Our Team

Chief Executive Officer

Massimiliano Montanari is an international civil servant who holds over eighteen years of experience in international affairs, diplomacy and social innovation. Prior to assuming his current role as ICSS Group CEO, Massimiliano served in various roles at the ICSS, including as Chief Executive Officer of the ICSS INSIGHT (2018-2020), Chief of Cabinet (2014 – 2016) and Executive Director of Save the Dream, a role he still holds. [read more]

Before joining the ICSS in 2012, Massimiliano spent twelve years working for different United Nations bodies, including the UNHCR, UNODC and UNICRI, as well as taking part in the UN Task Force addressing violent extremism, war crimes prosecution and security in post-conflict zones.

His most recent assignment at the UN was as Head of the Center on Public-Private Partnership for the Protection of Vulnerable Targets and the International Permanent Observatory on Major Events Security.

He holds a Master’s Degree in International Advanced Legal Studies, a University Degree in Political Sciences and a Postgraduate Degree in International Relations.

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Director, Sports Public Policy

Diogo, who also serves as the COO of ICSS INSIGHT, heads up ICSS’s initiatives in the fields of international cooperation, sports public policy, and EU affairs, including leading the ICSS delegation in Brussels. [read more] Before joining ICSS in 2014, he was the Chief of Cabinet of the Portuguese State Secretary for Sports and Youth.

As a lawyer specialising in intellectual property (IP) and international relations, he practised as a senior associate at a leading global law firm.

Previously he was a Parliamentary Assistant and Head of Cabinet in the European Parliament, and Chief of Staff of the Chairman of the Independent European Sports Review (IESR).

Diogo is an author of several articles and books on IP, sports integrity and sports law, and is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian.
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Director, Capacity Building and Executive Education

Dale, who is co-leading the ICSS Sport Integrity Unit, has over 35 years’ experience in international law enforcement with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, INTERPOL and the United Nations. [read more]

Dale served with the former Yugoslavia United Nations Peacekeeping Civilian Police, conducting war crimes investigations.

Dale was the first INTERPOL Director in Capacity Building and Training and he founded and chaired the INTERPOL Group of Experts. He also served as President of the Canadian Association of Police Educators.

Dale is a published historian and a freelance writer, co-editing ‘Police Organization and Training, Innovations in Research and Practice’, a collective effort of 13 different countries to promote best practices in investigational excellence. He also published ‘The History of Depot’, a national best seller. While at INTERPOL, Sheehan co-edited ‘Match-fixing in Sport, an International Collaboration.’ [/read]

Head, Sport Event Security

Steven has over 30 years of experience in law enforcement and major sporting events security planning and delivery, from both, a policing and an organising committee perspective. [read more]

He has significant experience in delivering high profile, large-scale security projects for major sporting events including the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Steven represented the UK Policing at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games and delivered the Safety and Security chapter for the 2010 London Host City bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. More recently, he delivered the Safety and Security Handbook for a global sporting governing body and regularly conducts security audits and assessments for major sports events both in Qatar and around the world. [/read]

Head, Safety and Security Training Development

Alain is a senior training professional with extensive international experience in a variety of industries including aerospace, defence, education, energy, healthcare, law enforcement, major events, safety, security and sports. [read more]

Alain has a proven track record for designing, developing and delivering bespoke training solutions that exceed client expectations, increase job knowledge, develop skills and influence behaviour. He has extensive knowledge in the fields of training development, instructional design, learning theories and technology. Alain is formally trained with a Master of Arts in Educational Technology from Concordia University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Bishop’s University. Alain fluently speaks English, French, Spanish and Dutch. [/read]

Senior Manager, Sport Integrity

Mallorie is based in Paris as a part of ICSS INSIGHT and works on various programs relating to sport integrity, education and capacity building. PhD in Private Law, author and co-author of several reference papers in the area, she authored a thesis on ‘The European harmonization on Online Gambling’ [read more]and has developed a consistent track-record and extensive knowledge on the treatment of various themes affecting sport integrity.

