Anne Philpott

Annie is a public health professional, pleasure propagandist and ‘guerrilla girl’ of HIV prevention. She founded ’The Pleasure Project’ in 2004, in frustration of endless AIDS meetings where no one talked about people’s motivations for having sex, or even pretended sexually transmitted infections were airborne. Annie has over 20 peer-reviewed articles in respected health journals and more in the mainstream media, and has been a speaker at international conferences, promoting pleasure in sex education and as the ultimate indicator of female empowerment. She has also published articles on nutrition and disease prevention services. 

Annie has learnt from many, through her varied career in both delivery of sex education and frontline services, to managing grants and commissioning health programmes. Annie developed her passion for sexual and public health, through working with one of the UK’s first teenage pregnancy projects in the UK, domestic violence refuges in London and by starting many of the world’s first female condom programmes. She also worked in South Africa during the early years of the AIDS epidemic. She has lived and worked in the UK, South Africa, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand in a variety of roles. Annie has a degree in Psychology and a Masters (MSc) in Health Policy from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Arushi Singh

Arushi became a Pleasure Propagandist in 2006 and started with training young people to sexy up their sex education in India, the UK, Bangladesh and Vietnam, doing pleasure body mapping at the Bali conference on AIDS in Asia-Pacific, and encouraging all to draw on our Great Wall of Vagina in Delhi. She has been providing technical consultancy to several international NGOs and UN agencies across Asia and parts of Africa on adolescent and youth sexuality, gender and rights, and sex-positive and pleasure-based approaches to sexual health. 

She has conducted multi-country assessments, scoping studies and desk reviews, developed toolkits and training curricula, done qualitative and participatory evaluations of large-scale, multi-country projects on ASRHR, women’s rights and advocacy, and facilitated regional and international consultations and workshops for UN and government officials, NGO personnel, service providers, and diverse young people, including key populations. 

Previously, she worked for the International Planned Parenthood Federation’s (IPPF) South Asia Regional Office and was responsible for leading the strategy on adolescents’ and young people’s SRHR programmes across South Asia. She also worked for Amnesty International’s India Office and the Commonwealth Youth Programme’s Asia Centre. Arushi has a Masters degree in Globalisation and Communications from the University of Leicester, UK.

Elena Ascione

Elena is a seasoned expert in digital media, she has experience campaigning for SRHR and sexual identity diversity inclusion, with special attention toward LGBTQIA+ rights, in youth led organizations like CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, NGOs such as Chayn Italia, and cultural institutions. Working as our Communication and Advocacy Associate, Elena offers a background in both B.A. Linguistic and Cultural Mediation as well as M.A. Gender Studies thereby meeting a vital and much overlooked intersection between cross-cultural communication and activism. Currently, she is pursuing a second M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Verona. Elena is active in a variety of grassroot transfeminist queer collectives that mobilize ideas through alternative pedagogies such as storytelling and collective learning through art. Elena believes firmly in the importance to bridge the gap between grassroot feminist approaches and advocacy.

Francesca Barolo

Francesca brings a wealth of experience in women’s rights and sexual health advocacy, spanning over two decades across grassroots to national and international levels. Her ethos is grounded in a staunch rejection of discrimination and oppression, propelled by an enduring dedication to fairness and justice. Born in Italy and now based in India for more than 20 years, Francesca joined the team in 2021. With a strong academic background including an MA in Sociology from Delhi School of Economics and an MA in Peacekeping Management from the University of Turin, she leads operations at The Pleasure Project to drive impactful change. 

Lori Younissess

Lori is a dedicated advocate and educator with a background in International Studies and Legal Studies from American University in Washington, DC. Currently pursuing her Master’s in Sexual Health from the University of Minnesota, Lori is deeply committed to promoting sexual health education from an intersectional and decolonial perspective. 

With a passion for LGBTQ+ advocacy and a strong belief in the importance of comprehensive sex education, Lori has volunteered her time at Crisis Lines and Victims’ Services, providing support to those in need. Her diverse experiences have shaped her approach to sexual health education, emphasizing inclusivity and empowerment. Drawing on her expertise in policy and legal advocacy, Lori brings a unique perspective to her role as Programmes Coordinator at The Pleasure Project. In this capacity, she oversees and manages the Fellowship Program and Community of Practice, ensuring that initiatives are aligned with the organization’s values of advancing pleasure-centric sexual health. 

Lori’s multicultural background, with roots in Armenian and Lebanese heritage, informs her work in fostering a more inclusive and diverse approach to sexual health advocacy. Based in Washington DC, she is dedicated to advancing the mission of The Pleasure Project and promoting positive sexual health outcomes for all. With a wealth of experience in research, NGO operations, and event coordination, Lori is well-equipped to lead initiatives that drive meaningful change in sexual health education and advocacy. 

Shahzarin Khan

Shahzarin works as Research and Knowledge Sharing Associate. She is an Indian sex researcher, based in the US. She is pursuing a PhD in public health at Indiana University Bloomington. Her research focuses on sexual pleasure for South Asian women. Her research explores the qualitative experiences of masturbation among Indian women as well as the sexual pleasure experiences of South Asian women who have experienced sexual violence. Through her work, she aims to promote healthy sexual and romantic relationships for young people in South Asia. Shahzarin has worked in India in multinational companies, international NGOs, social enterprises and early stage startups. She started her career in the investment banking sector and has gone to work in the non-profit sector and academia. In her last jobs, she worked in the role of grant management and program monitoring in the themes of abortion and sexuality education at a philanthropy organization and in the role of operations for a gender based violence project. She has a multidisciplinary academic background with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Masters in Economics from BITS Pilani, and a post graduate diploma in Liberal arts from Ashoka University.