Amanda Herron-Quan

Amanda Herron-Quan has spent over ten years as an executive Human Resources practitioner. Since 2023, she has been the General Manager – People & Wellbeing at Victim Support (Manaaki Tāngata) in Aotearoa New Zealand, where she leads national strategy across workforce design, organisational culture, health and safety, and wellbeing within a service supporting victims of crime and traumatic events.

Over recent years, Amanda has been part of leading a significant organisational recovery journey, placing a “Wellbeing First” approach at the centre of leadership and workforce redesign. By repositioning wellbeing from an initiative to a strategic foundation for how the organisation operates and makes decisions, Victim Support rebuilt trust, strengthened consistency of practice, and improved long-term sustainability.

In Paris, Amanda will share both the leadership mindset and practical aspects behind this recovery, offering insights that victim support services can adapt within their own organisational contexts.

Qualifications: Amanda holds a Bachelor of Commerce, a Graduate Diploma in Human Resources and Industrial Relations, and an Executive MBA with First Class Honours.

Arastalis B. Choudhury

A 25-year-old entrepreneur originally from Bangladesh, founded NECX in 2021 after facing victimization in the US. Since then, he has dedicated himself to ensuring no survivor navigates justice alone.

Carmen Rasquete

Executive Director, APAV | Treasurer, Victim Support Europe

Carmen Rasquete has dedicated over two decades to ensuring that every victim of crime has access to the support, dignity, and justice they deserve. Since 2013, she has served as Executive Director of APAV - the Portuguese Association for Victim Support - leading the organisation’s strategic planning, human resources, financial management, and the delivery of free, confidential services to victims of crime across Portugal. Her connection to APAV runs deep: she first joined as a volunteer in 2000, a beginning that reflects the values at the heart of everything she does.

Since May 2021, Carmen has also served as Treasurer of Victim Support Europe (VSE) - the leading European umbrella organisation advocating on behalf of all victims of crime, no matter what the crime, no matter who the victim. VSE represents 80 national member organisations that support more than 3 million people affected by crime each year across 35 countries. In this role, Carmen contributes to the financial resilience and strategic direction of a movement that touches millions of lives.

Carmen holds a degree in Sociology and a postgraduate qualification in Economics and Public Policies from ISCTE, bringing a rare blend of sociological insight and policy expertise to her work. A skilled multilingual communicator, she is a passionate and determined force in the European victim rights movement, equally at home in a policy chamber or on a conference stage.

Costas Yannopoulos

Is President of the Board of Directors of “The Smile of the Child”. He worked in the business field until 1995, when his younger son Andreas, aged 10, was diagnosed with cancer. Andreas dreamed of an organization which mission would be to support all children. After his loss, Costas Yannopoulos dedicated himself to fulfilling his son’s vision. The business world, the people, the Greek society as a whole became supporters and embraced the wish of Mr. Yannopoulos’ son. Today, the “The Smile of the Child” is the largest internationally recognized non-profit Organization in Greece in the field of child protection. Mr. Yannopoulos has served on the Board of Directors of Missing Children Europe and the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, while he has been serving as President of the European Antibullying Network since 2014.

In addition, in 2014 he was awarded the European Citizenship Award by the European Parliament for the outstanding contribution of "Smile" to the protection of children's rights, while in 2021 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Department of Education and Social Work of the University of Patras for his 27 years of continuous and substantial contribution to every child in need or at risk.

Élia Faustino

Élia Faustino is a strategy, innovation, and digital transformation leader with over 20 years of experience supporting complex organisational change across public and private sector institutions. She currently leads the Strategy & Consulting unit at askblue, where she founded and developed a multidisciplinary practice focused on innovation and guided by foresight and future-oriented methodologies.

Throughout her career, she has worked with organisations across Europe and international markets to design innovation strategies, transformation roadmaps, and human-centred services that respond to evolving societal, technological, and economic challenges. Her work focuses on helping institutions strengthen resilience, improve service delivery, and create sustainable value through the integration of (emerging) technology, data, and new ways of working, while fostering collaborative approaches across teams and stakeholder ecosystems. She is particularly interested in the role of responsible innovation and collaborative ecosystems in enabling institutions to deliver greater public value for citizens and communities.

