RA International Services

Ahmed Messaoud is Head of Financial Planning and Analysis. As such, he is responsible for budgeting projects across the group, modelling the contracts, reviewing financials, analyzing forecasts and budgets, and undertaking operational reviews of our projects. Ahmed joined us from General Electric, where he held the position of finance manager in North Africa. Among other things, he brings valuable experience in financial planning and analysis cycles in matrix organizations to our team.

As CFO of RA International Andrew is responsible for overseeing financing activities, M&A, business planning and forecasting, financial reporting, taxation, audit and process improvement. Upon joining, he managed the implementation of RA International’s enterprise resource planning system, and together with the CEO, developed a long-term strategic plan which has contributed to a more diverse customer base and significant business growth.

Andrew joined RA in 2011 from Ernst & Young’s Transaction Advisory Services Group where he was primarily responsible for assisting multi-national corporations establish operations in the Middle East and Africa. He is a Canadian Chartered Accountant, Chartered Professional Accountant and a Chartered Business Valuator.

Ankita is the Human Resources Team Leader at RA International with 7 years of experience in human capital management.

She is experienced in HRMS implementation, payroll management, travel management, change management, and organization development. Prior to RA she worked as HR Executive in A2G Enterprises and has experience in creating an annual training calendar and conducting employee satisfaction surveys at Aditya Birla Patalganga plant.

She holds an MBA degree in HR from ITM Business School, Mumbai.

As ERP Implementation Manager, Baby Lyne coordinates and manages the implementation of RA's new ERP system including system design, testing, training, and evaluation, monitoring and maintenance. Before joining RA in 2006, she worked with TESDA, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in the Philippines for close to a decade.

As General Manager in Libya, Colin is responsible for developing business and delivering quality projects on behalf of RA’s clients in the country. He joined RA in 2015 and has since served as Project Manager in Somalia and in Oman. Colin’s hands-on management approach ensures a prompt and efficient service is provided to RA’s clients.

Before joining RA, Colin spent 22 years within the British Army as a Controls Engineer. Colin’s passion lies within Power Generation and he is an FG Wilson, Deep Sea Electronics (DSE) and ComAp trained engineer.

As Business Development Manager, David’s role is to develop business opportunities in new and existing territories, and to ensure that all RA clients receive the highest level of service. David has 15 years’ experience in international business development, gained through working in the Balkans, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and throughout Africa. After a short stint in the humanitarian industry, David started his career in urban planning and real estate, before moving into civil construction, agriculture and remote site operations.

David Marshall is our Group Financial Controller and a qualified chartered accountant with a degree in Accounting and Finance. Based in Dubai, he manages the finance team at Group and local level. He’s responsible for designing, reviewing and implementing all our financial processes and procedures, and for managing our cash flow. He began his career in auditing at KPMG in 2008, before moving on to become a Financial Accountant and Senior Finance Manager for Driver Group Plc. David earned his stripes early on by successfully designing and implementing a month-end management account process that significantly reduced waiting times.

Deepu Sankar is RA International’s IT Manager, responsible for overseeing every aspect of the company’s systems and technology strategy. He also manages our networks, servers, data security, storage, IT support, IT assets, maintenance records, software licensing and IT purchasing needs. Before joining us in 2015, Deepu worked for Emirates Hospital Group in Dubai, and with Arco Turnkey Solutions, among other things. He has a BTech in Electronics and Communication from Anna University in India and an MSc in Network Systems Engineering from University of Plymouth (UK). He is a certified CCNP, CCNA and MCITP professional, with expertise across technical and systems fields.

Donatella is our Compliance Officer based in Dubai.

Her responsibilities involve ensuring compliance with ethical standards, updating our policies, designing ongoing training programs, and collaborating with other departments to ensure that business policies are followed.

Over the last 17 years, she has worked as a Compliance Manager at an oil and gas company and previously at an international NGO and the Italian Embassy in Damascus.

As General Manager, Gary manages the teams who provide life support and essential services to remote mining camps under RA’s contracts in Sudan. He has extensive experience of camp management, having worked in Afghanistan for eight years on MOD & DOD contracts, managing more than 600 staff. In Africa, Gary has worked on mining contracts in DRC and Zambia, as well as in various construction companies in South Africa where he gained experience in civil engineering and construction works. Before beginning to work in Sudan in 2017, Gary spent a year as Deputy Facilities Manager at RA International in Mogadishu, managing the 500 tradesman who were providing services to the UN Mission in Somalia.

Gary started his career by doing his National Service with the SADF’s Parachute Battalion Engineers Regiment. He speaks English and Afrikaans.

