Our People
Hong Kong Board Directors
Alex Misseri, Chairperson
Alex has been devoted to building digital businesses and experiences for the past 13 years. First in Shanghai, where he founded an eCommerce startup, grew the online revenues of a female fashion group and built the omnichannel commerce practice of a global digital agency. He then moved to Hong Kong to head up the digital transformation of Bluebell, a distributor of premium and luxury brands in Asia. In this role, Alex designed the digital strategy of the group and supported its local business units in the development of the skills and ecosystem required to increase the online presence and sales of their brands.
Alex was looking for an opportunity to put his experience at the service of a cause and an organisation he cared about. Being a father of three, Alex is moved by the stories of all the domestic workers, including his, whose children are raised by their parents back at home. So when he met Marie (Uplifters’ Founder), they instantly saw the opportunity to put his digital skills at the service of Uplifters’ growth.
Sujata Ramakrishna, Treasurer
Having personally benefited from access to both education and career opportunities, Sujata believes ‘access’ to be a powerful game-changer in someone’s life. She was drawn to Uplifters given its ability to provide access to education and life skills through fit for purpose, scalable programs that enable disadvantaged women the opportunity to impact their lives positively.
Sujata has held senior positions in Marketing, General Management and Inclusive Business for over 10 years and has successfully led teams through integration, the financial crisis and through organizational change. Sujata sat on the APAC Leadership Team for both the Chemicals – Polyurethanes and Consumer HealthCare businesses at a Fortune 500 company.
She is passionate about working in and supporting purpose-driven businesses in both the profit and not for profit sectors and in providing thought leadership in the area of Diversity & Inclusion.
Romain Di Meglio, Director
Romain is the regional CEO of APRIL for Asia-Pacific. With over 3,800 staff in 28 countries, APRIL is the largest wholesale insurance broker in the world. Romain has more than 10 years experience in mergers and acquisitions, finance and negotiations.
He got involved with Uplifters as it was the only way to have a conversation with Marie (Uplifters Founder and Romain’s wife) over dinner. Coming from a family where education and equity are critical, the project quickly grew on him. He is now supporting Uplifters on strategy and finance.
St. John Flaherty, Director
St. John is an English and Hong Kong solicitor. He has spent most of his working life in Asia, principally in Hong Kong. He retired as a partner in Slaughter and May in 2007. From then until 2022, he was an adviser to the Swire group in Hong Kong. He is a director of the Hong Kong Club’s charitable foundation, through which he got to know and admire the work of Uplifters.
SINGAPORE Board Directors
Uplifters (Singapore) Limited was registered in Singapore as a company limited by guarantee on April 15, 2024, with the same charitable mission as Uplifters Limited in Hong Kong.
It has three Board Directors:
- Sujata Ramakrishna
- St. John Flaherty
- Zhihan Lee
Sujata Ramakrishna and St. John Flaherty are Board Directors of Uplifters (Singapore) Limited and also serve as Board Directors of our Hong Kong-registered charity, Uplifters Limited.
Zhihan Lee, Director
Zhihan is the co-founder and Group CEO of BagoSphere, a school that develops frontline workers with mindsets, skills & human capabilities. Before BagoSphere, he worked at a medical-tech start-up in Stockholm and ventured into rural India to work with a social enterprise involved in rural IT outsourcing. Zhihan is an Ashoka Fellow, leadership coach and enjoys exploring vegetarian food around the world. He joined Uplifters because of its mission to democratize continuing education for migrant domestic workers, which he thinks is key to upending the cycle of poverty.
our core team
Marie Kretz Di Meglio, Founder
Marie has extensive experience in education. Prior to founding Uplifters, she ran an online learning centre in France and worked at Aidha in Singapore, an NGO providing financial education to domestic workers. Uplifters is based on her knowledge of domestic workers’ issues and the best techniques to teach online. She created Uplifters because she found it unfair that despite their sacrifices, most domestic workers go back home in the same situation or worse off than when they arrived abroad. She believes this is a solvable issue thanks to online tools combined with the power of community support.
Asnah Subian, Head of Programmes and Development
Asnah is experienced working in the nonprofit and IGO sectors in Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. She is familiar with the issues that are faced by migrant workers in Hong Kong through her experience at Fair Employment Agency where she was part of a team involved in providing ethical employment for migrant workers coming to Hong Kong. Asnah joined Uplifters as she believes education is a crucial tool in being able to empower marginalised communities. She believes that given the right tools and an amazing community, migration can be made very successful.
Risma Farhanah, Programmes Manager
Risma is a qualified Indonesian Language Teacher who moved to Hong Kong in 2023. She is very sensitive to the challenges faced by Migrant Domestic Workers. She joined Uplifters as she believes she can make a difference in her community.
Felice Halse, Programmes Manager
Felice has over 16 years’ experience working for The Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and government departments in Australia, as a social worker and lawyer. She has experience working with victims’ of trafficking and slavery-like conditions, asylum seekers and refugee families, migrants being held in immigration detention centres and migrants from war zones. These roles have made her sensitive to the challenges and hardships that many migrants face. Felice is committed to empowering migrant women through education, giving them tools and knowledge to meet the challenges they face and create a brighter future.
Nisha Bates, Programmes Content Manager
Nisha has experience working with nonprofits in Hong Kong and Singapore. She specialises in creating educational content for migrant domestic workers to inform, educate, and support them to ensure their successful migration journey. Nisha is naturally altruistic and uses empathy to connect with people from diverse backgrounds. She is committed to advocating for underprivileged women.