She holds a degree in Economics and a master’s degree in Financial Economics, as well as postgraduate studies in Corporate Finance and Management. She has also completed executive education in Future Thinking and Design Thinking and Creativity for Business, complementing her academic background with continuous learning in innovation, strategy, and digital transformation.

Elizabeth Mol

Elizabeth has been working at Victim Support Netherlands since 2010 and has held various positions. Since 2022, she has been a (legal) senior policy advisor. In this position, she is responsible for the topics Sexual Abuse and Women's (in)Security, where she has a national advisory role regarding victim rights in the field of forming legislation and policy. Before this, she gained extensive experience as a legal advisor at Slachtofferhulp Nederland, in advising both internally and externally in the field of victims' rights within the criminal process. Strengthening the position of the victim is what she works hard for every day.

Hetty Burgman

Hetty currently works as advisor to the Board at Victim Support Netherlands, on the wider victim’s rights spectrum. Hetty joined Victim Support Netherlands in 2029, after a long career in development cooperation, working mainly in the field of security and justice. Her current focus is on the position of victims in society and the development of the concept of Parallel Justice. The latter focuses on finding alternatives for justice and reparations for victims outside the current legal system.

Janice Buntling

Janice took on the role of CEO of Victim Support NI on 1st September 2022, prior to that she was the organisation’s Deputy Chief Executive.

Janice has 30 years’ experience of working in the private, public and voluntary and community sectors of which just under 20 years are in senior management roles. Since joining Victim Support NI, Janice has been instrumental in expanding dedicated services to children and young people within Victim Support NI. A passionate advocate about the rights of victims and witnesses within the criminal justice system, Janice has experience in lobbying government having been involved in key systemic reviews including the Gillen Review into the law and procedures in serious sexual offences and the Marrinan Review into hate crime legislation in Northern Ireland.

Jérôme Moreau

Jérôme Moreau has been the Treasurer and Spokesperson of the Federation France Victimes since 2019. Being the President of the victim support association “Association Nivernaise d’Aide aux Victimes d’Infractions” since 2003, he has been part of France Victimes’ Board and a delegate to France Victimes’ President regarding ministerial and institutional public relations since 2016.

Jérôme has obtained a Master’s degree in Public Law in 1998, and has followed different trainings throughout the years, such as supporting victims of crimes abroad, victims of violence at work, or how to manage conflicts to avoid institutional violence.

He has worked for fifteen years, between 2002 and 2017, as a Parliamentary collaborator to a Member of Parliament for the First district of Nièvre (France) who was also President of the National Consultative Council for People with Disabilities.

In 2020, he became Director of three departments of the “Association des Paralysés de France-France handicap”: he is therefore working for the most important French association for the defense and representation of people with disabilities and their families, after working as an Executive Assistant for this association for three years. In addition, Jérôme Moreau has been working as a trainer for the Red Cross and the “Centre National de la Fonction Publique Territoriale” (National Center for Territorial Public Service), since 2013, and has been working as Director of a mobile Covid-19 vaccination team since April 2021.

Jérôme has always been attentive to furthering European rights and advancing the implementation of the Victims’ Rights Directive of 2012, through his several duties. That is why he has the honour of applying for the position of Vice-President of Victim Support Europe.

Jon Boutcher

Jon was appointed Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland on 12 October 2023.

Having joined the Metropolitan Police as a cadet in 1983 and then a Constable in 1984 he served initially at Paddington Green & Wandsworth before going on to become a detective at Kennington, Brixton and the Regional and National Crime Squads. He led Scotland Yard’s Flying Squad before moving to Anti- Terrorist Branch and Counter Terrorism Command finishing as a Detective Chief Superintendent in 2011 when he joined Hertfordshire Police as an Assistant Chief Constable.

Having retired as Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police in 2019 he was appointed to lead Operation Kenova based on his operational credibility and considerable strategic background in leading covert intelligence gathering tactics.

His approach in Operation Kenova placed victims and families at the centre of the investigation. He established a family focused model, ensuring relatives of those killed or affected were regularly briefed and treated as key stakeholders rather than passive observers.

