We’re a community of designers, architects and researchers dedicated to building a fairer world. Everything we are and do is shaped by our values.

Jo is passionate about humanitarian architecture and sustainable development. Her work includes constructing one room shelters in Vietnam, authoring guidelines for disaster relief shelters, improving earth construction within low income communities across Bangladesh and evaluating community-led development in rural China.
In 2014, Jo set up AzuKo to grow the impact of co-design. She is an alumna of the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE), RSA and Echo++, previous Chair of Small International Development Charities Network (SIDCN) and member of RIBA Education Development Group. Jo regularly speaks on architecture and design for international development.

Apu leads the community engagement of our Bangladesh projects. He is a shelter consultant, specialising in low-cost housing in rural areas and is passionate about helping communities build resilience in a changing climate. Apu has been involved in a number of high profile projects across the country, including the award winning Rishipara Mandir Paathshala bamboo school.
Apu project managed the Amirabad Clinic with Bangla Bari, steered the design and construction of Dinajpur’s first remote learning primary school with JAAGO Foundation and acted as the bamboo adviser for PARAA’s Bamboo Playspace. Apu brings a wealth of local knowledge and expertise to the team.

Snigdha is an advocate for gender equality and the rights of a women and girls.
She ensures projects run smoothly, women and their communities feel heard, and are actively involved at all stages from those early design ideas all the way through construction.

Martha specialises in humanitarian research, with a focus on fundraising and sustaining humanitarian aid. She brings a strong academic grounding in displacement, social justice, and community-centred approaches, alongside a deep commitment to challenging global inequalities.
As Fundraising Officer at AzuKo, Martha is passionate about engaging supporters, communicating impact, and securing resources that empower communities to shape their own solutions. She is inspired by AzuKo’s mission to address housing poverty through human-centred, participatory design.

Ujjol supports the financial management of Bangladesh projects, as well as project evaluations, and reporting requirements within country.

Reena is a Freelance Consultant and has worked for the past 12 years in the international development sector with both large and small NGOs. Throughout this time social justice and womens’ empowerment have been the connecting thread through all projects.

Emma is a chartered Civil Engineer and has worked for a decade in the water and social sectors, both in the UK and India. She is a trained facilitator and passionate advocate for globally responsible engineering.
As previous Head of Engineering at Engineers Without Borders UK she worked to grow educational initiatives to reach over 30,000 professionals and university students.

Jeff is a qualified Chartered Accountant with 18 years of accounting experience, including the audit of and accounts preparation for charities.
He is the Chief Financial Officer for the charity, Maisha Meds, which focuses on healthcare in Africa.

Shamira is the Multi Donor Trust Fund Manager at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), currently based in South Sudan. She has worked in different roles both managing operations and raising funds for UN agencies, international NGOs and national charities in the UK.

Deljana is Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies at the University of Manchester. Trained as an architect at ETH Zurich, she practised in Germany, China, Japan and the USA before earning a PhD in Social Engineering at Tokyo Institute of Technology. Deljana is Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Architecture and Chair of the Urban Studies Foundation.

Jen is a New Zealand–qualified Chartered Accountant with over 15 years experience in finance.
She has worked in international development and public sector innovation, supporting teams delivering economic resilience for communities in emerging and transitioning economies, and contributing to publicly funded research aimed at improving health outcomes, bringing strong financial stewardship to projects designed to create positive social impact.

Raymond is based in Hong Kong and has global experience in Corporate Services (specifically Building Services) with a blend of corporate and NGO experience. Having worked in most Asian countries, and over 20 countries globally, Raymond focuses on inherent sustainability issues in trying to empower communities with local solutions.

Jakhya has more than a decade of experience in global philanthropy and is currently the Director of the Swarovski Foundation. She has expertise in developing strategies, initiating and delivering global sustainability projects within companies and charities.

For opportunities to join the team, visit our work with us page.

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