Our Team 

Leanda Barrington-Leach is the Executive Director at 5Rights. Leanda joined 5Rights from the European External Action Service where she was Adviser to the Secretary General focusing on Strategic Communications and the fight against Disinformation. She previously worked in EU advocacy as a consultant and for non-profits, always with a focus on human rights. Leanda volunteers as an Adviser to Plan International, supporting their work on children's rights in EU foreign policy.

Professor Sonia Livingstone OBE is the Director of the 5Rights-LSE Digital Futures for Children joint research centre. Sonia is Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science and has published more than twenty books on media audiences, media literacy, and media regulation, with a particular focus on the opportunities and risks of digital media for children and young people. Sonia was a member of the 5Rights-led Steering Group for the UNCRC General Comment No. 25.

Jennifer Traini is the Head of Communications at 5Rights. She has extensive experience supporting businesses and NGOs craft compelling messages and most recently she developed the communications and online fundraising strategy for a pan-European political party ahead of the European elections. With a background in languages and political communications, she first became interested in child online safety while working at Eurochild. Originally from Italy, Jennifer is fluent in French, Italian and English.

Andrea Tognoni is Head of EU Affairs at 5Rights. Andrea is an EU law and foreign policy expert, with extensive experience working on regulatory issues and policy communications at the EU and international levels. Andrea formerly led the trade practice at SEC Newgate EU. He has worked for the EU Delegation to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva, as well as with global NGOs and think tanks. A qualified lawyer, Andrea holds a J.D. from Barcelona University, and an LL.M in Public International Law from Leiden University. An Italian native, he speaks English, Spanish and French.

Manon Baert is the EU Advocacy and Policy Officer at 5Rights. She previously worked in EU affairs within a non-profit and a consultancy, with a focus on human rights and sustainability. Manon was also a legal trainee at the EU Delegation to the Council of Europe where she followed the negotiations for EU accession to the ECHR and for the Convention on Artificial Intelligence. She has a background in European Law and International Affairs and speaks fluent French, English and Spanish.

Colette Collins-Walsh is Head of UK Affairs at 5Rights Foundation. She is a public affairs and political communications specialist with extensive experience of building campaigns for major political and corporate institutions. She led on children and education policy for the UK Labour Party’s policy unit at the 2017 general election and joined 5Rights from a leading political advisory firm. She was previously a government spokesperson on children’s policy and holds a master’s degree in political communications from Cardiff University Journalism School.

Alexandra Evans joins the 5Rights Foundation as a Consultant having previously been its Chief of Strategy. She has worked at TikTok (Director of Safety Public Policy, Europe) and at the British Board of Film Classification (Policy Director). Before specialising in child online safety policy, Alexandra was a solicitor in Mishcon de Reya's Public Advocacy team.

Marie-Ève Nadeau is International Advocacy Manager at 5Rights. She joined the team in 2021 with her strong experience advocating for human rights at the FIDH, the International Federation for Human Rights, and volunteering at the UNDP's environmental governance program. She has a background in human rights and European Union policy. Originally from Canada, Marie-Ève has lived in several countries and is fluent in English, Spanish, and French and she is currently learning Dutch.

Caterina Rende Dominis is the Youth Engagement Officer. Having finished her MA in International Relations at the University of Bologna, she began her professional path as a youth advocate for Croatian citizens at the EU level. After a long-term experience as a youth worker and EU project manager on the local level in Croatia, she worked in cabinets at the European Parliament and Commission. She is fluent in Italian, Croatian and English, and has a working knowledge of French and German.

Reece Parslow is UK Public Affairs Officer at 5Rights Foundation. He has previously worked in the UK Parliament, having worked for members of both the House of Commons and House of Lords as a Parliamentary Assistant. He has a background in parliamentary and legislative affairs, graduating from the University of Hull with a BA in British Politics and Legislative Studies.

Bojan Pavlovic is a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) consultant with a wealth of experience in monitoring and evaluation within the context of child rights and digital technology. With a background in social research and data analysis, he has honed his skills in assessing the impact of digital policies and interventions on young people and children. The commitment to leveraging data for informed decision-making and advocating for the ethical treatment of children in the digital sphere has solidified his reputation as a consultant in the field. As the M&E focal point for 5Rights Foundation, he brings a wealth of experience and expertise in monitoring and evaluation practices within the realm of child rights and digital technology.

Liz Rivers is the Office Manager at 5Rights. Liz joined the team in June 2023, coming from a large independent school where she led the Admissions team. Liz has a management background and many years of leading teams.

Marisa Shea is Senior Policy Manager at 5Rights U.S., a joint 5Rights-Reset project. Marisa brings with her extensive knowledge of the legislative process and children and youth policy. She joined 5Rights from the California Senate Human Services Committee where she served as Chief Consultant.  Prior to that, Marisa was counsel to the California Senate Judiciary Committee, and a Policy Advocate for the California Court Appointed Special Advocates Association.  Marisa received her Bachelor of Science degree from Cazenovia College and her Juris Doctor from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.

Ray Tomlinson is the Junior Communications Officer at 5Rights Foundation. He’s previously worked as a Social Impact Researcher for Medialab UK, and as a writer for Release’s online news platform, TalkingDrugs. He holds a BSC in Politics from Cardiff University and an MSc in International Development from the University of Manchester.

Nicola White is the Executive Assistant to Baroness Kidron. She was a part of the production team for the film, Victoria & Abdul (produced by Kidron), and has been involved in 5Rights since its inception in 2014. Previously, she worked at Tiger Aspect Productions.