Haythem is a Chartered Professional Engineer by Engineers Australia, an Associate Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health and a Certified Quality Engineer/Auditor by ASQ, with over twenty years of experience working in Integrated HSEQ Management Systems. Before joining RA in 2021, Haythem worked across the Middle East and Asia Pacific in a broad array of Engineering, Construction, Defense, Infrastructure, Supply Chain and Facility Management Projects. Haythem is fluent in Arabic, English and French.

Hubert Votter is our Head of Construction. He leads the engineering, project management and construction sectors across RA’s global portfolio. This means pulling together our construction activities, enhancing our design capability and developing a consistent project management methodology, based on global best practices. Hubert is focused on giving strategic direction to projects and delivering quality, safety, consistency and a very high level of customer satisfaction within RA’s construction activities, with a right-first-time philosophy.

Before joining RA, Hubert worked for more than 25 years in executing complex multidisciplinary projects across the construction and oil & gas industries in remote regions including Central Asia, Middle East and Africa. Hubert is a civil engineer by background and holds a master’s degree in Project and Process Management.

Jilsha Bharathan is RA’s Forecast and Demand Planner- Food Category. Her responsibilities include monitoring inventory levels and overseeing supply chain activities, ensuring timely replenishment and availability of food items across RA’s operational locations.

Prior to joining RA, she worked with Philip Morris International, Transmed and MMI in various Demand Planning roles. Jilsha holds a Master’s degree - MBA in Marketing from Sikkim Manipal University, India.

Joel Agoncillo is our Operations Manager in Somalia. Having initially joined RA as an Accountant in 2005, Joel has played an important role in project deliveries in Chad, South Sudan and since 2014 in Somalia. As Operations Manager, his task is to ensure the consistent management of RA’s proposals and contracts in Somalia. This includes the oversight of the contract management process, the development of specific standards for bidding submissions, contract negotiations and document management. Joel carries with him a wealth of institutional knowledge and plays a major role in preparing our teams for new contract awards.

Joel holds a BSA degree in Accountancy and is CMA eligible (Certified Management Accountant).

As Operations Manager, Jorge ensures the consistent management of all of RA’s contracts in the Central African Republic. Jorge initially joined RA as a Senior Finance Officer in South Sudan in 2007, and has since then led operational, logistical and administrative arms of the business in South Sudan, Somalia and Sudan, and since 2016 in CAR. During his time with RA, Jorge has been effectively involved in the successful delivery of various lines of projects, including construction, facilities maintenance, catering, and supply chain projects.

Before joining RA, Jorge worked for close to a decade in the field of finance with several commercial companies in the Philippines and Dubai. Jorge holds a Degree in Management & Finance.

Joseph is our Resource Manager based in South Sudan. His responsibilities range from managing in-country labor and trade resource pool to ensuring that the resource pool is correctly sized and skilled for current and forecasted project requirements. Joseph joined RA in 2010 as an Assistant Administrator then later joined the HR department as the HR officer across Somalia, Uganda, CAR, and now South Sudan.

Prior to joining RA, Joseph worked with Total Uganda as an Administrator. Joseph holds and brings a wealth of experience overseeing overall operations administration, company structure, and staffing needs.

Judeline Cunningham is our Head of Human Resources. She works closely with line managers to ensure the communication and consistent application of employment conditions, company policies, and procedures. She also assists with the development of line management through coaching and training.

Since joining us in 2005, Judeline has developed HR policies and programs for recruitment, talent sourcing, performance, and discipline. Based on her own experience, she supports individuals at RA International to grow their careers in a supportive environment, providing them with the resources and opportunities to build on their strengths and develop their talents.

Lars Narfeldt has served for over two decades in pivotal leadership and development roles in some of the world’s most challenging environments. As COO at RA International, he is responsible for day-to-day operations across the Company. His role also encompasses setting CSR strategy, HR, communications and marketing and compliance. He has been instrumental in developing RA International’s strong brand equity amongst the Company’s clients, geographies and markets.

Lars spent the first 15 years of his post university career working with the Swedish government and the UN. He worked with SIDA in Palestine and with the UN in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uzbekistan, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan. While in Sierra Leone Lars managed a team of over 2,000 individuals and ran the UN Volunteer Programme.

Lee is our Bid Writer, based in Dubai. He works with experts across our company to write compelling, compliant proposals for our clients. Before joining RA, Lee wrote bids for the likes of BP, General Motors, Deutsche Bank and the UK government, across multiple sectors. He has a degree in Geography with International Relations, with an educational focus on Refugee Studies, Global Environmental Politics and Africa in the International System.

