Zia Kandler is a security risk management consultant at Open Briefing. She is a social justice organiser and facilitator with extensive experience supporting frontline and grassroots communities to assess and mitigate risk. Before joining Open Briefing, she was the safety and protection officer for Peace Brigades International’s Colombia project and coordinated the digital security laboratory at Fundación Karisma. She has also served as an international human rights accompanier in Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia. Originally from the United States, Zia is now based in Colombia and speaks English and Spanish.

Jean-Jacques Schwenzfeier (JJ) is a security risk management consultant at Open Briefing. He has over 20 years of experience supporting environmental and human rights defenders at risk across more than 40 countries. JJ has worked with several international organisations protecting activists and facilitating investigations in high-risk areas, including as an international actions and logistics coordinator for Greenpeace International. He holds a master’s degree in international relations and certifications in international and regional security, security management, and personal safety and security. Based in Thailand, he speaks English, German, Spanish, and French.

Araba Cole is a security risk management consultant at Open Briefing. Araba has worked in some of the world’s most dynamic and challenging environments, including Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine, and Ethiopia, as well as in strategic and leadership roles across Europe. After serving in the Royal Engineers, she spent eight years in the humanitarian sector, including as global director of safety and security for the International Rescue Committee and a roving security adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council. Now based in the United Kingdom, she has helped organisations of all sizes strengthen their security and resilience while keeping their people safe.

Sandra Elvin is a security risk management consultant at Open Briefing. Sandra was previously the overseas safety and security manager for the US Institute of Peace. She complements her risk management expertise with a strong background in conservation, wildlife management, and expedition leadership, including with the National Geographic Society and the Environmental Investigation Agency. Sandra holds a doctorate in environmental studies, a master’s in marine management, and a graduate certificate in conservation criminology. She speaks English and French.

Gael Leopold is a security risk management consultant at Open Briefing. Gael worked in country director and programme roles in international NGOs for nearly a decade, including with Première Urgence Internationale, WWF International, and ACTED in Chad, Palestine, Lebanon, Haiti, Afghanistan, and Fiji. He was also previously the executive director of Toilettes du Monde and the Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation. After three years in Palestine, Gael returned to France and now provides security consultancy and personal security training (HEAT) to NGOs in the humanitarian, development, and human rights sectors. He is fluent in French, English, and Spanish. 

Renata Oliveira is a safety and security coordinator at Open Briefing. Renata has a decade of professional experience working with human rights defenders at risk in Latin America and, more recently, in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. She was Oxfam’s security coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean for four years and subsequently provided security support to Oxfam’s operations in northern Mozambique. She has worked as a consultant for the UN Human Rights Office and Front Line Defenders and provided international protective accompaniment to human rights defenders at risk in Mexico with Peace Brigades International. Renata is a lawyer by training and holds a master’s degree in international law and international relations. She speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

Shaun Martinez is a security risk management consultant at Open Briefing. Shaun has over 20 years’ experience working on the safety and security of human rights defenders and activists and supporting the victims of human rights violations. He has a keen interest in the rights of marginalised defenders and activists, including LGBTIQ+ activists, sex workers, women’s rights activists, and disability rights activists, and where these discriminations intersect with race and poverty to create even greater challenges. Shaun has worked with organisations across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. He has worked for the UN, the EU, and the International Commission of Jurists. And he has provided international protective accompaniment to human rights defenders in Colombia and Nepal with Peace Brigades International. Shaun is a volunteer case worker for LGBTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers with Portsmouth City of Sanctuary.

Shaun is an independent consultant acting on Open Briefing’s behalf.