MEET OUR TEAM
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BOARD MEMBERS
Thomas Billington
Co-Founder,
Fish Welfare Initiative
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Akhil Bansal
Doctor, Head of AMR Funding Circle at Schmidt Futures, Research Advisor to The Life You Can Save, Co-Founder of Hi-Med.
Brendan Eappen
Co-Founder of Fortify Health,
Student at Harvard Medical School (MD degree)
Andres Jimenez Zorrilla
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Shrimp Welfare Project
Co-founder and Co-Executive Director
Joey works on high-level strategy across all the departments and mentorship and training for the participants of the Incubation Programs. He is also one of the primary contributors to the handbook "How to Start a High-Impact Nonprofit".
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JOEY SAVOIE
Prior to Charity Entrepreneurship, Joey co-founded Charity Science, a meta-organization that increased the amount of counterfactual funding going to high-impact charities. Subsequently, he co-founded Charity Science Health, a nonprofit that increases vaccination rates in India using mobile phones and behavioral nudges. He has given lectures on various aspects of charity entrepreneurship and Effective Altruism in Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, EAG London, EAG San Francisco, Berlin, Basel, Vancouver, Stockholm, and others.
KAROLINA SAREK
Co-founder and Co-Executive Director
Karolina is Co-founder and Co-executive Director at Ambitious Impact (Charity Entrepreneurship). There, she ensures delivery of key programs across multiple departments. She also trains and mentors Incubation Program participants in starting high-impact charities.
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Karolina also serves as a Fund Manager at Effective Altruism Animal Welfare Fund and a board member and advisor for various EA nonprofits and think tanks, such as Fish Welfare Initiative, WANBAM, and Legal Priorities Project.
Before AIM, she co-founded an organization to improve the impact of nonprofits and social enterprises; worked on measurement and evaluation; and was a researcher for IBM and the Jagiellonian University (JU). At the age of 22, she became a university teaching fellow, lecturing at JU’s Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science.
DEVON FRITZ
Cheif Operating Officer
Devon Fritz brings a wealth of expertise, spanning over 15 years across the private, governmental, and non-profit sectors. His pivotal roles in high-impact organizations, notably as CTO and Managing Director at Founders Pledge, have contributed to mobilizing over $2 billion in commitments to organizations driving meaningful change. After founding a charity incubated by Charity Entrepreneurship and joining its board, Devon is excited to now deeply engaged with the team to amplify the organization's impact.
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ALEX CATALÁN FLORES
Director of Operations
Alex is responsible for optimising AIM’s processes, identifying bottlenecks in organisational systems and determining how to best alleviate them. This includes areas such as compliance, human resources, accounting and finance, productivity, and facilities management.
Originally from Chile, Alex graduated from the Australian National University with a dual Bachelor of Laws/Economics and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice. Alex worked at the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions before switching to management consulting at Grosvenor Performance Group. Alex moved to Ethiopia in 2019 to work in monitoring and evaluation consulting and later as Operations Manager for Includovate, an Ethiopian-Australian research firm. Prior to AIM, Alex worked as Head of Operations at Suvita, a CE-incubated charity.
SAM HILTON
Director of Research
Sam leads the research team. He develops and runs the research process, identifying evidence-based and cost-effective interventions for new charities to start.
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Before AIM, Sam ran a project advocating for Future Generations rights within the UK Parliament. He has 5 years’ experience in the UK government including leading the team responsible for civil nuclear safety policy. He ran Effective Altruism London and co-ran The Life You Can Save. He is a Research Affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk and still occasionally advises on how to prepare for disaster and plan for the long-term.
JUDITH RENSING
Director of Vetting
As Director of Recruitment, Judith leads both the Outreach and Vetting teams at AIM. Her mission is to attract and identify disruptive global talent that will found the next generation of high-impact charities through creative communications strategies and highly predictive application processes. She has also co-authored AIM's impactful grantmaking book "How to Launch a High-Impact Foundation" and occasionally gives talks on nonprofit entrepreneurship in places like Oxford, Canberra, and Mexico City.
Before joining AIM, Judith went through the CE Incubation Program and co-built up the charity High Impact Athletes that raised over $300,000 USD for effective charities in its first year; co-managed a social start-up; and conducted research to identify high-impact, cost-effective charity interventions. She also holds a master's degree in Philosophy and has worked in two bioethics research groups.
Judith is a passionate generalist both at work and in her hobbies - when she is not in hyper-focus mode working, you might find her running forests and mountains, backpacking, playing music, or reading books.
BEN WILLIAMSON
Director of Outreach
Ben is the Director of Outreach at Ambitious Impact (AIM). He is responsible for coordinating the communication of AIM’s work with the goal of finding the best possible talent to join AIM’s programs.
