Our Staff
Leadership
Executive Director
Melanie has been at Justice Centre since 2015 and is responsible for Justice Centre’s fundraising strategy as well as running the Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize.
Executive Director
Life at JC
- Overall responsibility for Justice Centre’s work to challenge inequality, and ensuring this work is sustainable, including through innovative platforms such as the Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize, which brings difficult conversations to a more accessible forum
Life Pre-JC
- Over 10 years in management, finance and fundraising, including bringing a human rights focus by looking at sustainability of investments and sitting on the steering committee of a multi-year Asia-wide project to challenge modern slavery
- Previous role before joining Justice Centre in 2015 was as COO of Asia-Pacific Fundraising for Macquarie Group’s investment funds.
Life Beyond JC
- Studying for a Masters in International Development with SOAS, University of London. What little time is left is spent cooking (and eating!) and spending as much time outdoors and hiking as possible
Finance and Operations Manager
Jessica acquired her accountancy qualifications in Hong Kong and became a CPA in 2011. She has worked in different sizes enterprises, from SMEs to larger corporates such as BNP Paribas and Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
Finance and Operations Manager
Life at JC
- Making sure the financial operation of JC runs smoothly and effectively by providing transparency. I also aim to be available and to provide any support I could in all forms of operations and I’m a proud working mom!
Life Pre-JC
- Certified Public Accountant, worked at various corporates such as BNP Paribas and Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
Life Outside JC
- Movie lover; Animal lover
Head of Legal Services
Isaac Shaffer is a UK qualified lawyer with over a decade’s experience of directly representing asylum seekers and refugees before Courts and Tribunals.
Head of Legal Services
Life at JC
- Responsible for supervising and managing Justice Centre’s legal work, and particularly the organizations support of strategic litigation to help improve the rights and protections in HK.
Life Pre-JC
- Over 10 years working as a lawyer on public interest and human rights litigation.
Life Outside JC
- Reading as much as I can and listening to as much music as possible. Walking and running. Learning about wildlife and plants.
Staff Team
Executive Assistant
Life at JC
- Hazel mainly provides administrative support in Justice Centre. She is very happy to be part of the Justice Centre family.
Life Pre-JC
- Hazel used to work in the administrative aspect for companies of varies sizes before joining Justice Centre.
Life Outside JC
- Hazel has a son who keeps her very busy with his plenty of questions.
Development Manager
Maggie holds a bachelor degree in Fine Arts and Translation from The University of Hong Kong and an Executive Certificate of CSR from HKU Space.
Development Manager
Life at JC
- Soliciting like-minded organizations to support our vision and work through grants
- Work with the programmes team to ensure our institutional donors are well aware of how their support translates into lifesaving actions for our clients.
Life Pre JC
- Building connections between corporations and non-profit sector to build a better world for children for a decade
- Spent four years in Singapore helping to build their non-profit sector capacity and supported the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (and having fun in Singaland!)
Life Outside JC
- Catch me at Stanley Main Beach on weekends, 50% chance that I will be on a dragon boat enduring the training under the sun (or rain).
- At other times, find me at any interest class, cafes or outside Hong Kong.
Advocacy and Communications Officer
Life at JC
- Responsible for managing the production of all communications, marketing and media strategies and products to realise Justice Centre’s mission.
- Responsible for a wide range of advocacy initiative in support of Justice Centre’s policy agenda
Life Pre-JC
- Specialising in International relations, Preston holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences with a minor in Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Hong Kong. He visited the school of Diplomacy and Political Science at Yonsei University, Korea for his overseas exchange programme, and served UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in HK as Protection Intern during his university education. Preston was also a Mini-Pupil at Temple Chambers and Alan Leong SC’s Chambers.
- Upon graduation, Preston spent a year at Goldman Sachs on a project management role supporting the leading global investment bank’s in-house business development.
Life Outside JC
- Hiking; Spending time in Haruki Murakami’s fictional worlds.
- Baking is a new challenge.
Justice Fellow (Development and Communications)
Davea recently graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor's Degree of Social Sciences in Global Studies, majoring in World Politics and International Relations. Before joining Justice Centre, Davea has worked as an intern in the Fair Employment Agency, an NGO dedicated to ending forced labor of migrant domestic workers.
Justice Fellow (Development and Communications)
Life at JC
- Assist the ongoing business development project to formulate sustainable and strategic youth engagement plans, with the aim to nurture the next generations of human rights defenders.
- Execute marketing and donor communications to partners, donors and the public, promoting the core values and dedicated work of Justice Centre in a professional way.
Life Pre-JC
- Recently graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor’s Degree of Social Sciences in Global Studies, majoring in World Politics and International Relations.
- Before joining Justice Centre, Davea has worked as an intern in the Fair Employment Agency, an NGO dedicated to ending forced labor of migrant domestic workers, and was also a member of the Amnesty International Club at CUHK.
Life Beyond JC
- Bonding with my newly adopted kitten, exploring hidden gems in HK, hiking and last but not least a full-time foodie.
