The Board

The GAATW Board of Directors meets once a year and it monitors the implementation of the strategic plan, the functioning of the International Secretariat (IS) in this regard and gives the final approval to the Regional Chapters’ Activity Plans. It nominates new IB members, and an Executive committee (Ex-Co) which directly oversees the daily running of the IS with regard to financial, personnel, and legal matters. Under the Current Statute the composition of the IB members is mandated to reflect representation from different world regions and professional experiences.

Dr Naruemon Thabchumpon President

Dr Rosalia Maria Emanuele Sciortino Member

Nattakarn Noree Member

Komolthip Payakwichian Member

Poonsap Suanmuang Tulaphan Member and Treasurer

Dr Ratchada Jayagupta Member and Secretary

International Secretariat

GAATW's International Secretariat is based in Bangkok, Thailand. Its core functions are to service and support the members of the Alliance by:

• Making local issues internationally visible and supporting Members in their advocacy efforts;
• Helping to apply international policies and standards locally;
• Producing evidence, research and analysis on issues that impact migrant women workers;
• Facilitating local, regional and international representation of Members at relevant fora;
• Building, facilitating and maintaining mutual exchanges, communications and learning with and among Alliance members;
• Collecting, processing, disseminating and making easily accessible to members, essential documents on trafficking, as well as generally relevant information, in support of their activities;
• Developing and making available information resources on trafficking, gender, globalisation and informal economies, rights-based advocacy, and research methodologies;
• Facilitating capacity building and organising conceptual clarity sessions for Alliance members as well as non-members upon request.

International Secretariat

Apivart (Nong) Chaison

Finance and Admin Manager

Nong is from Nakorn Phanom, the Northeast province of Thailand bordering Laos. Having started work with GAATW in 1997, she is now the most senior staff member at GAATW-IS. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University. She is responsible for overall functions in the finance and administration unit, donor reporting, and communicating with local authorities in Thailand with regard to tax and governance matters.

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International Secretariat

Bandana Pattanaik

International Coordinator

Bandana is responsible for the overall coordination of the International Secretariat. Bandana has been with GAATW since 1999 doing research, training, and working with self-organised groups. She holds an MA in English Literature as well as an MA in Women’s Studies.

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International Secretariat

Alfie Gordo

Programme Coordinator

Alfie rejoined GAATW-IS in January 2023. She is responsible for the efficient and smooth implementation of the core functions and plans of GAATW-IS, in line with its Theroy of Change. She also plays a key role in organisational and programme development initiatives. She first joined the team in 2005 as a Communications Officer and later served in different programme roles until December 2019. Alfie is from the Philippines and holds a degree in Environmental Planning from Miriam College. Her previous work has focused on communications, working with Filipina women survivors of war crimes, and with self-organised groups of women migrant workers in the Asia region. She also has some consultancy experience in grant management for a feminist fund.

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International Secretariat

Maya Linstrum-Newman

Advocacy, Policy and Media-Lead

Maya joined GAATW in May 2022 and is responsible for GAATW's advocacy work at the international and national levels. She is a qualified lawyer and practiced criminal law in the UK before transitioning to policy and advocacy roles within human rights organisations. Maya has worked on national and international advocacy strategies on a range of human rights issues in Europe, Africa and Asia, including the abolition of the death penalty, stronger protections for trafficked persons, and accountability for survivors of torture. She holds a law degree and an LLM in public international law, both from the London School of Economics.

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International Secretariat

Srishty Anand

Programme Officer, Voice and Participation

Srishty joined GAATW in May 2022 and is responsible for a new initiative to explore how civil society organisations incorporate the voices and views of migrant and trafficked women into their work. She holds an MPhil and MA in Sociology from the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. In the past, she has worked as a senior researcher and knowledge specialist with International Center for Research on Women and Oxfam India. She specialises in qualitative research methods and frameworks across the thematic areas of women's economic empowerment, sustainable finance, and ESG.

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International Secretariat

Orathai Meesin

Administrative Assistant

Orathai joined GAATW in October 2022. She is responsible for administration work and logistical support. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics Education from Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, Thailand.

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International Secretariat

Vivian Cartagena

Programme Officer Alliance Strengthening

Vivian joined GAATW in February 2023 and will be responsible for strengthening the Secretariat's engagement with Alliance members and ensuring that members' contexts and priorities are reflected in the Secretatiat's work. She is a Political Scientist and has previously worked with an Ecuadorian human rights organisation focused on advocating and research on regularisation processes for migrants.

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International Secretariat

Michelle Soe Moe

Program Officer Communications

Michelle joined GAATW in June 2023 and she is responsible for reviewing and implementing GAATW's communication plans. She has a Bachelor's degree in International Studies and a Master's degree in Human Rights and Democratisation, both of which are from Mahidol University in Thailand. Michelle has experience working in the fields of refugee and LGBTIQ+ rights. Her work mainly focused on initiating and strengthening partnerships, communications and advocacy. Most recently, she managed projects on the issue surrounding LGBTIQ+ forced displacement. She is from Bangkok, Thailand.

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