Our Trustees

Sense International is governed by the Board of Trustees which upholds Sense International’s vision, agrees and monitors our strategy, protects our assets and funds, and ensures that we comply with legislation and regulation. On a day-to-day basis, Sense International is managed by our executive team.

Rex Shah, Chair of the Board of Trustees

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Rex Shah was appointed as a Trustee of Sense International in September 2019, though his relationship with the charity began several years earlier through regular fundraising support, including donations, gala events, and sponsored initiatives. In 2018, he joined Sense International’s Annapurna Base Camp charity trek, a transformative experience that provided first-hand insight into the organisation’s life-changing work with deafblind people in Nepal. Deeply inspired by the resilience and positivity of the individuals he met, he was motivated to take on a formal governance role within the charity.

Soon after joining the Board, he was appointed Chair of the East African Boards, overseeing Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. This role has enabled him to develop a strong understanding of country-level operations and build meaningful relationships with in-country leadership teams.

In September 2022, following election by fellow Trustees, he was appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees for Sense International, his current role. During his tenure, he has participated in a further trek in Bhutan and visited programmes in India, Nepal, and Uganda, strengthening his strategic oversight through direct engagement with teams and beneficiaries on the ground.

Beyond Sense International, he brings significant charity governance experience from more than a decade of service with the Oshwal Association of the UK, where he served as both Trustee and President. After completing a successful four-year term as President in 2016, he continues to support the organisation in an advisory capacity. The Association is one of the UK’s largest Jain faith community charities, serving over 15,000 members.

Professionally, his career has been rooted in the insurance sector, including as owner of an independent insurance brokerage. More recently, he has focused on advisory and mentoring roles and currently supports the acquisition strategy of a leading independent insurance broker.

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Sunil Shah

Sunil Shah is a qualified accountant and an experienced property and investment professional. He is a director of Urba-Life, which develops and operates purpose-built student accommodation across the UK; St Katherine Group, which specialises in property funding and development; and Padel Box Group, which develops and operates sports and leisure facilities.

Sunil has been a committed supporter of Sense International since 2002, having organised and taken part in numerous fundraising challenge treks and events. His involvement was inspired by Sense International’s work with some of the most marginalised children and their families in East Africa, where he was born.

He became a Trustee of Sense International in 2017 and has served as Treasurer since 2019. Sunil also chairs both the Fundraising Advisory Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee, bringing strong financial oversight and governance expertise to the charity.

Nick Corby

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Nick Corby is a Director of Impel, a leading inclusive development consultancy. Nick has more than 25 years’ experience in global development. In that time Nick has developed a deep understanding of and expertise in multiple thematic areas, including: education; health; economic development; climate justice; infrastructure; child protection. Nick has utilised his deep understanding of the development sector and strong links with key stakeholders across the sector to: transform the capacity of organisations; provide thought leadership on social inclusion; foster strategic partnerships; strengthen the impact of programmes and funding mechanisms. Nick has worked with numerous UN agencies, foundations, governments, private companies and civil society organisations.

Nick has been a Trustee of Sense International since 2018. He is the Chair of the Programme Advisory Committee and is passionate about ensuring high quality, impactful programmes and ensuring the resulting learning strengthens the work not only of Sense International, but also the broader sector.

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Simon Gallow

Simon Gallow is a Programme Manager at Amnesty International, the world’s largest human rights organisation, a Trustee at Migrant Help, the UK’s largest asylum and modern slavery charity, and a Non-executive Director at Clear Voice, a social enterprise providing language services, especially to those in vulnerable situations. Having worked at UN Women and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, he has dedicated his career to equality, human rights and social justice, and has been a Trustee at Sense International since September 2025.

Too often people marginalised by disability, gender, race and class, are not given the voice, agency and platform they deserve. Sense International aims to change that, and Simon is deeply committed to ensuring that everyone, irrespective of their needs, can realise their human rights and lead their life with dignity and freedom. 

Dilnaz Khambata

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Dilnaz Khambata joined Sense International as a Trustee in October 2025, bringing experience in strategic programme delivery and operational transformation within the UK government. Throughout her civil service career, she has specialised in translating complex policy into effective national systems and delivering measurable outcomes. 

Her involvement is driven by a longstanding commitment to supporting people with complex disabilities, shaped by her close association with the Helen Keller Institute for Deaf Blind in India. She is honoured to apply her expertise in strategic leadership and service design to strengthen inclusive services, enabling people with deafblindness to live independent and fulfilling lives.

Sian Tesni

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Born in Wales, UK, she is a qualified teacher of learners who are deaf or hard of hearing. Since 1991, she has been involved in development work and humanitarian action related to inclusive education and ear and hearing care in low-middle-income-countries until retirement in 2024. Her last role before retirement was as CBM Global Advisor for Inclusive Education. During her professional career was engaged in and led on international advocacy, co-chaired the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) Inclusive Education Task Group for several years, wrote several publications and represented CBM on the Deafblind International Board. Since retirement she has worked on several consultancies related to Inclusive Education in development and Europe. As a teacher of learners who are deaf or hard of hearing worked with a number of learners with deafblindness both in Wales and in international development. In 2024 joined Sense International’s Board of Trustees on invitation of the CEO.

“I was happy to dedicate time to Sense International’s work and to bring my expertise in programme work to this important organisation. I believe wholeheartedly in inclusion. The work that Sense International does in reaching the most marginalised to ensure that they have dignity and realise their rights is essential if we are to ensure inclusion for all citizens regardless of our circumstances or where we live. We cannot be satisfied with our version of inclusion until everyone is truly included – everyone belongs.“