Our team
DIGIRISE Project Coordinator
Alexandra Giannopoulou
Alexandra is the Project Coordinator for the Developing Information, Guidance, and Interconnectedness for (Charter) Rights Integration in Strategies for Enforcement (DIGIRISE) project. She is a licensed lawyer, holds a PhD in law from the University of Paris II Assas, and has broad expertise in information law. Before joining DFF, Alexandra worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Information Law (IViR), University of Amsterdam. She is an associate researcher at the CNRS Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) in Paris and has also worked as a research fellow at the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) in Berlin. Alexandra’s research addresses regulatory challenges of emerging techno-social systems, with a strong digital rights focus.
PGP Fingerprint: 3F6770AE81867AE632B3C34EFDA4D0B4302EC397
Communications Lead
Barbara Okeyo
Barbara is the Communications Lead at the Digital Freedom Fund. She brings over 10 years of experience in marketing communications, and content marketing strategy. She has worked in digital communications, social impact and advocacy with gender and reproductive rights NGOs. Her career goal is to use her skills to strengthen civil society in the areas of social justice and advocacy, intersection of gender and digital rights, sustainability, diversity & inclusion. Barbara is based in Berlin.
PGP Fingerprint: D15C 3CE6 8D83 F3C1 4495 B6C4 B079 15A5 943F F62C
Legal Officer
César Manso-Sayao
César is the Legal Officer at Digital Freedom Fund. He is a law graduate from the University of Costa Rica, and holds two Master’s degrees from the University of Barcelona, one in Human Rights and the other in Sociology. He also has a postgraduate degree in Technopolitics and Rights in the Digital Age from Pompeu Fabra University and previous work experience in digital rights organisations. César is based in Berlin.
PGP Fingerprint: AF0A B486 DE9D 4B50 1809 3EAC 0D3A 7C44 EC83 CDEE
Finance Manager
Darrah Hassell
Darrah is the Finance Manager at the Digital Freedom Fund. She is a qualified finance professional, holding a Master’s in Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. Before taking up her position at DFF, Darrah worked for eight years in the international development sector. Darrah is based in Berlin.
PGP Fingerprint: 3DBC 3963 5DA0 EAB0 D224 39F5 37BC 0ACA 201D B84D
Communications Support
Ekaterina Balueva
Ekaterina is the Communications Support at the Digital Freedom Fund. She has a master’s degree in Journalism, Media and Globalisation from the University of Amsterdam. Before joining DFF she worked for several independent media outlets and a human rights non-governmental organisation focused on relocating human rights defenders at risk. Ekaterina is based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Finance Officer
Ewa Pieszczyk
Ewa is the Finance Officer at the Digital Freedom Fund, providing support in financial administration and management. Before joining DFF, Ewa most recently worked as Budget Assistant in the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Previously she also held various roles at the British Embassy in Warsaw, UNDP and others. She has a Master’s degree in Italian Studies and a Bachelor’s in Cultural Anthropology from University of Warsaw, she also completed postgraduate studies in Gender Mainstreaming at the Polish Academy of Sciences. Ewa is based in Warsaw, Poland.
Racial and Social Justice Support
Joel Hide
Joel is the Racial and Social Justice Support at the Digital Freedom Fund. They recently completed a master’s degree in Global History where their research focused on the way in which gender and sexuality were reforged in colonial contexts. Before joining DFF they worked for an LGBTQ+ rights organisation. Joel is based in Berlin.
Operations and Events Officer
Jihane Jadrane
Jihane is the Operations and Events Officer at the Digital Freedom Fund. She has a Master’s Degree from the University of Groningen in International Relations and International Organisation. Before taking up her position at DFF, Jihane held different positions in governmental and non-governmental organisations. Jihane is based in Berlin.
PGP Fingerprint: 72B5 51FE F2CD 1BDE 537D CB3D 12CB 3C83 CABE B5C4
Racial and Social Justice Lead
Laurence Meyer
Laurence is the Racial and Social Justice Lead at the Digital Freedom Fund. She previously worked as a parliamentary assistant in the French National Assembly and works on the notion of race in law. She is also involved in several community-centered projects. Laurence is based in Berlin.
PGP Fingerprint: 68B1 72BD 74F6 DEBB B43A 1A44 21C9 8542 361F 75D3
Director
Mauricio Lazala Leibovich
Mauricio is the Director of the Digital Freedom Fund. He is an international human rights lawyer and advocate. Before joining DFF in early 2022, Mauricio was Deputy Director at the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, leading on strategic, regional and programmatic areas of work. He has also worked at grassroots human rights NGOs in various countries, and sits on the Advisory Council of the Investor Alliance for Human Rights. Mauricio is based in Frankfurt.
PGP Fingerprint: 0761 2B24 5207 11FA 0482 89D9 0A40 8AE8 0EBA 746D
Senior Legal Officer
Nikita Kekana
Nikita is the Senior Legal Officer at the Digital Freedom Fund. Nikita has extensive experience in digital and media law, international law and human rights. Before joining, DFF, she worked within the strategic legal defence team at a leading international non-governmental organisation. She has also worked at two of South Africa’s big 5 law firms. Nikita holds an LLM cum laude in Public International Law from Leiden University. She is based in Munich, Germany.
PGP Fingerprint: 1EB9 73A2 B44F F8AF F9C0 6CB6 B493 1F6B 5C56 C77A
Programme Officer
Thomas Vink
Thomas is the Programme Officer at the Digital Freedom Fund, responsible for coordinating DFF’s grantmaking. Before joining DFF he worked at an international anti-corruption organisation, managing multi-country projects on areas such as ethics and integrity policy, protecting victims and witnesses of corruption, and social accountability. Thomas is based in Berlin.
PGP Fingerprint: 4785 9ED7 AE81 E2BC BA5C C7DE 2A9F ECE2 498A 87E9
Development Officer
Vaska Cvetanoska
Vaska is the Development Officer at DFF. With over 13 years of experience in the non-profit sector in Western Balkan, Vaska has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in her field. Before joining DFF, she worked with various national and regional CSOs and Networks such as the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network – BIRN HUB. Vaska has a Doctor of Dentistry degree from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje and is based in Skopje, North Macedonia.
PGP Fingerprint: 66E9 A581 CE92 3AD9 C583 F931 EF8A DD2F 7107 0775