Our Team

Brandon is the Vice President of the Americas, overseeing Tent’s efforts to mobilize major companies to connect refugees to jobs across the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Prior to Tent, Brandon served in the Biden Administration as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of State, where he managed initiatives to strengthen the rule of law in Europe and Asia. Before that, for over a decade, Brandon served on the Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as Senior Professional Staff Member for the Americas and global economic policy.

In 2022, Brandon was decorated by the presidents of Colombia and Ecuador for his efforts to strengthen U.S. diplomatic relations with both countries. In 2023, he was recognized by The Hill as one of the “The 25 Staffers Who Make Capitol Hill Run.” A proud native of Pennsylvania, Brandon holds a M.A. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University.

Haiwen is the Vice President of Global Communications & Marketing at Tent, where she oversees Tent’s communications, marketing, and thought leadership efforts across the Americas and Europe. Prior to joining Tent, Haiwen was the Vice President of Global Communications and Social Impact at leading international sports media company DAZN Group. There, she guided DAZN from its U.S. launch to worldwide expansion to 200+ markets, throughout which she supported the company’s nonprofit partnerships and led integrated international brand building efforts that included solidifying the company as a recognized global home of sport and game-changer in the advancement of women’s sport. Prior to that, she spent nearly a decade across offices in Asia and North America for international PR agencies Ketchum and Hill & Knowlton, where some of her key clients included Gillette, Mercedes-Benz, Oakley, LensCrafters, and Chloé. Haiwen received her Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where she also minored in Chinese Language & Culture.

Alexandra is the Vice President of Innovation, Learning and Strategy at Tent, where she oversees Tent’s efforts to develop and scale innovation, foster cross-regional learning, and shape the organization’s long-term strategy to drive impact.

Before joining Tent, Alexandra held several strategy roles at PepsiCo’s Latin America business. Most recently, she led the strategy team for the beverages division, overseeing strategic planning, competitive intelligence, M&A, and digital transformation.

Alexandra spent over six years in management consulting at Bain & Company in Mexico City. She advised global clients — particularly in the consumer goods sector — on corporate strategy, performance improvement, and transformation. She also played a leadership role in training, HR, and recruiting initiatives within the firm.

She previously served as CEO of Dalia, a social impact startup focused on education and DEI programs for women, and as a research analyst at CAF, a Latin American development bank, where she contributed to public policy research on development and finance.

Alexandra holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Economics from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Venezuela.

Savannah is Tent’s Country Director for Canada. In this role, she leads a coalition of 50 member companies and counting dedicated to connecting refugees to jobs in Canada through hiring, training, and mentorship.

Before joining Tent, she served as Chief of Staff to Canada’s Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities. Previously, she was the Director of Policy and Legal Affairs for the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship. Prior to these roles, Savannah practiced as a litigation associate at a full-service law firm and was a Commissioner on the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.

She has worked with several Canadian Cabinet ministers, including the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Justice, and has managed multiple federal election campaigns. During her undergraduate studies, she completed an internship at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna.

Savannah holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa, a Master’s in Political Management, and a Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management from Carleton University.

She is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she lives with her wife, Emily, and their dog, Grover.

Natalia León Chedid is the Country Director for Colombia, where she oversees Tent’s work to mobilize major companies to connect refugees to jobs across the country. Prior to Tent, Natalia has led organizations across Latin America in the areas of socioeconomic inclusion, gender, peace, the right to water, and migration. She has served as a spokesperson before the United Nations, advocating for the rights of indigenous populations along the Colombian-Venezuelan border. She has spearheaded programs for migrant inclusion across six border regions in South and Central America. Throughout her career, Natalia has worked alongside more than 40 social organizations, 12 international governments, and 60 companies to drive collaborative efforts toward a more just world. In recognition of her commitment and impact, she was awarded the Order of Merit in Colombia.

Christian is the Director of Tent Deutschland. In this role, he leads a coalition of 60 member companies and counting dedicated to connecting refugees to jobs in Germany through hiring, training, and mentorship. Prior to Tent, he worked in international business development as Director for a Swiss-German consultancy firm and as an external partner & advisor in the field of talent management and organizational development. Christian also has 20 years of experience in digital language training (including German online integration training programs for migrants). Christian holds a MA in Cross Cultural Communications (Germany).

Amaia is the Director of Tent España. In this role, she leads a coalition of over 45 member companies and counting dedicated to connecting refugees to jobs in Spain through hiring, training, and mentorship. Prior to Tent, Amaia worked at international organizations and in the nonprofit sector for 13 years. She was Fundraising Director at the EADA Private University Foundation, where she developed educational and social initiatives. Amaia has also held management positions in regional committees at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Spain, where she implemented philanthropic partnerships with major companies, and at ​​the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland, as part of the Partnerships and Fundraising Office. 

