Who we are

Our
staff.

A small team in London runs the operation. Local professionals deliver it.

London: Direction, partnerships, finance and reporting
Iraq: Basra office; Erbil and Dohuk
Romania: Sighetu Marmației, on the Ukrainian border
Team: Twenty-four people, all local to where they work

How AMAR is run

Small in London.
Local everywhere else.

A small team in London runs the operation: strategy, partnerships, finance and reporting to funders. Everything in the field is delivered by local staff, doctors, nurses, teachers and coordinators employed in the countries where AMAR works. This structure keeps overheads low and puts funding where it matters, and it means the skills and capacity that AMAR builds remain in the community after a project ends.

Over three decades AMAR has employed thousands of Iraqi professionals in their own country. Staff work within their own communities, so services are culturally appropriate, tailored to local need, and able to continue in difficult security environments where international personnel could not operate.

London office

The people
behind the work.

Andrew Methven

Managing Director

Andrew is AMAR's Managing Director, based in the London office.

As AMAR grows, he leads the Staff Management Team, provides the link to the Board and coordinates across the AMAR family, above all with the field team in Iraq. He previously worked as Strategy and Commercial Director and Bid Team Leader for international security firms, specialising in Iraq including the Kurdistan Region, Afghanistan, Nigeria and maritime security in the Indian Ocean and West Africa.

Before that he served in the British Army (The Life Guards) for 20 years: a Reserve officer training unit in London, staff roles in the Ministry of Defence, 16 months on exchange with the Canadian Army largely in the Balkans, UN and NATO service in Bosnia, and several tours of Iraq, his first exposure to reconstruction, development and the people of Basra.

His first degree was in sciences from Cambridge; he holds Masters degrees from Cranfield, KCL and Imperial College Business School. He lives in London with his young family. Hobbies include ancient Greek history and the piano.

Canberk Sirmen

Head of Programmes

Canberk Sirmen leads the delivery of large-scale CSR initiatives in Iraq. He also serves as Honorary Parliamentary Assistant to Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne.

He holds a degree in Finance from Bocconi University and previously worked as an Energy M&A Advisor at PwC Milan. He is also a partner in Logiturc, a commercial real estate developer based in Istanbul.

Dr Ali Jawad

Country Director, Iraq

Dr Jawad is an experienced medical practitioner and plays a key role in driving the quality of AMAR's work in Iraq.

Specialised rheumatologist, Al Shaheed Khaled Hospital, Erbil, 2011 to 2014
Higher diploma in rheumatology, Ternopil Medical University, Ukraine, 2009 to 2011
General practitioner in Baghdad and Basra, 1998 to 2009, and in Maysan, 1996 to 1998
Doctor at Ibn Majed Hospital, Basra, after qualifying
Graduate of the College of Medicine, University of Basra, 1993

Ashley Goodall

Marketing Consultant

As MD of Saatchi & Saatchi Design, Ashley ran large branding projects for Barclays Capital, Raiffeisen Bank, the Post Office, A1 Telekom Austria, Head & Shoulders and T-Mobile.

He is a marketing professional with expertise in brand positioning, identity, digital communications, PR and business development, and was Head of Business Development and Marketing at Fitch (WPP).

Originally a marketing graduate at EMI Records, where he signed acts including Iron Maiden and Talk Talk, he went on to directorships in branding and communication at Lloyd Northover, Fitch and Saatchi & Saatchi Design. He also works with the Ukraine Britain Business Council and has worked with IBBC since 2015.

Ourstaff.

Small in London.Local everywhere else.

The peoplebehind the work.