Health professional with +10 years work/field experience, a BSc/MSc Public Health from the University of Copenhagen and MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine/London School of Economics. Marianne has worked full-time on WoMena’s activities in Uganda and now supports WoMena’s executive arm. She currently works on grant management at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria on Ethiopia and IGAD TB/HIV refugee portfolios since 2011. Marianne has done research and published in the areas of Family Planning and Menstrual Management and brings research, management, health policy, health care financing, and health programming experience to WoMena. In addition to the Global Fund she has worked and done research in Benin, China/Tibet, Tanzania & Uganda for UNFPA, GIZ, DANIDA, the University of Copenhagen and other NGOs.

Maria Hyttel

Co-founder / Treasurer

Maria is currently working as advisor on women, peace and security for CARE Norway. She has previously worked for UNFPA in Burundi, Tanzania and Niger on youth, gender based violence sexual and reproductive health and rights and as well as response to humanitarian and refugee crisis. Maria is a Public Health professional from University of Copenhagen with experience in research on Family Planning and Menstrual Management. Her work experiences with NGO partnerships, research and development assistance in Tanzania, Niger, Uganda, and Benin has provided her strong competencies in project implementation, monitoring & evaluation, trainings, advocacy, programme analysis, youth policy, HIV/AIDS and health insurance for rural populations. She has previously worked for the Red Cross, the Danish AIDS Foundation, the Danish Family Planning Association and DANIDA.

Laura Hytti

Board Secretary

Laura is currently working full-time in Uganda as WoMena’s Research and Project Coordinator. She manages the Research and M&E team and leads on the development, implementation and dissemination of research on menstrual health and creating sustainable access to menstrual health products. Laura also spends much of her time building partnerships and launching our new projects. Laura is a Public Health Professional and holds a MMSc in International Health from Uppsala University. Prior to finding her calling in sexual reproductive health and rights and menstrual health, Laura worked in health care regulation and operations in the UK for six years. Laura has been working in the Ugandan context since 2015 and is dedicated to building collaborative partnerships, continuous learning for impact and understanding the nuances of the lived experiences of the girls, women and communities that WoMena works with.

Samuel Opio

WoMena Board Member

Samuel is currently working as Finance and Administration Officer at Feed the Children in Gulu Uganda. Previously worked for Uganda Red Cross Society as Accounts Assistant and Focal person for a Life Planning Skills Project for Youths in the post conflict setting of Northern Uganda. Samuel is a professional Accountant from Gulu University and Makerere University Business School with vast experience. Samuel’s main qualities are ambition to succeed, sense of accountability, analytical mind and high energy levels as well as hands-on ability to negotiate at different levels and to think of long-term objectives but at the same time with strong implementation skills, very process and results-oriented, whose experience spans from capacity development in a multilateral humanitarian Organization over, Administration, Accounting, and community based peace building activities in a post conflict setting to youth advocacy in an intergovernmental environment.

Keith Diniz

WoMena Board Advisor

Keith has over 20 years’ experience in senior management roles specialising in Process Reengineering, Productivity Improvements and Organizational Development undertaking assignments for a of number of international and Pan African organisations as well the NGO and United Nations sector. Keith has two teen age children and his great passion is talking about rugby, rugby union of course.

Lene Østergaard

WoMena Board Member

Lene has worked with economics affairs and trade efficiency with UNCTAD in Geneva, as Project Coordinator & Technical Advisor to the Minister for Women and Social Development in Maldives, as Program Director of CARE in Denmark, and as ED of the Rainforest Foundation I New York. She is now pensioned and living in Sweden.