Representative to the United Nations as Chief Executive Officer
Alison Brown is a committed feminist, researcher, women’s historian, and writer with a lifelong dedication to advancing women’s rights. A member of the International Alliance of Women (IAW) for over 30 years, she has played pivotal roles in shaping the organization’s advocacy and global outreach. She represented IAW at the UN Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993 and participated in a session of the International Labour Organization.
Alison served as Secretary General from 2002 to 2007 and co-organized and moderated IAW’s Centennial Celebration in Berlin in 2004. From 2004 to 2010, she was Head of Delegation to the United Nations in Vienna, advocating for women’s human rights on an international stage. Between 2002 and 2013, she managed the organization’s web content at womenalliance.org, ensuring its global presence and accessibility. From 2010 to 2020, she led the IAW Election Committee, overseeing transparent and democratic processes.
Elected IAW President for 2022–2025 and re-elected for 2025–2028, Alison continues to guide the organization with vision and dedication, championing gender equality and the empowerment of women worldwide. Her work reflects a lifelong commitment to feminist scholarship, activism, and global advocacy.
Representative to the United Nations as Chief Administrative Officer
Antonia Lavine is a lawyer with over 20-year experience in criminal prosecution, litigation, and oversight. She holds a J.D. from Sofia State University Kliment Ohridski and Master of Laws in International Legal Studies and United States Legal Studies from the San Francisco Golden Gate University School of Law.
As a public prosecutor, chief judicial inspector and criminal law expert in Europe, she specialised in law enforcement, justice reform and legislative action. With law degrees in both the civil and common law legal systems, Antonia is consulted regularly for her comparative and international law expertise and has served on numerous government, UN, and NGO-sponsored projects. She has directly contributed to drafting various pieces of domestic and international legislation, including the European Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, and served for several years as an appointed expert on the European Union’s Group of Experts on Trafficking in Human Beings.
In her current positions as Director of the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking, Secretary General of the International Alliance of Women, and Executive Director of the National Council of Jewish Women San Francisco, Antonia utilises her legal expertise and project management skills in cross collaboration, policy reform and advocacy action.
Andrea Carlise is an attorney with 35 years of legal experience. As corporate counsel for Old Republic Title, she provides legal advice and counsel to the company’s Western Title Division. She spent over 25 years in civil litigation, specializing in employment law. Prior to working for Old Republic Title, she worked as the Executive Director of the International Action Network for Gender Equity & Law.
In addition to serving as IAW’s Treasurer, Andrea serves on the board of the National Council of Jewish Women – San Francisco. She is a fierce and passionate advocate for gender equity, diversity, and inclusion. Andrea is a past president of both the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations (NCWBA) and California Women Lawyers. She was the NCWBA’s Liaison to the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession, co-chairing its sexual harassment committee. She served on the board of Queen’s Bench Bar Association of the San Francisco Bay Area, and received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. Andrea is also a past president of her local Girls Inc., which is empowering girls through educational and community programming.
Artemis Westenberg is a Dutch lobbyist and negotiator. She holds an M.A. in History, & in Islam, with International Relations as a minor, from Leiden University. She is an expert on women’s political rights – a veracious fighter and speaker.
As President of Dutch Association for Women’s Interests, Women’s Work and Equal Citizenship, one of the founding members of the IAW in 1904, Artemis is very vocal about what women need to be that equal citizen.
Artemis cannot stand discrimination of any kind. Each one of us has the right to have a life without the impediments of bias dictating what those lives should be.
At present Artemis fights for women’s health in peri/post-menopause. Like abortion, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy including Testosterone should be offered to women, who then can decide whether this is the route they need, or not.
Next to that Artemis ensured at the CSW69 that in 2026 ‘Older Women’ are a focal point for the UN, next to the years theme of ‘Access to Justice for all Women and Girls’, as for 30 years (after Beijing) Older Women have been a completely forgotten part of humanity, making women over 50 suffer needlessly in all factors of live.
Manju Kak has been a development journalist, television commentator, media advocate (Whose Media? A Woman’s Space), author, and champion of women’s rights, serving as Hon. Secretary General of the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) – India’s largest NGO, founded in 1927.
With 27 years in the voluntary sector, she advances justice, peace and gender equality through grassroots projects, national seminars and international forums, including as former Vice President of the International Alliance of Women and Convener of its Peace Commission.
Her literary works include short fiction collections like First Light in Colonelpura, Requiem for an Unsung Revolutionary and Just One Life, alongside Ph.D.-rooted books on Himalayan art and culture, such as In the Shadow of the Devi.
Dr Meenakshi Kumar is an Indian Gender Studies scholar, author, and social activist with over two decades of multidisciplinary experience in women’s empowerment, social development, and communication for change. She holds an Honorary Doctorate in Literature and a PhD in Gender Studies from IGNOU, supported by academic qualifications in Finance and Business Management from Delhi University and Symbiosis.
A Lifetime Member of the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC), Meenakshi has served in key leadership roles, including Honorary Secretary, Editorial Advisor, and Editor of ROSHNI, the organisation’s flagship quarterly. Her work has centred on gender mainstreaming, climate action, women’s health, and peacebuilding.
Meenakshi is the published author of three books – Everyday Vegetarian Cooking, In the Game of Love: one step forward two steps back and Kaleidoscope – and has been featured nationally and internationally for her contributions to social transformation. Meenakshi is also the Founder of WORD(s) MATTER, a communication initiative. Dive in more on her website: www.wordsmatters.in
Dr. Sibylle von Heydebrand is a Swiss lawyer, having studied in Geneva and Basel and holding a PhD in Law from the University of Basel. She is a recognized expert on political rights and an experienced lecturer. In November 2024, she was honored with the Outstanding Leadership Icon Award at the House of Lords in London.
Sibylle has been an active leader within the International Alliance of Women (IAW), elected to its Board in 2022 and serving since 2024 as Executive Vice President. She represents the IAW as its main representative to the United Nations in Geneva, and as its representative to UNESCO in Paris. She acted as head of delegation to the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York (2023–2025). She also represents IAW at the NGO CSW Geneva and serves as its financial auditor.
Passionate about advancing gender equality, Sibylle works to strengthen the role of women and girls in society and to highlight the importance of women’s contributions to political and civic life. She is especially committed to raising the visibility of the International Alliance of Women, amplifying the voices of its younger members, and preparing the organization for the future by modernizing its communication and structure.
Simge Simsek is a Swiss lawyer and graduate of the University of Basel. She serves as an Alternate Representative of the International Alliance of Women (IAW) at the United Nations in Geneva, contributing to the Human Rights Team since 2023.
Within IAW, Simge is involved in organisational development and leads the Task Force on Job & Process Descriptions. In 2025, she was elected to the IAW Board, where she brings a younger perspective and supports efforts to strengthen structures and foster intergenerational collaboration.
Her professional experience spans the pharmaceutical industry, public administration, and private legal practice. She has worked in Corporate Functions at a global pharmaceutical company, at the Tax Administration Basel-Country, and in a Swiss law firm, gaining broad exposure to governance, legal analysis, and advisory work.
Simge’s areas of interest include women’s economic rights, workplace equality, digitalisation, and labour law. She aims to combine her legal background with international engagement to advance gender equality and support effective human rights advocacy.
