Executive Committee

Managing Director - Sophie Lashford
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Sophie is a Cambridge Law student, about to head off to Regensburg for an ERASMUS year of German Law. Her passions are China, climate change, immigration and criminal issues. She tries to get places without flying, which makes her frequent trips to Beijing a bit of an adventure, and her guilty pleasure is a 90's American comedy called "The Nanny". She’s been involved with U8 for many a year now and first came to the very first conference as a high school student! When she arrived at University she became a Finance Coordinator for U8 Global, before becoming the 2008/2009 U8 Cambridge President and organising the Regional Summit. She is looking forward to a year of more partnerships and exciting projects for all our members to get their teeth into, and welcomes you to drop her a line with your ideas!

Director of University Links - Deirdre Doherty
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Deirdre Doherty is currently an undergraduate on the UU International Politics programme, Magee campus. Originally born in Derry, Northern Ireland, raised in Melbourne, Australia, Deirdre returned to Derry and became involved in community initiatives. Deirdre hopes to build on her skills and academic achievements to establish a career in Development. Deirdre is also a dedicated mother and carer.

Director of Communications - Kevin Shanahan
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Kevin is an Economics student at Warwick University going into his final year, having recently come back from Madrid where he studied on the ERASMUS programme. He is currently doing an internship at Concern Worldwide, an international charity dedicated to ending extreme poverty. In his spare time he enjoys snowboarding, playing guitar and the odd spot of badminton.

Research Coordinator - Ross McIntosh
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Ross graduated from the University of Sussex last year, with a degree in Development Studies. He is currently an intern at Oxfam GB's head office in Oxford, and works on Corporate Responsibility, Business Innovation or Ethical Trade, depending on what day of the week it is. He is also studying Strategic Sustainable Development at the Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden, a geographical conundrum solved by the wonders of e-learning. His main academic interest is the relationship between business and social goods, and his main non-academic interests are caffeine and talking to people, often at the same time.

Research Coordinator - Yosi Burckhardt
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Yosi is a recent post-graduate of Violence, Conflict and Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. She also holds a BA in Middle East and Arabic studies and has international experience from living in the Middle East and Africa. Before her MSc, Yosi worked with CIVICUS;World Alliance for Citizen Participation in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Webmaster - Kishen Radia

Kishen is a final-year Economics student at Warwick University. He got involved with the U8 after working with the Warwick International Development Summit (WIDS) for two years, designing their website, magazine, and organising the summit itself.  In his spare time, Kishen can be found relaxing with his friends, playing his guitar, or messing about with some new piece of technology!

Communications Team

Communications Officer - Shivani Karpur
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Shivani is a Law student at Warwick University currently in her Second Year. She has been brought up in Dubai and has come to England to study law. She was also Secretary of the Warwick International Development Society and was involved with the Warwick International Development Summit (WIDS). Her main interests include tennis, playing the piano, travelling and enjoying the sunny beaches of Dubai!

Magazine Team

Editor - Ting Hui Lau
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A Malaysian of Chinese decent, Ting grew up in a small rural town in Borneo. Her childhood experiences partly explain her keen interest in environmental issues and indigenous land movements. She graduated from Cambridge with a degree in Land Economy and is currently working in the Land Unit at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

University Links Team

UK Regional Coordinator - Tommy Wong
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Tommy is a final year student studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at the University of Essex. His first involvement with the U8 was through the founding of U8-Essex and has been in the current role of UK Regional Coordinator since 2008.

South America Regional Coordinator - Ana Garcia Sagrado
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Ana is from Spain and did her PhD in the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge in the UK. She is now doing a postdoc at Imperial College London in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering relating to ocean dynamics. She enjoys travelling and interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds. She is happy to be able to collaborate with the U8 as South American coordinator and help raise awareness about international development issues.

Africa Regional Coordinator - Akuure Nathaniel
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Akuure Nathaniel is an A level 300 student of the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) in Ghana. He is currently studying a BSc in Accounting.