Mansi is our Financial Planning and Analysis Manager. She drafts our budgets, reports gross margins for the group, performs variance analysis and mentors project managers and finance teams in our operational areas on budget functionalities. Mansi joined RA in 2018 with almost a decade of experience in financial functions across industries in the UAE.  

As Country Manager for Somalia, Muhamed is responsible for developing business, delivering great customer service, and recruiting and training managers.

Since joining us in 2014, he has contributed to significant improvements in our way of working. Through the development of a Somalia-based vendor network, he has brought considerable benefits to the local communities in which we operate.

Before joining RA International – initially as Head of Construction - Muhamed worked for companies operating under United States and British government contracts in Afghanistan for close to 6 years. He was born in Bosnia, educated in Bosnia and Turkey, and has qualifications in civil engineering.

Nicholas’ work as an executive chef in South Africa is what made him explore a career in remote site services. He has gained valuable knowledge in facilities management and large-scale catering from working in amongst others Iraq, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia. As FM Manager, he provides leadership and direction to RA’s on-site teams, ensuring a consistent level of service across sites and that all catering, cleaning, contract procurement, housekeeping and maintenance services are carried out within Company standards, to the contract specification, and within qualitative and financial targets.

As Legal Officer Rana Dia drafts and reviews our corporate legal documentation and commercial contracts. Working alongside our Chief Financial Officer, she manages the details of our corporate governance documents – cooperating with regulators and operational staff. She also assists with risk management policy and overall corporate compliance.

Prior to joining RA International, Rana worked in the banking department at Al Tamimi & Company in Dubai and in the legal department at Al-Mawarid Bank SAL. Rana has an MBA, Masters of Management from the ESCP-EAP and a BA in Law. She is fluent in Arabic, French and English.

As Country Manager in South Sudan, Richard Zucaro is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day running of our operations within the country and for developing new business. Richard is a former US Army Officer with more than 25 years' experience in human rights & peacekeeping operations, training, logistics and construction projects, and has spent most of his career working in multinational environments across Africa.

As Head of Integrated Facility Management Ryan is responsible for developing service and quality initiatives across our global portfolio. Ryan has a strong service background thanks to several years in the hospitality industry, and he also brings valuable experience from the food production, storage and logistics business. More recently, Ryan has been developing life support services in remote locations across Africa – working on sites with up to 20,000 people. At RA, his main tasks are to plan, budget and implement cost-effective and sustainable services throughout all our operational areas, in accordance with global standards.

As Logistics Manager, Sharan is responsible for handling all inbound and outbound logistics for the RA Group as well as developing and presenting complex logistics plans to the leadership team. Since joining RA in 2020, Sharan has implemented a supply chain visibility tool that enables RA staff to track ongoing shipments in real time, ensuring streamlined information sharing internally as well as with our clients. Sharan holds a Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management from Middlesex University.

Soraya Narfeldt founded RA International in 2004 and has led
the Company to becoming a leading remote site service provider. Since founding RA, Soraya has turned the Company into a multifaceted organisation with operations in the Middle East and across Africa, employing over 2,000 staff. In 2018, Soraya identified the need for the Company to take the leap to become a public company and led RA International through the process of listing on AIM.

Soraya is a strong advocate and supporter of responsible business practices and community-based enterprises. She is a regular contributor and speaker on the subject to high profile journals and international forums.

As Bid Manager at RA International, Steven leads a multidisciplinary team to produce fully compliant technical and commercial proposals for our clients. His proposals are accurate and cost-efficient, incorporating the latest technology and engineering best practice. Before he joined us in 2016, Steven worked as a bid writer, specializing in Life Support Services for contracts in the Middle East. He began his career in 1989 with the UK Ministry of Defense, and served in several roles across Europe and the Middle East. Steven’s education and qualifications include MCIPS Chartered Institute of Purchase and Supply and qualifications in auditing and commercial principles and practices.

Vera is our Sustainability Manager, based in Nairobi. She oversees the implementation of RA’s sustainability strategy and is in charge of sustainability reporting. Before joining us in 2015, Vera did academic research in Kenya, focusing on gender, livelihood transformation and sustainable food production and consumption. Vera has a degree in Development Studies from Lund University in Sweden and speaks fluent English, German, Swedish and Spanish, and basic French and Kiswahili.

As Contracts Manager, Walter systematically and efficiently manages contractual matters with the purpose of maximising financial and operational performance, while building and maintaining healthy client relations. His role entails amongst others negotiating terms and conditions, drafting contractual correspondence, and managing contract administration activities. Walter joined RA in 2021 with almost three decades’ experience in Contracts Management across Africa, mainly in the mining construction industry.