Team

Cris (she/her) is a development practitioner dedicated to advancing gender equality, human rights, and inclusive economic systems across Asia. She currently serves as Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Program Officer at International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific, supporting programs to be more responsive, reflective, and grounded in the lived realities of women and marginalised communities. Previously, she led regional initiatives on trade, the future of work, and gender equity with a German political foundation, and worked in the Philippines on governance and accountability programs. She holds a Master of Public Policy in Public Economics from Hitotsubashi University (Japan), as well as graduate and undergraduate degrees in public management and political science (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of San Carlos (Philippines).
 

 

Kavitha Devadas, Programme Manager: Global South Strategic Partnerships

With a background in participatory approaches and learning, Kavitha (she/her) has worked on health, gender/sexuality and community mobilization with grassroots movements and international humanitarian organisations. She has Masters Degrees in Development Studies (IDS, University of Sussex) and in Human Rights (Ethiraj College, India), with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science (Loreto College, India). Kavitha's current body of work focuses on disability justice, political participation, and using CEDAW as a feminist tool for movement building.

 

 

 

 

Nadia Mohd Rasidi, Feminist Research Lead

Nadia (she/her) leads IWRAW Asia Pacific's feminist research strategy, supporting the development and refinement of the organisation's political thinking. She is particularly passionate about challenging carcerality in all its form, and believes in centering kindness and care in the pursuit of justice—especially when it feels hard to do so. She holds an MA in American Studies and a PhD in English Language and Literature from King's College London.
 

 

 

 

 

Pravind Premnath, Strategic Communications Lead

Pravind (he/him) leads the strategic dissemination of IWRAW Asia Pacific’s messaging, overseeing the organisation’s response to emerging narratives while centering the Global South feminist agenda. Understanding strategic communications as a tool for both narrative change and advocacy, as well as ensuring accountability to the organisation's mandate, he coordinates campaigns, statements, publications and reporting. Pravind also co-leads IWRAW AP’s knowledge-building initiatives. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Arts and Social Sciences with a double major in Global Studies and Gender Studies from Monash University.

 

 

 

 

Tulika Srivastava, Executive Director

Tulika (she/her) has been part of IWRAW Asia Pacific’s work since 1994 when, as a young lawyer, she was inspired by Shanthi Dairiam’s training on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and its grounding principles of equality and non-discrimination. Since then, she has carried these founding principles into all the work she has undertaken.

She has worked as an expert with the United Nations in the designing and implementation of tools and initiatives to serve women’s rights in complex contexts like Cambodia and Afghanistan. She restructured and evolved the South Asia Women’s Fund into the present Women’s Fund Asia (WFA), and has been committed to ensuring the centring of the rights-based approach in ensuring resource justice.

 

 

Vashti, Programme Officer: From Global to Local Advocacy

Vashti (she/they | siya/iya) is a young transfeminist and a real-life sirena who emerged from one of the islands in Eastern Visayas, Philippines. Siya was inspired to engage in human rights work when she joined Asia Pacific Transgender Network’s Amplifying Trans Advocacy Fellowship in 2020. They are also a Fellow of RFSL’s Rainbow Advocacy Program and an alumna of CREA’s Disability, Sexuality, Rights Online Institute. She received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science (cum laude) at the University of the Philippines Manila.

At IWRAW Asia Pacific, she works under the Countering Regression programme and specifically handles the marginalised groups of women and gender diverse people portfolio. In the past years, she has been working on the rights of LBTI women, non-binary and gender-diverse people, women with disabilities, sex workers, Indigenous women and girls, women who use drugs and women who are impacted by punitive drug laws, among others.

 

 

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

Phang Lai Yoong, Senior Operations Officer

Lai Yoong (she/her) joined IWRAW Asia Pacific in March 2013. With a background in accounting, she worked at various positions during the previous 21 years at the Centre for Independent Journalism, the Malaysian Nature Society and a legal firm.

 

 

 

 

 

Siti Norbaya Mohd Saini, Senior Finance and Operations Officer

Siti Norbaya (she/her) has a diploma and degree (Hons) in accounting from Uniten Malaysia. Prior to joining IWRAW Asia Pacific, she worked as a finance assistant at an international school and as a senior executive finance officer at WWF Malaysia.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Thaaranni Manikam, Executive Assistant

Thaaranni Manikam (she/her) has a BA in Accounting and Finance from the University of Derby 3+0 programme, under the UK Programme at HELP Academy. Prior to joining IWRAW Asia Pacific, she held positions as Audit and Assurance associate at Crowe Malaysia PLT and Account and Admin Officer at Intellect Book Marketing.

 

 

 

 

 

Zahirah Zainal, Assistant Manager – Accounting

Zahirah (she/her) is a graduate of LCCI and CAT (ACCA) from Institut Profesional Baitulmal. After graduation, she worked as Audit Assistant at Ong Boon Bah & Co Chartered Accountant and as Administrative and Finance Assistant at the Malaysian Medical Association.