Mallorie has both theoretical and practical background, with vast experience throughout the missions conducted for UNESCO, and more recently, at ICSS, in UNESCO-ICSS’s Regional Project to Western Africa. As an international expert, she took part in the drafting of the renowned International Report ‘Fighting Against the Manipulation of Sports Competitions’ led by the Sorbonne, in the framework of the Sorbonne-ICSS Programme on Ethics and Sport Security, as well as in various ERASMUS+ projects.

An enthusiast for books, dance (modern and classic) and photography, Mallorie teaches at several universities and research centers and is the Head of the Sport Section of the French Association of Doctors in Law (AFDD). [/read]

Head, Research and Strategic Studies

With over 20 year’s international working experience, Magda de Lange currently leads research activities across different areas of ICSS work, including Health Security Interface, eSports, the security of major sporting events and sport as a tool to prevent violent extremism. [read more]

Her work in this area includes a research compendium of existing global, regional and local policies, frameworks, legislation and programmes aimed at making use of sport and its values as a tool to prevent violent extremism and analytical support for the UN Guide on the Security of Major Sporting Events: Promoting Sustainable Security and Legacies.

In 2021 she conducted a multicentric case study on the impact of COVID-19 on grassroots sports to inform the WHO Mass Gatherings Cell within its Health Emergencies Programme. She is currently leading research in the securitisation of health through the reconceptualisation of communicable disease and CBRN as security threats during the planning and hosting of Major Sporting Events.

Magda enjoys exploring sports as a social construct that changes as power relations, narratives, and discourse change. Her expertise lies in applying critical research methodologies within an interdisciplinary framework and suitable to conducting research within marginalized communities. 

Magda holds an MSSc in Interdisciplinary Child Studies, Linköping University, Sweden, an M.A. in Adult Learning and Global Change, Linköping University, Sweden, and a B.A. in Political Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa.

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Head, Finance and Accounting

Wael serves as the Head of Finance and Accounting at the ICSS and has over 12 years of experience in corporate finance and accounting. Wael’s experience also extends to corporate administration. [read more]

Throughout his career, Wael participated in establishing several private and semi-government companies, including setting and implementation of internal policies and procedures. Wael holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking, Finance and Customs from Beirut Arab University. [/read]

Senior Manager, Multi-dimensional Security

Carol has over 10 years of experience in international development. She has worked with different international organisations, particularly INTERPOL, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), [read more]

the United Nations children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), as well as with government agencies and international NGOs. She has been exposed to politically and socially challenging, post-conflict settings in countries such as Colombia, Kosovo and Laos.

This has provided her with the skills to adapt to different scenarios and support vulnerable groups from diverse ethnicities and social backgrounds. Carol has experience in designing and leading complex and multisectoral programmes to support, amongst others, child education, child protection, gender equality, sport for development, peace, security, and human rights.

She is fluent in four languages (Spanish, English, French and Portuguese), and has two Master’s Degrees in International Relations and Political Science. [/read]

Senior Officer, Save the Dream, Global Outreach

Shabnam started her professional career at Save the Dream in 2016 with responsibilities in the field of communications and social media. [read more]

She speaks four languages, Azerbaijani, Turkish, English, and Italian and has a Master’s Degree in International Communications from IULM University, Milan. Shabnam has experience in implementing and developing corporate and personal social media accounts, managing and promoting social media campaigns and she has an active influential personal Instagram account with 90.000 followers and a subscribable Snapchat account.

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Senior Manager, Legal Affairs

Nassim is a senior legal professional with over 44 years’ experience in banking, oil and gas, HSE, general contracting, tendering, procurement, insurance, government relations and financial control. [read more]

Prior to assuming his role with the ICSS, he worked for a large international group of companies where he negotiated and drafted high-value contracts and coordinated various tasks between 85 group-affiliated firms.