Research and Policy Officer
Life at JC
- Advancing human rights in Hong Kong through Justice Centre’s policy and advocacy work.
Life Pre JC
- Working various odd jobs whilst pursing my tertiary education from the University of Hong Kong with a double degree in Literature and Law.
Life Outside JC
- Hiking, reading, snuggling with my dog.
Justice Fellow (Policy, Research and Advocacy)
Life at JC
- Assisting in any research and advocacy work that advances human rights in Hong Kong.
Life Pre-JC
- Working at different organisations to advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable.
Life Outside JC
- Snuggling with my dog, and enjoying a good documentary.
Legal Officer (Clinics)
Annie has a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Government and Laws) degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Hong Kong, including an exchange year at Sciences Po Paris.
Legal Officer (Clinics)
Life at JC
- Oversees our diverse Clinical Legal Education programmes, training the next generation of human rights lawyers.
- Provides information and support to forced migrants and lawyers navigating the process of seeking protection in Hong Kong.
Life Pre-JC
- Worked in private practice in the UK, holding the government to account by representing migrants and children on a variety of legal matters, before joining Coram, the UK’s oldest children’s charity.
- Managed the outreach programme for the migration team in Coram Children’s Legal Centre, delivering legal advice to vulnerable migrant families and young people.
Life Outside JC
- Strapping her toddler to her back and exploring Hong Kong one trail at a time!
Legal Officer
Life at JC
- Responsible for providing legal services to asylum claimants and torture victims, guiding them through the Unified Screening Mechanism (USM) process in Hong Kong and liaising with outside professionals to ensure a strong case is brought forward.
Life Pre-JC
- Over a decade working as a US and Irish immigration lawyer, handling corporate, family and humanitarian matters. Spent a year and a half working on a bonded labour abolition project in South Asia.
Life Outside JC
- Discovering new beaches in Hong Kong, eating dim sum and trying to communicate in broken Chinese.
Justice Fellow
Life at JC
- Jenny is a part of the legal team at Justice Centre. She works directly with clients, assisting where ever possible whilst liaising with Pro Bono parties to ensure the clients get the very best representation.
Life Pre-JC
- Started legal career by working as a Research Assistant at a Barrister’s Chambers
- For around 3 years, worked at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, as an Associate to a number of decision makers.
Life Outside JC
- Jenny also has a degree in Art History, she enjoys creating art, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Welfare Officer
Pritika is a law graduate from India and post graduate (LLM) in Corporate and Finance laws from The University of Hong Kong.
Welfare Officer
Life at JC
- Assist our clients for their basic needs around health, housing, education, income support and general well-being to help them build a normal life and assimilation in society
- Collaborate with other like-minded individuals and organizations to support our clients
Life Pre-JC
- Over 7 years of experience working as Legal Manager for Union Bank of India, India.
- Graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Indian Law Society’s Law College, Pune, India and Master’s degree (LLM in Corporate & Finance Laws) from The University of Hong Kong.
Life Beyond JC
- Exploring art work by way of bottle painting, sketches and drawings, reading fiction books and listening to music.
- Explore different places for food and travel.
Legal Services Coordinator
Life at JC
- Responsible for providing administrative, legal coordination and support for Legal Services team to ensure services are provided professionally and efficiently.
Life Pre-JC
- Prior to Justice Centre, Katherine volunteered at Citizens Advice Bureau and a Law Centre in London. She also spent 3 years working in the food services whilst pursuing her Law degree.
Life Outside JC
- Outside of work Katherine enjoys playing tennis and hiking.
Legal Casework Volunteer
Magdalen is working as a Legal Casework Volunteer at Justice Centre Hong Kong for at least 6 months. She is learning so much every day at work and hopefully this will prepare her for her future career in the human rights field.
Legal Casework Volunteer
Life at JC
- Responsible for providing legal services to asylum claimants and reviewing their cases.
Life Pre-JC
- Studied Arts and Law (double degree) at the University of Hong Kong and have recently completed PCLL. Worked as an intern at Amnesty International Hong Kong during summer of 2018.
Life Beyond JC
- Loves reading, writing, creating art and café-hopping. Always eager to learn. Spends time with family and close friends.
Legal Casework Volunteer
Saloni’s academic interest in law along with her passion for human rights, particularly in migrant and child protection led her to Justice Centre. She hopes to learn from leading professionals in refugee law at Justice Centre Hong Kong and embark on a legal career going forward.
Legal Casework Volunteer
Life at JC
- Conduct interviews with claimants, prepare legal and factual research including country of origin, and write interview and research-based reports.
- Assist with the coordination of intake and referrals for new and existing clients.
Life Pre-JC
- Saloni has worked in the fields of banking, business, start-up investments, and entrepreneurship.
Life Beyond JC
- Iyengar yoga, reading, traveling and learning about life through the lens of two teenagers.
Join the Team!
If you have the passion and skills, consider working with us and make a better, fairer and more just society in Hong Kong. We have paid positions and volunteer opportunities available now.