Nigel is the Non-Exec. Chair of The British Academy School Marrakech. He is Safeguarding Governor to the Mill Hill Schools Group, and Hazelwood Preparatory School, and is an elected board member of the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools. He is executive consultant to the Independent Safeguarding Service CIC. Nigel was an Independent school Headmaster for 26 years, and taught at Stowe, Cheltenham College, and three HMC schools in South America.
Louise is a corporate partner with Covington & Burling LLP, the global law firm. She has extensive board experience, having served for eight years on the firm’s Management Committee. In that role, she had primary responsibility for overseeing the ex-US business operations of the firm (EMEA and APAC), including development of global expansion strategy, firm branding and marketing. She also had principal responsibility for compliance and HR functions for the firm’s operations outside the United States. Since standing down from that role in 2020, she has continued to lead the firm’s ex-US business strategy and to chair the firm’s global technology group. She remains very actively engaged in the firm’s pro bono efforts as well as in their gender and socio-economic diversity affinity groups. She became a trustee in April 2024.
Thom is a senior advisor at Covington, and key member of the firm’s Global Problem-Solving Group. Prior to joining Covington, he was British Ambassador to Morocco (2017-2020). Mr Reilly holds under and post-graduate qualifications from the London School of Economics (LSE), the Institut Robert Schuman, the York College of Law, and the Open University (OU). He started his career as a solicitor specialising in EU and commercial law but no longer practices as a solicitor. Between 2012 and 2017, he was Senior Advisor on International Government Relations & Regulatory Affairs and Head of Government Relations at Royal Dutch Shell. Former roles with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office include Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Egypt (2010-2012). He has lived or worked in several countries including Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Argentina, and speaks French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian. He is a special advisor to the University of Coventry and to Warwick Business School. He became a Trustee in 2019.
Leila qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte UK and worked for 20 years in senior finance roles with international corporates such as Cable & Wireless plc and Orange plc. After having children, she moved into property development, and her focus now is on angel investing and philanthropy. She holds a charitable trust fund with Quartet Community Foundation which provides grants to NGOs in the southwest of England.
Mike first visited Morocco in 1973 and started running educational adventure holidays in Morocco in 1978 with a small company called Discover Ltd. In 1990 Discover Ltd purchased the ruined Kasbah du Toubkal which opened its doors in 1995. The restoration and operation of the Kasbah was carried out by Mike’s friend and business partner from Imlil, Hajj Maurice. The team are committed to running the Kasbah in a sustainable way that gives benefits to the local community.
Andrew has spent 30 years as a UK Secondary State and Independent school teaching experience, and is currently Assistant Headmaster Bristol Grammar School. He led a School trip to the Kasbah, Imlil in 1995 and has been visiting regularly over the last 20 years. He visited Asni in 2007 with a school group to dig the foundations for the first boarding house and has been working with Bristol Grammar students, parents and staff to support the project over the last 10 years. Andrew also represents the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) on the Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel and provides training courses at the RGS for UK Independent School Educational Visit Coordinators. Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and International Mountain Leader with extensive experience of adventurous school journeys.
Samira worked in capital markets and investment banking at Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers before supporting startups. She most recently built the corporate client business as Head of Partnerships at fintech Liberis. She continues to be involved in a number of startups. Being of Moroccan origin herself, she has been an active support of EFAM and girls’ education and gender equality in Morocco since 2011. She became a trustee of EFAM in September 2019 and recently resigned from the Board to resume the position of MD.
Charlie is the Operations Coordinator at EFA. She has a background in management within General Practice before moving onto non profit charity administration. She has experience in managing multiple high-profile global projects, and is excited to apply her experience to the amazing work at Education for All Morocco.
Charlie is passionate about supporting girls' education, believing it to be essential for empowering individuals, and creating stronger, more equitable communities.