Our Staff
Fahima Saeid - CEO
Fahima is originally from Afghanistan and came to New Zealand some 20 years ago. She is a passionate refugee advocate with more than 19 years of work experience in the field. She holds a MBBS Degree from Afghanistan and a Masters Degree in Counselling (1st Class Honours), the University of Auckland and is a registered counsellor with NZAC. Fahima strongly believes in social justice, equal rights and an inclusive society for all. Her hobbies are cooking, sewing and reading Afghan/Dari literature and poetry.
Polait Kiyork - Programme Lead - Settlement
Polait is originally Assyrian from Iraq, migrated to New Zealand more than 20 years ago. She has a science background with a BS degree from Iraq and a GD degree in Mathematics from Auckland University. Her passion to work and support people in need from various ethnicities helped her reach a turning point in her professional career. Her SWBS degree from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa biculturalism in practice made a huge impact on her professional practice as it enabled her to hold her culture, beliefs, and values and work in parallel approaches as well as understand the importance of applying core cultural values into practice. She has more than 14 years of experience of working in the refugee settlement sector. She views her Aramaic language as an integral part of who she is; hence, she embraces it as a passion to pass on her teaching expertise to the future Assyrian-Kiwi generation.
Margaret Tracey - Finance
Margaret trained as an Accountant in her birth country of the UK, then worked her way around the world, welcomed in the US and Africa with World Vision, as well as her now home country of New Zealand. Working with NFACT offers her a chance to give back some of the love and support she received as a migrant. She holds a MBA from Otago, and brings financial management experience from other employment with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Spark. Margaret’s values are based in her Christian heritage and ethical training, so loving your neighbour as yourself and integrity underpin her actions. Her hobbies include cooking and preserving, gardening, and puzzle-solving.
Shalini Pillai - Operations
Originally from Malaysia, Shalini has lived in New Zealand for over 20 years. She has a Bachelor of Commerce / Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Geography, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Development Studies. She has extensive experience in the philanthropic sector through her work with Foundation North, where she was a senior policy and grants advisor. Her work in international education and rural development in India and Vietnam contributed to her love of travel and working with others to address the systemic drivers of inequity. On completion of a Certificate in Refugee Resettlement, Shalini worked for a time in the refugee sector in New Zealand. She has been on the board of two community organisations. Shalini is particularly passionate about supporting women’s empowerment and animal rights.
Karen Newborn - Microenterprise Programme
Karen was born in West Auckland and is married with two daughters. She worked as a graphic designer for many years and then as an English Language and Adult Literacy & Numeracy educator. She worked as a lecturer in New Zealand and later in the U.K. with young asylum seekers. Karen completed a Masters Degree in Adult Literacy and Numeracy for Educators, and has continued in this field for over 15 years. Alongside her work, she has also built a successful business as an artist and a milliner/hat maker. She continues to paint in oils, part-time. Karen brings her passions together in her role as Micro-Enterprise Manager, utilising her art and crafts ability, English language teaching experience and small business skills.
Our Board
Suresh Rajan
Backed by a wide range of experience in operations, management, communication and education, Suresh Rajan has been teaching at Manukau Institute of Technology for two decades. A specialist in inter-cultural communication, he organizes customized training for the United Nations and New Zealand government personnel assigned to overseas missions. He has also been providing management consultancy services to diverse business organisations in the Auckland region over the years.
Eleanor Holroyd
Eleanor is a registered nurse and an anthropologist, who was born in Aotearoa and worked in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, East Africa, and Australia before returning to New Zealand, and AUT University - where was she an alumnus. She has researched ethnic women's health for the past three decades, as well as being a Professor and Associate dean of International and Engagement for the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences.
Sabrina Zoutenbier
Sabrina is an experienced counsellor and counsellor educator. For the past 15 years she has been teaching at the University of Auckland in the Master of Counselling programme. She also supervises counsellors and others engaged in community-based work. Sabrina is a counsellor registered with the New Zealand Association of Counsellors and is currently a member of the NZAC Regional Ethics Team.
Dr Arif Saeid
Arif served as a medical doctor in Afghanistan and also worked for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) from 1994 to 1999. He moved to New Zealand in January 2000 and for 17 years worked with Refugees as Survivors NZ where he led the Community Services Team. He works closely with new settler and refugee communities in the areas of employment, social engagement, preventing violence and health and wellbeing to improve and advance smoother resettlement. Furthermore, he supports young people from refugee backgrounds to reach their potentials in education, employment and social wellbeing. Besides served on a few boards, Arif is currently the president of Refugee Council of New Zealand and currently working with Ministry of Social Development (MSD) as a senior refugee and migrant advisor.
Miriam Gabriel
Currently serving as the Community Engagement Manager at Mercury where she has been employed for the past two years, Miriam has 18 years of experience in the community and health sector. She has dedicated her career to community development and engagement, supporting access to health and community services. Her work involves collaborating with diverse communities within the Central and West Auckland region to ensure their needs are met and voices heard.