He has a unique senior policing history in running high profile and sensitive investigations and as Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police Jon rebuilt trust with communities and led the Service to be the most improved police force in the UK.

He has a long history in Operational Counter Terrorism and Crime Policing. He was also the UK National policing lead for Technical Surveillance, Covert Policing and Undercover Policing and held the post of National Coordinator for Pursue under the UK Contest strategy.

As an avid football fan he chairs UK Police Sport football and is a lifetime follower of Derby County FC.

Julianne Grima

Julianne Grima is a seasoned Psychotherapist and clinical supervisor with 20 years’ experience under her belt. Trained both in Malta and the UK, she dedicated nearing a decade at the start of her career to working in addiction, working with the Prison Inmates Program and subsequently, running both residential and non-residential drug rehabilitation programs. Ms.Grima has simultaneously and to-date run a successful private practice with a special focus on gender-based issues, domestic violence, rape and addiction to mention a few. Since 2015 Julianne has been associated with Victim Support Malta as a therapist, clinical supervisor, board member and over the past six years Executive Chairperson of the NGO.

On a parallel path, Julianne owns and is the Executive Chairperson of TBWA\ANG, a communications and strategy agency that manages accounts like McDonald’s, BOV (Bank of Valletta) and Browns in Malta.

Kim Covent

Kim Covent is a police advisor with over 15 years of experience in communication, policy, and accountability within Belgian local law enforcement. As Customer Coordinator at the Ghent Police Department, she handles administrative complaints from citizens against police officers, working at the intersection of victim protection, institutional trust, and professional responsibility. Alongside this work, she trains and advises frontline professionals on behavioural analysis, situational prevention, and risk recognition across sectors including public safety, cultural heritage protection, and critical infrastructure.

Knut A. Gulbrandsen

Knut Arild Gulbrandsen has served as National Chair of Victim Support Denmark since 2018 and has been engaged with the organization since 2002. With more than two decades of experience in victim support, he has played a central role in strengthening quality standards, documentation practices, and the professionali-zation of counselling services at both local and national levels.

Alongside his national role, Knut has been Local Chair of Victim Support North Jut-land since 2011, leading organizational development and cross-sector collaboration. He has initiated and implemented local projects in partnership with North Jutland Police and contributed to national research collaborations, including with Aalborg University, focusing on evidence-informed victim support practices.

Knut’s professional background includes leadership roles at the Social Emergency Service in Aalborg and earlier work within child and adolescent psychiatry. He is trained as a psychotherapist, social educator, and cognitive coach, and has studied psychology at Aalborg University. Since 2019, he has also been a member of the Danish Crime Prevention Council.

At VSEAC2026, he will share practical insights into sustaining and developing a vol-unteer-based victim support organization while maintaining high professional and ethical standards.

Levent Altan

Levent has worked in the field of justice, security, and fundamental rights for twenty years. During this time, he has worked in the UK Civil service in the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and in the Cabinet Office under Prime Ministers Blair and Brown, as well as working for six years as a national expert on criminal justice and victims’ rights in the European Commission. As Executive Director of VSE, he has grown the organisation into an international network of victim support organisations which carries out advocacy, policy and capacity building for all victims of crime.

Since the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015, Levent has led VSE’s terrorism focused work including preparing a range of policy reports, setting up VSE’s international response network and overseeing the operation of the European Commission’s EU Centre of Expertise for Victims of Terrorism. He has supported the development of EU and UN laws and policies in the field including the EU Combating Terrorism Directive and the UN’s Model legislative provisions to support and protect the rights of victims of terrorism, and has provided advice and training to national governments and practitioners on issues ranging from support to victims, crisis response mechanisms, justice for victims, and memorials.

In addition to regularly speaking at international events, Levent is a founding member of Victim Support Asia, INVICTM - the International Network Supporting Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence, a member of the victim focus group for the Northern Ireland police investigation – Operation Kenova, and an expert on the French Scientific Committee overseeing the establishment of France’s national memorial to victims of terrorism.

Maatu Arkio

Maatu Arkio is the Head of Service Development at Victim Support Finland (RIKU), where she leads the development of national victim support services and is responsible for the organisation’s nationwide helpline and chat services for victims of crime. At the moment her work focuses on improving access to support and strengthening professional responses to victimisation.