At the ICSS, Nassim ensures the full alignment and legal compliance of different departments with the applicable legal and policy rules and regulations. [/read]

Manager, Information Technology

With over 12 years of experience, George is a seasoned IT professional. George has experience in IT governance, infrastructure management, cloud computing, administration and IT operations. [read more] Prior to joining the ICSS, George worked in various IT roles in several industries, including market research, IT system integration and R&D. George holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science Engineering and various professional certifications. [/read]

Senior Specialist, Human Resources

Jonineth holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA) with a certificate in Human Resources Management. She is responsible for recruitment, learning and development, employee relations, compensation and benefits, and other HR-related matters. [read more]

Prior to joining the ICSS, she worked as a Human Resources Officer and Recruitment and Training Coordinator in a group of companies in Qatar where she handled the recruitment process for various group functions such as automotive, real estate, travel, internal audit, finance, and medical equipment.

As a certified in-house trainer, she designed training manuals, course presentations and successfully conducted various training across the organisation.

She loves to travel and to play sports like badminton, as her recreational activity.

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Senior Officer, Public Relations

Hicham joined the ICSS in 2015 and is responsible for public relations activities in Geneva.

[read more] He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics Sciences. Before joining the ICSS, Hicham held positions at the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nations in Geneva. Hicham speaks English, French and Arabic. He enjoys playing golf, snooker and swimming. [/read]

Manager, Administration and Operations Support

Michelle joined the ICSS in June 2013 as an Administration Manager. Michelle has a varied background working for large organisations such as Aecom, BBC Television and Merrill Lynch as a researcher, senior executive assistant and [read more]

 later progressing into leading large administrative teams as an Administration Manager. Michelle assists in the development and implementation of quality management systems, manage business travel and oversees several administrative matters, facilities, QMS and HSE functions at the ICSS.

A Scotland native living in Qatar for more than 11 years, Michelle has grown professionally and is always ready to adapt, be challenged, and strives to achieve accuracy and precision.

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Manager, Procurement and Operations Support

Aboubakr holds over 15 years of experience in procurement, sales and events planning. [read more]

As a member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supplies (CIPS) global community, he has a strong background in purchasing and supply chain management and is proficient in modern procurement techniques.

In addition to his negotiation skills, Aboubakr has a passion for improving purchasing methods, sourcing the best-priced goods and services, and always has the gravitas needed to act as an ambassador of the ICSS. Aboubakr speaks English, Arabic and French. [/read]

Head, Sport for Development and Peace

Shafeeque brings over 10 years of experience in international development and humanitarian programmes in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. He has a proven track record in project and policy design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. [read more]

He also has excellent networking, communication, and donor management skills. Shafeeque is driven for results with strategic planning, analytical skills, research skills and expertise in leveraging technology with multimedia skills.

Prior to his current appointment, Shafeeque served as the Partnership Officer in Qatar for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) where he acted as the liaison point between UNHCR and government and non-government organizations. His role in UNHCR mainly focused on partnership and fundraising activities where he managed a donor portfolio of $30m annually.

Previously, Shafeeque worked with ICSS and Save the Dream as the Focal Point – Sport for Hope Initiatives and implemented various projects and activities designed to strengthen the capabilities of young people in the fields of capacity building, community engagement and social inclusion, including gender equality and empowerment of girls through sport.

From 2012 to 2015, he worked with Qatar Charity as the Associate Relief and Emergency Coordinator where he oversaw projects and initiatives in more than 36 countries. He has also coordinated the ‘Taqat’ initiative that aimed at empowering the Arab workforce through distance employment.

Shafeeque earned a Master’s Degree in Islamic Finance from the Hamad bin Khalifa University Qatar and holds two Bachelor’s Degrees in Law and English Literature from two Indian universities. [/read]

Senior Manager, Save the Dream Programmes

Paolo is based in Lisbon and works on different Save the Dream projects as a part of ICSS Europe. [read more]

As an international development professional, Paolo has gained extensive experience in designing and implementing technical assistance and grant management programmes with a focus on sustainable livelihoods, entrepreneurship and community-based development in Asia and Africa.

Paolo has worked with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and acquired experience in strategy development and capacity building in social innovation for national NGOs.

Paolo holds an M.Sc. in Urbanisation and Development at the London School of Economics and speaks English, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

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