Amaia holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (Spain), and a P.G. in International Relations from the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs.

Yasmine is the Director of Tent France. In this role, she leads a coalition of over 30 member companies and counting dedicated to connecting refugees to jobs in France through hiring, training, and mentorship. Prior to Tent, she was Alliance Partner Manager at French tech start-up Aircall. Before that, she spent almost 10 years at International SOS, an organization focusing on health and security risk management. Yasmine held various business development and marketing management roles there, providing support to businesses and NGOs. Prior to that, she worked for seven years in the automotive industry. Yasmine has an M.A. in Management from the EDHEC Business School (France).

Gerardo is the Director of Tent México. In this role, he leads a coalition of over 60 member companies and counting dedicated to connecting refugees to jobs in Mexico through hiring, training, and mentorship. Prior to Tent, he worked in the National Chamber for Wine & Spirits, where he oversaw nationwide campaigns, industry research, lobbying efforts, and CSR strategy as the organization’s General Manager. Prior to that, he served in a variety of leadership roles in corporate communications, government relations, and public affairs at major multinational companies including Mars, Santander Bank, Diageo, Goodyear, and Alcatel. 

Gerardo graduated with a bachelor degree in communication from the Iberoamericana University, and also completed postgraduate studies in business administration from the Technological Institute of Higher Studies of Monterrey (ITESM). Gerardo also attended the Senior Management Program at IPADE, and, more recently, completed a master degree in humanities from Anahuac University in Mexico.

Hélène is the Country Director for the Netherlands, where she oversees Tent’s work to mobilize major companies to hire, train, and mentor refugees across the country. Prior to Tent, she worked for over twenty years at Accenture in consulting and global HR roles and was part of the Accenture team that set up the Refugee Talent Hub in the Netherlands, accelerating the path to employment for refugees by connecting companies to refugee talent. Hélène has a Master’s in Business Economics.

Paulina is the Country Director for Poland, where she oversees Tent’s work to mobilize major companies to hire, train, and mentor refugees across the country. Prior to Tent, she worked in the private sector, including for 16 years at BMW Group Poland – most recently as Experience and B2B Marketing Manager. Paulina has an M.A. in English Philology from the University of Gdańsk (Poland) and holds a post-graduate diploma in Marketing Strategy from the Warsaw School of Economics.

Karin is the Country Director for Sweden, where she oversees Tent’s work to mobilize major companies to hire, train, and mentor refugees across the country. Prior to Tent, she was Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility at Swedish football club Malmö FF. She led initiatives that addressed unemployment, racism, and segregation, and initiated the first partnership in Sweden between a sports club and the United Nations’ Refugee Agency (UNHCR). She has also worked as National Coordinator for Employability and Public Affairs at the Swedish Professional Football League, and as Project Manager for a national capacity building project to drive social entrepreneurship. 

Karin began her career in Switzerland, where she studied International Hotel Management. She has also studied at EFL Lund University (Sweden), the Probana Business School, and the Stockholm School of Economics. She is a board member of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Honorary Counsul for Switzerland in South Sweden. In 2025, she was the recipient of the prestigious Diversity Index Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations that demonstrate impact and innovation in the pursuit of diversity.

Jen is the Director of Tent UK. In this role, she leads a coalition of over 70 member companies and counting dedicated to connecting refugees to jobs across the UK through hiring, training, and mentorship. Prior to Tent, she worked within the international development sector for 15 years, focusing on partnership management and leading the implementation of strategic transformation initiatives. Jen has also worked at several global organizations, including Save the Children, Amref Health Africa, and Accenture. She has also volunteered for nonprofits that provide direct services and support to refugees. 

In addition to being a qualified transformational coach, Jen has a B.Sc. in Social Psychology from Loughborough University (UK), and an M.Sc. in Occupational Psychology from Nottingham University.

Yaron joined Tent in 2018 and currently serves as the Director for Tent U.S. In this role, he leads a team working with the over 200 member companies and counting in the Tent U.S. coalition to connect refugees to jobs through hiring, training, and mentorship. Prior to Tent, he worked at Deloitte in a consulting and public policy role focused on projects related to corruption, youth unemployment, and immigration. He also previously worked for a member of the UK Parliament, at a public affairs consultancy, and served as a blogger at the Huffington Post.

Yaron has a BA in International Studies and History from Yale University and a MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He is a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2024, Yaron was selected as one of New York’s top 50 LGBTQ+ leaders by City & State.

