Oak Foundation

Esther Nørregård-Nielsen is the director of Oak Foundation Denmark, part of the international philanthropic organization Oak Foundation, which is headquartered in Geneva. Trained as a nurse, she holds a cand.scient.soc. and a Ph.D. in sociology, was previously a postdoc at the University of Copenhagen, and spent more than 11 years as owner and director of the analysis and consultancy firm Rådgivende Sociologer, working in evaluation, organizational development, and social analysis. She authored Pædagoger i skyggen and co-authored Klimaets sociale tilstand, serves as an external examiner in the social science and economics examiner corps, and participates in board work in the social sector.

Adriana Craciun is Director of Housing & Homelessness at Oak Foundation, a role she took up in 2024, where she leads a London-based team of seven supporting organisations in the UK and United States working on homelessness and housing. She previously served as Executive Director (Policy & Public Affairs) at the Northern Housing Consortium, overseeing policy, communications, and member engagement across a membership of more than 140 councils, housing associations, and combined authorities, and earlier held roles at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and in housing association operations and policy. A Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, she sits on the Institute's Policy Advisory Committee and has served as an elected local councillor in a London borough and as a school governor.

Brian Robson is President and CEO of Oak Foundation, which makes grants to organizations focused on community development and environmental protection. He has three decades of leadership experience spanning philanthropy, diplomacy, conservation, fundraising, international development, and higher education, including organizational change initiatives in multicultural environments. Robson works in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Brigette De Lay serves as Director of Operations at Oak Foundation, where she oversees finance, human resources, IT, administration, legal, and facilities functions across the organization's global operations. She has held roles in both the private and non-profit sectors, with experience in multinational network organizations.

Geraldine Limborg is Head of Nature and People at the Oak Foundation, where she leads global grantmaking portfolios. Her career spans environmental and climate philanthropy in the US and Europe, international NGOs, and multilateral processes, including prior work at the Packard Foundation and leadership of IUCN's World Heritage Outlook, an assessment of more than 250 natural World Heritage Sites. Her areas of focus include multilateral environmental agreements, protected area policy, biodiversity conservation, forest and wetland management, renewable energy policy, and community-driven grantmaking.

Helena Duch is director of Oak Foundation Denmark, part of the Geneva-based Oak Foundation, working across local social issues and international philanthropy. Trained as a nurse, she holds a cand.scient.soc. degree and a Ph.D. in sociology and previously spent more than 11 years as owner and director of the analysis and advisory firm Rådgivende Sociologer, in addition to serving as a postdoc at the University of Copenhagen. She has authored and co-authored works including Pædagoger i skyggen and Klimaets sociale tilstand, serves as an examiner (censor) in the social science and economics examiner corps, and holds board positions in the social sector.

Mariam Kenza Ali is Head of Nature and People at the Oak Foundation, where she oversees global grantmaking portfolios focused on natural resource management and climate action. Her career spans environmental and climate philanthropy in the US and Europe, international NGOs, and multilateral processes, including prior work at the Packard Foundation, where she developed a $30 million transnational climate and forests strategy and co-created a community-based grassroots organising program. She previously led IUCN's World Heritage Outlook, an assessment of more than 250 natural World Heritage Sites, and her areas of focus include multilateral environmental agreements, protected area policy, biodiversity conservation, and renewable energy policy.

Nathan Argent is Director of Global Climate Initiatives at Oak Foundation, where he focuses on clean energy opportunities and partnerships across Europe, India, China, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Brazil. He has more than 25 years of experience in climate action and clean energy transitions. He is Emeritus Chair of the Funders Table, a network of 28 global climate foundations, and holds board and committee roles with the Tara Climate Fund and the Clean Air Fund.

Siobhain Coburn is Head of Evidence and Solutions for the Prevent CSA Program at Oak Foundation. She has more than 15 years of experience designing, evaluating, supporting, and commissioning projects focused on children's well-being and public health internationally.

Virginia Ruan is Head of Communications at Oak Foundation. Her areas of focus include communications strategy, external affairs, crisis communications, advocacy, depolarisation communications, and storytelling, as well as editing, writing, training, and mentoring.

Managing Director and Head of European Asset Management based in London, overseeing the firm's European equity investments across asset classes. Previously worked in real estate audit at Ernst & Young.