Prior to joining Ambitious Impact, Ben co-founded the Maternal Health Initiative (MHI) through the 2022 Charity Entrepreneurship Incubation Program. MHI tested a scalable model of postpartum contraceptive counselling in northern Ghana to reduce maternal mortality and increase reproductive autonomy.
He is also the founder of Effective Self-Help, a mental health research organisation, and co-Director of Holyrood Parkrun, a free running race with around 400 participants each week in Edinburgh. Ben holds an MA (Hons) in Geography from the University of Edinburgh.
PATRICK STADLER
Chief of Staff
Patrick mentors startups incubated by Charity Entrepreneurship Incubation Program, works on developing the curriculum and content of the upcoming incubation program, and contributes writing on the topic of starting organizations from scratch.
Patrick is a co-founder and chair of the board of GiveWell-incubated charity, New Incentives. As a consultant at Stadler Trails, he supports a range of organizations working for the common good. Previously, he was a political advisor for Switzerland’s economic development agency where he participated in the negotiations on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. He also worked on strategic communications in the context of peacebuilding and mediation at the United Nations Department of Political Affairs in New York.
JACINTHA BAAS
Programs Manager
Jacintha co-leads the development and execution of new programs.
Jacintha is an entrepreneur with over 10 years of experience in founding & scaling organisations. In her role as co-founder of a sustainability scale-up, she grew the company to 30+ staff and was in charge of organisation building, strategy and fundraising. Her achievements were awarded with various prizes and recognitions, such as the Next Women To Watch, the Inspiring Fifty: Women in Tech, and the Forbes 30 under 30. She holds a degree in Sociology from the London School of Economics.
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JAMES CHE
Research Analyst
James is in the research team, where he works on brainstorming and evaluating charity intervention ideas.
Before AIM, James completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge, where he studied haematopoietic (blood) stem cells. During his PhD, James also founded an early-stage project called Alma, and secured seed funding to develop wearable biosensors to monitor female health. After publishing his work from his PhD, James switched focus to the start-up space, in particular the alternative protein industry. However, after participating in an alternative protein course by the Good Food Institute, he decided that he would make more of an impact by founding a charity. James went through the CE Incubation Program when he decided to join the AIM research team.
VICKY COX
Research and Operations Analyst
Vicky is part of the research team, investigating and evaluating animal advocacy interventions. She is also the advisor to the animal participants of the AIM Research Program.
Before joining the AIM team, Vicky went through the CE Incubation Program. Prior to this, she was a research intern for AIM, primarily completing the priority country research for our recommended animal charities. She did this internship alongside her Maths with Actuarial Science degree at the University of Southampton, where she helped to found an effective altruism society. Vicky went vegan and became interested in effective altruism in 2016, after reading works by Peter Singer.
MORGAN FAIRLESS
Research Analyst
Morgan is an analyst for AIM's research team. He holds an MSc in Public Policy & Administration and BSc in Politics & Philosophy, both from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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Before AIM, he worked in international development consulting, student union leadership, and freelance writing and editing in social science.
LEONIE FALK
Research Training Program Manager
Leonie is responsible for the strategy, content, and overall execution of AIM Research. Before joining AIM, she was the Lead Research Analyst for Global Health, Development, and Well-being at Woodleigh Impact, a charitable foundation committed to funding the most impactful organizations. She also previously co-run EA Cause Innovation Bootcamp.
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She is a graduate of Charity Entrepreneurship's Incubation Program and has previously worked with non-governmental organizations in India and Kenya.
ANDREA FOLDS
Program Manager
Danny is responsible for co-managing the Impactful Grantmaking Program, along with Will. She helps keep the content cutting-edge and is constantly asking how AIM’s programming can best support a diverse, thriving philanthropic ecosystem.
Prior to working in philanthropy, Danny worked as an environmental lawyer and lobbyist, a university lecturer, and faith-based organizer. She is now based in Galway, Ireland.
BRET HOMER
Recruitment and Selection Officer
Bret is responsible for making the selection systems at AIM as accurate as possible. As vetting manager, he iterates, conducts, and evaluates the vetting system of CE's Incubation Program. He also supports AIM's outreach by speaking and scouting at global conferences.
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Before AIM, Bret received a doctorate in industrial-organizational psychology and led a project focused on designing personality-based team assignment algorithms for the US federal government. Bret volunteered as a consultant and researcher for animal welfare nonprofits before connecting with AIM at the Animal & Vegan Advocacy Summit.
SAMANTHA KAGEL
Incubation Program Manager
Samantha is responsible for the management and continuous improvement of AIM's Incubation Program.