Matt is the Director of Business Research & Best Practices, overseeing the development of Tent’s deep library of guidebooks, business research, best practices, and other exclusive resources that help companies hire, train, and mentor refugees. Prior to Tent, Matt worked at The Daily Telegraph newspaper in the U.K. His responsibilities ranged from editorial, as Small Business Editor, to audience strategy, as Digital and Communities Editor for the Business & Money section. Matt has spent the majority of his career working in journalism, including at The Guardian. Matt has a B.A. in Medieval and Modern History from the University of Birmingham (UK).

Gabriela is the Director of Communications for the Americas at Tent, where she leads media strategy, thought leadership, and events across the region. Before joining Tent, Gabriela led public relations at Choice Hotels International, where she guided corporate communications across its extended stay portfolio, marketing, sustainability, and technology. Previously, she spent nearly seven years in a leadership role at the national office of the American Civil Liberties Union, overseeing high-impact communications campaigns to advance civil rights litigation and advocacy. Earlier in her career, Gabriela worked at the public affairs firm SKDKnickerbocker and began her professional journey at The Washington Post’s Style section. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Communication and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from American University.

Philip is the Director of Communications for Europe, where he oversees Tent’s communications, thought leadership, and events across the region. Prior to Tent, he worked as Head of Public and Media Relations at Euronews, an international news channel based in France that is broadcast in 160 countries. He previously worked at the European Parliament in Brussels for six years. From there, he moved to London for three years, working first at The Prince’s Trust – a charity founded by Prince Charles that supports disadvantaged young people – then at the BBC. Philip has an L.L.B. in English and French Law from the University of Exeter (UK) and an L.L.M. in Law of the European Union and WTO from the University of Rennes (France).

Crissy is the Director of Global Brand Marketing at Tent, where she oversees Tent’s global marketing efforts across the Americas and Europe. Prior to Tent, Crissy worked at global humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger as their Senior Development Officer. In this role she was responsible for fundraising, event planning, and organizing field visits to mission offices. Crissy has a BA in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University.

Laura is the Director of Hiring Solutions, overseeing a team across the Americas and Europe that focuses on implementing and improving hiring solutions to help Tent member companies connect more refugees to jobs. Prior to Tent, she led global product partnerships at Indeed, helping 30 million people facing bias and barriers get hired by 2030. Prior to Indeed, she worked at B Lab Global, the non-profit behind Certified B Corps, where she held roles in global innovation and strategic growth. Before that, she led B Lab’s launch in Colombia as Executive Director of Sistema B. Earlier in her career, she led entrepreneur search & selection at Endeavor Chile, and was a researcher at Harvard Business School. 

Laura has an M.A. in International Business and Policy from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in Economics and International Global Studies from Brandeis University, where she was awarded the Wien International Scholarship.

Sofía is the Director of Operations, overseeing multiple functions at Tent including People Operations and Finance. In her role, her focus is on building and fostering a most engaged, effective, and efficient team across the Americas and Europe. Prior to Tent, Sofía served as HR Deputy Director at Aeromexico, where she led the People agenda across 20 countries and seven commercial functions, as well as talent exchange programs with Delta Airlines. She also held various HR Business Partner and Talent Management roles at PepsiCo, where she earned multiple awards, including “Behaviors Role Model,” “PMF Awards,” and “HR Talent Summit,” among others. Sofía has also contributed to social impact projects focused on inclusion and education in Mexico, South Africa, and Vietnam. In 2021, she participated in the LSE-Santander “Women Emerging Leaders” program, which recognized and developed female leaders from diverse countries.

She holds an MSc in Development Studies from The London School of Economics, where she focused her studies on forced migration, refugees, gender, and labor markets. Additionally, she graduated with honors with a B.A. in Financial Management from ITESM, receiving an academic excellence scholarship. Sofía is also a trained development coach, by the Co-Active Training Institute.

Ileana Cruz-Marden is the Director of Partnerships, overseeing Tent’s private and public sector partnerships strategy across the Americas and Europe. Prior to Tent, Ileana worked with the City Resilience Delivery Team at 100 Resilient Cities to develop and implement a disaster reliance strategy for Puerto Rico, following the devastation left by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Previously, she also worked at USA for UNHCR as Project Coordinator for the Partnership for Refugees initiative and at the U.S. Supreme Court as Special Aide to Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. 

Ileana has a Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and a BA in Political Science from the University of Puerto Rico, where she was a Gates and Truman Scholar.

Jenni Gargano is the Chief of Staff at Tent. Prior to Tent, Jenni worked at the International Rescue Committee in a fundraising project management role. She also previously worked in undergraduate university admissions, where she led on diversity pipeline and recruitment initiatives, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica. Jenni has a BA in History and Government from Dartmouth College and a MA from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she focused on refugee and migration services, human security, and nonprofit leadership.