Meet Our Team

Mariam Lambert is Co-Founder and CEO of the Emile Foundation, a humanitarian organization dedicated to locating and reunifying Ukrainian children who have been abducted since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Widely regarded as a global voice on the humanitarian consequences of the war in Ukraine, Mariam has helped bring international attention to the plight of abducted children and the families searching for them, shining a light on one of the conflict’s most devastating human tragedies.

Under her leadership, the Foundation has become one of the few organizations working directly on some of the most complex and difficult child recovery cases, including children with disabilities and young children taken from orphanages and care institutions in the frontline regions.

Through quiet, case-by-case diplomacy and international mediation efforts, Mariam leads operations that regularly take her to Kyiv, Kherson, and frontline communities, where she works closely with families searching for their children. The Emile Foundation has received national recognition from the Ukrainian Parliament for its humanitarian work and the Ukrainian Presidential Order of Merit (3rd Grade). In December 2025, Mariam was honoured with the Leader of Humanity Award by the Human Economic Forum (affiliated with Italy’s Parliament and the Vatican).

A member of the GLOBSEC Women Leaders Council, Mariam has spoken at the United Nations, the European Union, the Human Economic Forum in Rome, and gatherings hosted by international human rights organizations. Her work and the Foundation’s cases have been featured by BBC News, France 24, RTL4, RFE/RL, and the BBC’s Ukrainecast. Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Nobel Peace Prize–winning Center for Civil Liberties, serves as Goodwill Ambassador to the Emile Foundation.

Mariam is a mother of three and lives in The Netherlands.

“Being a volunteer is all about human rights, defending freedom, democracy and solidarity. So we are actually all volunteers.”

For many years, Eduardo Galeano’s words — ‘Many small people, in small places, doing small things can change the world’ — have deeply resonated with me. I truly believe in our collective power to create change, and I’m proud to be part of a foundation that is making a meaningful impact in the world.

“There is no bright future for the human kind without children in safety, able to rise to their full potential.”

Producing in-depth constructive content for some of the world’s largest media groups, she is currently serving as the International Senior Director at Business Focus, an independent editorial firm renowned for its commitment to constructive journalism.

Through her career, she has interviewed heads of states, influential political figures, prominent CEOs and top leaders globally.

Susana is driven by solidarity at all levels in all countries, being herself a volunteer for very poor populations of Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Africa and Eastern Europe, with deep support to children and orphanages, to give hope, love and kindness across the globe.

“Children are innocent angels. We have to protect their childhood, their dreams, their hope… As volunteers, we contribute to make them feel safe. Peace is a choice!”