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Before joining AIM, Samantha consulted for various non-profits and EA organizations spanning agile project management, learning & development, team design, and business strategy. Previously, she worked at Google as a Team Lead and Account Strategist, supporting 400+ small businesses in marketing strategy and leading her team’s development. Much of her prior experience has involved work in mental health, including designing programs to address anxiety, burnout, imposter syndrome, and isolation in the workplace.
RIKA GABRIEL
Outreach Manager
Rika is responsible for monitoring and evaluating AIM’s outreach processes and streamlining the outreach team’s direct outreach (e.g., through automation). She also leads special projects for the outreach team, such as the CE India Retreat, Global Impact Placements, AIM Connect, and some new talent funnel creations.
Previously, Rika co-founded Effective Altruism Blue in the Philippines and has done research on effective mental health interventions. She was also a research and communications intern in two AIM-incubated charities: Lead Exposure Elimination Project and Family Empowerment Media. Rika received her bachelor's degree in psychology from the top university in the Philippines. Her thesis evaluated the effectiveness of a culturally adapted mental health application (MHApp) in improving the well-being and coping strategies of emerging adults.
Prior to pivoting to mental health, Rika was a scholar for the top business program in the Philippines, which trained her in management, accounting, calculus, business law, decision-making sciences, and coding. In the last decade, she has also founded small for-profit ventures and engaged in stock market trading as side jobs alongside her nonprofit pursuits.
ANUSHA MAHTANI
Outreach Manager
Anusha works on partnerships and hiring at AIM.
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She comes to us after her entrepreneurial journey with The Zola Collective, a marketplace connecting African farmers and small businesses with international markets. She’s also got a background in operations and outreach from her time with startup accelerators and venture capital firms in the UAE and the UK. Anusha’s passion lies in helping founders shape their business strategies and secure strategic capital.
FILIP MURÁR
Research Analyst
Filip is a member of the research team where he works on systematically evaluating ideas for new charities to be incubated by CE.
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Before joining the team, Filip was a Senior Research Advisor at The Behavioural Insights Team. He oversaw the design, delivery, and evaluation of quantitative behavioural science studies, with methodologies including online lab experiments, randomized controlled field trials, and machine learning predictive analytics. During his studies at the University of Cambridge and University College London, he led the Trinity Effective Altruism student group and co-founded Effective Altruism UCL.
FEDERICO SPEZIALI
New Programs Co-lead and Strategy Advisor
Federico co-leads the development and execution of new programs as well as advising on the overall strategy of the organization.
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Federico holds a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich and his journey with Charity Entrepreneurship began in 2021 when he successfully completed the CE Incubation Program and co-founded High Impact Professionals.
Before co-founding High Impact Professionals, Federico gained valuable experience at a leading Swiss startup/scaleup. His roles spanned from project and product management to spearheading the adoption of agile methodologies. During his time there, he also played a pivotal role in promoting EA initiatives and saw the company grow from 50 to more than 100 employees.
STEVE THOMPSON
Senior Recruitment & Moonshot Manager
Steve mentors startups incubated by Charity Entrepreneurship, consults on the structure and format of the upcoming incubation programs, and contributes to finding great founders and great co-founder pairings.
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Steve previously co-founded the Entrepreneurs Academy in Ireland where he was the Head of Learning and Creative Director. He has worked across the corporate sector as a Senior Leadership Development Consultant for over 10 years where he focused on creativity, EQ, and teamwork. He has extensive experience in both the design and facilitation of large scale training and development programs.
Steve has also published a book to raise money for GiveWell, designed a full-scale magic and illusion show, built his own house from scratch, and is a co-founder of Training for Good, the new EA meta charity.
WILL TROY
Philanthropic Programs Manager
Will is responsible for the philanthropic programs at AIM. He co-manages the Impactful Grantmaking training program for funders, leads the creation of funding circles and online philanthropic community, and facilitates the Mental Health Funding Circle.
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In addition to working at AIM, Will runs an independent philanthropic advising practice, Coppice Philanthropy, and manages the Flourishing Minds Fund, a family foundation program focused on global mental health. Prior to working in philanthropy, Will spent a decade in the sustainable agriculture sector in the US and Latin America. Will is based in Santa Cruz, California, where he lives with his wife and two untrained wild dogs.
ULA ZAROSA
Senior Recruitment & Digital Media Manager
Ula is responsible for digital outreach: social media channels, website design, newsletters, photos, general content management and communications.
Before joining AIM in 2018, Ula completed a PhD in Philosophy and published a book on the moral status of animals. She has worked on digital marketing in startup projects for Michał Kiciński (investor, top 100 Forbes Poland, co-founder of CD Projekt - authors of The Witcher game series), including building a Pay What You Want eBooks portal and opening a trendy vegan restaurant in central Warsaw. Ula was also working as Communications Manager for ProVeg International in Poland and has been a vegan and animal activist for over 23 years.