Lies is a Belgian-British Arabist with a passion for the Middle East and international development. She has lived and worked in Syria, Libya, Jordan and Lebanon, as well as Brussels and London.

Her nomadic career has included a wide variety of roles, across the not-for-profit, private and government sectors, but with a recurrent focus on education and delivering through partners for the more vulnerable. She has substantial professional experience in Business Development and Partnerships Management.

Lies started her professional life as a Belgian diplomat in Libya. In London, and subsequently in Jordan and Brussels, she worked for BBC Media Action focusing on the Middle East and Afghanistan. She supported UNRWA’s Director for Education in Jordan and worked with UNESCO in Lebanon. She continues to give her time to inspiring not-for-profits in the Levant and beyond, identifying support for their work in education, promotion of Arabic arts and culture, as well as conflict prevention and peace building.

Lies speaks English, French and Dutch and has been playing with Arabic for over 25 years.