She has extensive experience in the NGO sector in service development, project management and the creation of innovative support models, including online services and digital solutions designed to support both victims and professionals.

Maatu Arkio holds a Master of Arts in Social Policy. She is also trained as a workplace mediator and supervisor.

Martyn Herward

Martyn began his career as a welfare benefits adviser, specialising in disability benefits advice and tribunal representation. He joined Victim Support (England and Wales) in 2002 and led operational delivery and strategic development of services for victims and witnesses at a county and regional level.

Since 2010, he has worked nationally supporting the development and delivery of services across England and Wales. As Head of Programme Management, responsibilities included the management of key projects, oversight of organisation wide policy and procedures, development of new services and quality assurance.

Martyn joined Victim Support’s Senior Management Team in 2017 during a period of significant organisational change. As Director of Business Services, he covers a broad portfolio that includes People Services, Service Design and Innovation, Compliance, Technology, Digital, Internal Communications and Governance.

Martyn has a degree in law, a postgraduate certificate in legal practice, and an MBA.

Nela Kalpic

TBC

Rosa Jansen

Rosa Jansen studied Dutch law at Leiden University with a major in business law. She also followed a MPA (Master of Public administration) – study at the Dutch School of Public Administration in The Hague, The Netherlands and at the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. After starting her career at the Dutch Broadcasting Union in Hilversum, she was appointed as judicial trainee. She worked later as lawyer in Amsterdam and as a judge /vice-president in the courts of Arnhem, The Hague, Amsterdam and Utrecht, respectively civil court, administrative court, family court and criminal court. From 2002 to 2008 she was president of the criminal division and board member in the rank of coordinating vice-president and acting president in the court in Utrecht.

From 2008 till 2017 she has been appointed as President of the Board of Directors of SSR, the Dutch Training Institute for the Judiciary in Utrecht.

Since 2017 she is on special leave as judge and is appointed as President of the Board of Directors of Victim Support The Netherlands and the Foundation Restorative Justice. She is also member of the Board of Directors of the Dutch Council for Personal Injury.

Rosa Jansen also operated internationally. She was between 2012 -2017 president of the Steering Committee of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) in Brussels. Also she was involved in the development of the rule of law in several European countries, including Indonesia, Mongolia and Morocco.

Rosa Jansen has several publications on her name in the field of the judiciary, innovation, leadership and criminal law.

Between 2015 and 2017 she was appointed as president of the Dutch Association for the Judiciary.

Sarah Christoyannis

Sarah Christoyannis is a Innovation and Policy Coordinator at Global Diplomacy Bridge. Her interests include the role of emerging technologies in diplomacy and conflict prevention. She leads Negotiation Agents.AI, an independent project she initiated to develop AI tools for multiparty negotiation training. Sarah previously trained at the European Commission’s AI Office, contributing to research and policy coordination on European AI initiatives. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Multilingual Communication from the Université libre de Bruxelles. Alongside her policy work, she has a background in film production, with experience in directing, camera, script development and acting.

Sarah De Valckenaere

TBC

Thomas Wyns

Thomas Wyns is the Strategic Coordinator of Veilig Huis Limburg, part of the Agency for Justice and Enforcement within the Flemish Government. Since 2022, he has been a member of the coordination team of the Flemish Family Justice Centers, previously serving as Operational Coordinator. In this role, Thomas works closely with prosecutors, police services, and a wide range of social and therapeutic support providers to develop integrated responses to intrafamilial violence. The Safe House model focuses on supporting all individuals involved—victims as well as perpetrators—ensuring a comprehensive, safety driven and restorative approach.

Alongside his work within the Flemish Government, Thomas is also a trained sexologist. His earlier professional experience lies in youth care, particularly in supporting families at risk of out of home placement. This background has shaped his strong commitment to maintaining a holistic, family centred perspective in cases of intrafamilial violence, ensuring that the needs and safety of all family members are taken into account.

Thomas is dedicated to strengthening multidisciplinary cooperation, improving early intervention, and promoting evidence informed practices that enhance safety, accountability, and long term well being for those affected by violence.