Samir Lakhani is a social entrepreneur dedicated to restoring health and dignity to developing countries. Before founding Eco-Soap Bank in 2014, Samir was deeply involved in aquaculture and nutrition projects in northern Cambodian villages. He has also developed solar lighting solution projects in Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Through his six years of nonprofit work in the areas of nutrition, water accessibility, and sanitation/hygiene, he has witnessed firsthand how delivering key products like soap transform the health and well-being of impoverished communities.Samir received a CNN Heroes Award for Eco-Soap Bank in 2017 and a Unilever Young Entrepreneurs award in 2018. He also recently gave a TEDx Talk.He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA.

Robert Nicholson spent the first 15 years of his career in the commercial nuclear industry managing environmental programs with a specific focus on waste recycling and ISO 14001 system development at facilities across the US. In 2003, he founded Uniwaste Services Corp, a specialized recycling company that specifically managed mercury and lead containing devices, including cathode ray tubes. He developed a collection infrastructure throughout the United States which was utilized by OEMs such as Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba and Mitsubishi. In 2012, he co-founded NEO Energy LLC. NEO was developed to explore the potential for creating energy projects in the US that use food waste to produce renewable energy and convert the resulting material into organic fertilizer. He received two patents for a conversion process he developed for producing fertilizer from liquid digestate.

Lucy is a Commercial Leader with over 14 years experience in multiple countries and categories within the CPG industry. A lifelong interest in people, places and culture ignited a curiosity in why people think and act the way they do and ultimately led Lucy to a degree in Anthropology and Modern Languages and a subsequent career in Marketing.
Her early career was spent building core skills in Sales and Marketing before moving on to leadership roles delivering large-scale Business Transformation. She is now passionate about using those skills to deliver Social and Environmental Impact at scale through her work at Eco-Soap Bank.
Originally from the UK, Lucy enjoys her free time exploring her home state of North Carolina and the wider US with her young family.

Tricia is a social entrepreneur dedicated to the development of equitable and regenerative economic systems. She believes strongly in the capacity of the human heart and mind to create a thriving planet where all beings can flourish. Innovation and compassion are at the core. Tricia has worked with diverse stakeholders across the globe in roles ranging from financial consultant to banks in West Africa, to field researcher for a multi-country UNFPA public health project, to start-up consultant for a cryptocurrency startup in the US. She earned an MBA in social enterprise and international development from The George Washington University in DC and a BS in Psychology from The University of Pittsburgh. Tricia is also passionate about dance & community building. She founded and has run the Ecstatic Dance Pittsburgh community for over five years and travels to retreats and workshops to share her joy of movement to bodies of all ages & abilities.

Johan Botha is an experienced Manager with a wealth of experience in the retail FMCG sales and operations sector. Johan thrives on ensuring teams are not just aligned but empowered to excel in their roles, driving both individual and collective success. Johan is deeply committed to the transformative process that maximizes effectiveness in every aspect, be it fostering employee growth, refining products, or optimizing services. His dedication to holistic development and unwavering focus on outcomes drive his approach to leadership.

Jeff Fusco is an experienced sales professional with a background in specialty pharmacy sales. After working with patients in the U.S. who couldn't afford expensive medication, he appreciates the value of soap as a preventative measure. Jeff graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in Telecommunication, focusing on the management of media business and advertising. When he isn't slinging soap, Jeff is an avid traveler, baker, video gamer, and pun maker.

Lauren has spent the last decade cultivating relationships as a volunteer, fundraiser, and grassroots organizer. She has endeavored to create strong, ethical partnerships with volunteers and communities locally and internationally. Over the last ten years as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of U.S. Operations for the international nonprofit, Pauline Juliet “PJ,” she has been a writer, speaker, organizer, fundraiser, planner, and everything in between. PJ is a community-led initiative working towards sustainable change for women and girls in rural Uganda.While building an organization, she earned two degrees: an MS in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Public Service from the University of Pittsburgh. Lauren has always believed learning is a continuous and endless pursuit that is the responsibility of those in the social sector; not only does she understand the power of formal education, but she pushes herself to learn every day from those around her.

Markus is a social researcher now focusing on women’s empowerment and public health across Africa and Asia. He leads all research and monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) work at the organization. Markus holds a Master of Science in Development Studies from Lund University, Sweden, as well as Bachelor of Arts in International Relations.

Pratima Bhandari is the Hub Director at Eco Soap Bank's Nepal Hub, joining in October 2023. With over 19 years of diverse professional experience, Pratima has honed her skills in multitasking and project management, working effectively with various teams across different sectors. She has a strong background in administration, training, and legal affairs, holding a Master's degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor's degree in Law from Tribhuwan University, Nepal.
Pratima is passionate about her work at Eco Soap Bank, where she aims to leverage her extensive experience to drive the Nepal Hub's success and contribute to the broader mission of promoting sustainable hygiene practices.

Obama Africa Leader 2018, Unilever Plastics Pact Awardee, and Mail and Guardian 200 Young South Africans 2023 Award Winner Sharon Rapetswa is the Eco Soap Bank South African Local Hub Leader. She holds two qualifications in Project Management and in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management.  As a young social activist passionate about youth and children education she co-founded New Dawn Foundation and Ilitha Leseding Foundation. She started working at 19 as a marketing assistant at a food factory and a branding company in South Africa. She started her nonprofit sector career at Starfish Greatheart Foundation as an events coordinator and has since then worked for several nonprofit organizations that were focused on child health and welfare. Sharon moved up the ladder and worked as a funding instrument administrator at two grantmaking and philanthropic organizations.  After the birth of her triplet daughters she founded Triple Shine Foundation and ran it part-time to realize her passion for environmental sustainability in the circular business sector. She took over the full-time Directorship of Triple Shine Foundation and became the Eco Soap Bank South African National Hub Leader in 2021 and has led the organization since.