Jessie M, Programmes Consultant
Jessie is an enthusiastic Indonesian Language Teacher who has a deep passion for writing. She wholeheartedly believes in the transformative power of words to inspire, motivate, and shape our society for the better. With the conviction that everyone has the potential to reach their dreams with the right resources and support, Jessie joined Uplifters as a consultant fuelled by her unwavering desire to make a positive impact in her community. For her, education is not just important; it’s the vital key to unlocking a brighter future for all.
Graciane Albin, Development and Partnerships Consultant
Graciane is an international lawyer with a strong passion for social impact initiatives. She brings valuable experience from her work with international NGOs in both France and Singapore. Motivated by her belief that education is the most powerful tool to break the cycle of poverty, Graciane was inspired to join Uplifters.
She admires Uplifters’ holistic approach, which empowers migrant domestic workers with essential skills to help them plan for a brighter future. Graciane firmly believes that collaboration and partnership are key to driving sustainable change.
Adrien Guerrero, Development and Partnerships Volunteer
With 15 years of experience in the legal and finance industry, Adrien brings strategic insight to his role at Uplifters. Inspired by parents who volunteer with Secours Populaire and are teaching classes to prisoners to uplift their education, he has a deep commitment to social impact.
Inspired by Uplifters’ commitment to financial literacy, mental well-being, and personal development, he leverages his expertise and network to support migrant domestic workers in achieving lasting positive change.
Adrien is currently taking a career break and is actively championing initiatives that empower underrepresented communities during his free time.
To guarantee the impact and scalability of our programmes, our community is at the center of all we do. Beneficiaries can volunteer to take an active role in the community and participate in programme design, outreach, and delivery. Our most experienced beneficiaries volunteer as ‘Mentors’ and join our ‘Core Team’ along with our staff and other ongoing volunteers. Core Team Members have one monthly meeting to discuss Uplifters’ progress and decide on new initiatives. They also review the content of every new course we release.
Herlyn Gargavite Banaban, Mentor
Nelie Bautista, Mentor
Mary Anne Casamina, Mentor
Aljen Dela Cruz, Mentor
Yulia Endang, Mentor
Liz Natividad, Mentor
Evelyn Obillo, Mentor
Syarifitriyah Rahmani, Mentor
Ailenmae Ramos, Mentor
Charo Sidon, Mentor
Janelyn Vergara, Mentor
Melanie Villar, Mentor
our other community volunteers
Team Leaders
Team Leaders are Uplifters’ alumni volunteering their time to support new students.
- Gold Team Leaders have facilitated at least 5 sessions of our online courses.
- Diamond Team Leaders have facilitated at least 10 sessions of our online courses.
Here is the list of our active Team Leaders as of January 2024.
Hong Kong
Diamond Team Leaders
- Divina Dela Rosa
- Melnora Larios
Gold Team Leaders
- Arlene Madayag Cortel
- Eliza Gacad
- Lienary Murillo
- Lorna Datario
- Maria Nemy Lou Rocio
- Ruqyah Mahmood
- Nancy Merillies
Team Leaders
- Ivy Calagday
- Jannel Basing-at
- Ludeliet Tariga
- Mary Rose Rusco Alcalde
- Rosemarie Molato
- Rosinne Redoblado
- Shiela Sarzona
- Divina Orpilla
Singapore
Diamond Team Leaders
- Ayu Candi Sari
- Cecilia Butaya
- Cristina Belingon V.
- Elsie Calumpiano
- Julie Ann Tabigne
- Marie Joy Pugrad
- Mary Grace Basilia
- Maylene Maylas
- Mercha Garcia Ramirez
- Nimfa Encio
- Rema Tablac
- Rhealyn Nudalo Luchar
- Stephanie Raciles
- Supinah Mulyono
Gold Team Leaders
- Agnes Bargo
- Gerilita Garciso
- Jocelyn Rosario
- Mercedes De Jesus
- Recca B. Sumogat
- Rushell Bosmeon
Team Leaders
- Angelina Yatar Cuaresma
- Irene P. Terrado
- Jenelyn Leyble
- Joenita Tamo
- Mary Joy Gapan
- Rosemarie Espanola
Alumni Social Media Correspondents
They are alumni who have also volunteered as moderators and content creators for our Facebook Group Uplift Your Life.
- Ailenemae Ramos
- Angelina Yatar Cuaresma
- Rushell Bosmeon
- Aljen Dela Cruz
- Julie Ann Tabigne
- Arlene Madayag Cortel
- Jenelyn Leyble
- Charo Sidon
- Melnora P. Lario
- Syarifitriyah Rahmani
- Yulia Endang
- Supinah Mulyono
- Elly Safitri
- Sarinah
Uplifters Clubs Organising committee members
Uplifters Clubs community-led neighborhood groups led by Uplifters Team Leaders. They build our participants together, foster a stronger sense of community and deepen the online course experience through in-person activities.
Angels of Singapore Uplifters Club- Charo Sidon, Nimfa Encio, Cristina Belingo, Rushell Bosmeon, Evelyn Obilio
Power Vision Uplifters Club- Melnora Larios, Ruqyah Mamood, Aljen Dela Cruz, Melanie Villar
The Dream Chasers Uplifters Club- Jenelyn Leyble, Ayu Candi Sari, Julie Ann Tabigne, Cecilia Butaya, Janelyn Dupingay
Golden Eagles Uplifters Club- Arlene Madayag Cortel, Nancy Merilles, Eliza Gacad, Ailenemae Ramos
Happy Hearts Uplifters Club- Maria Nemy Lou Rocio, Melnora Larios, Divina Molina, Anne Marie Casamina
Make a donation
Make sure your gift to Uplifters goes directly to where it’s most needed, without delay, with a secure online donation.