Erika provides technical advice and leadership to SDDirect’s work on gender-based violence (GBV). She has over twenty years of experience of working on social development. Erika has produced research and knowledge products for a range of UN agencies, bilateral donors, development finance institutions and international NGOs.
She is Technical Director of the Ending Violence against Women and Children Helpdesk - a research and advice service for the UK government. Prior to this, Erika led the Violence against Women and Girls Helpdesk for over seven years and provided research inputs to the What Works to Prevent Violence global research programme. She is also the author of global guidance on school-related GBV for UNESCO and UN Women, on preventing violence for UN Women and the World Health Organisation, and on violence and harassment in the workplace for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Finance Corporation, and CDC group.
Erika has a PhD in geography from the University of London. Her thesis was on social capital in the Caribbean, which led to a two-year research project for the UK Department for International Development on social capital and violence in South Africa and Sri Lanka.
Outside of work, Erika is (slowly!) writing a book about a relative who was a famous bank robber. She enjoys barre and swimming.
