Our team
Board of Directors
Raquel Herzog
Founder, President
Although she was born on a winter's day in Switzerland, Raquel Herzog always felt more at home in the south and was not satisfied with the comfortable life she was born into. As a teenager, she became involved in an orphanage founded by her aunt in Brazil. After hotel management school, Raquel worked in live entertainment and event management. She has two grown-up children and is a happy grandmother.
In 2015, shaken by the image of the drowned child Aylan Kurdi, she travelled to Lesvos to volunteer to provide emergency care to arriving boat refugees. She does not believe she can change the world, but she is convinced that it will only change if everyone makes a small contribution to the greater good.
Yiannis Iatrellis
Vice-President
Yiannis Iatrellis was born and raised on the Greek island of Lesvos. He is a Class A' Licensed Accountant, Tax Consultant and a Business Advisor with extensive experience in supporting companies and local authorities. He has been actively involved in civil society since 2000 and has contributed to humanitarian and environmental initiatives. He studied Business Administration at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Georgia State University, USA.
Our staff
Our staff are a team of skilled women, each deeply committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality services with dignity and respect to other women who are displaced from their homelands. They are professionals who dedicate their skills and talent to a common goal to support others who are in a vulnerable position. They are supported by wonderful international volunteers who devote their time to our common cause.
Tereza Lyssiotis
CEO, Greece
Tereza Lyssiotis has been working at SAO since 2017. Previously she was a Strategic Communications Consultant with extensive experience in Corporate Project Management, Crisis Management and Media Relations, mainly in the energy and financial sectors. In December 2015, she joined the volunteer movement assisting displaced people in Athens, and about a year later, she started working in the Humanitarian Sector. Tereza has obtained her MSc in European Studies at the London School of Economics and her BA in Political Science at Brandeis University, Massachusetts.
SAO Hellas Team in alphabetical order on Lesvos and in Athens
-
Asmaa Taha Ismael Al Jumaily, Bashira Cultural Mediator Arabic
-
Emmanuela Anagnostopoulou, Amina Psychologist & Programme Coordinator
-
Malika Benboudjelthia, Amina Cultural Mediator French
-
Anna Botsoglou, SAO Hellas Corporate Manager
-
Ifigenia Kostourou, Bashira Case Worker
-
Christina Koumantataki, Amina Social Worker
-
Fouzieh Kouzehpour, Amina Cultural Mediator Farsi/Arabic
-
Aloisia Makrionitou, Amina Assistant Programme Manager
-
Eleni Manou, Amina Informal Greek Language Programme Coordinator
-
Anna Pavlidi, Bashira Programme Manager
-
Anita Yousaf, Bashira Activities Coordinator
Additionally, we collaborate with external consultants, namely, a lawyer, accountants, independent auditors, a data protection officer and health and safety officers. You can find our organisational chart here.
