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TEAM

Operations Director

Uta Ibrahimi

Professional Mountaineer and a Trail Runner. Founder of Utalaya Foundation, and a certified mountain guide. UN SDG Champion. The 1st Kosovar - Albanian woman to scale Mt. Everest. A dedicated nature lover and fierce advocate for its protection. She is currently on a multi -year expedition “Utalaya 14x8000” to summit all 14 highest peaks on the planet. So far, she has climbed 13 of them. Just one more to go!
With a former experience in marketing, management and operations, Uta is a very straight to the point, clear team player who delegates and executes work in a very precise and instructive manner. Beside her professionalism she also has this intuitive side that makes her the strongest asset to the Foundation.
Logistics

Fahmi Drda

Fahmi is a very flexible person with a solid experience in logistics, organizational management, and event coordination. He is a passionate mountaineer and has been a dedicated member of the mountaineering society SH.B. "SHARRI" since 2014 later promoted in the management board. So far he has climbed all highest Peaks of Kosovo and Albania and is aiming to climb more in the region.
His positive attitude creates and air of comfort for everybody around him. His self-sacrificing nature drives his active and continuous engagement in voluntary and charity work. He recently participated in a mountaineering training organized by NATUR Kosovo. With his active engagement in similar trainings, he continuously improves his knowledge and align the society's activities with UIAA standards, thus demonstrating his commitment to both personal growth and the advancement of the mountaineering community.
Management

Metodi Chilimanov

Ski guide - CEO of Shar Outdoors company. Passionate Mountaineer and Trail Runner. An experienced UIMLA certified mountain leader. In the UIMLA program Metodi is also part of the instructor’s team, specialized in winter tours and avalanche safety. He spends most of his time exploring Sharr, in winter and summer and he likes to make the Sharr Mountains shine and bloom and increase their recognition.
Besides that, Meto is a highly creative and enthusiastic person who will always come up with some amazing ideas for new projects. With his positive energy, charisma and easy going mindset he is a joy to have in each project, often serving as a versatile focal point that deals with management, lorgistics, copywriting and whatnot.
Graphic Design

Arbër Matoshi

Arbër is a highly skilled professional in graphic design, web development and social media management, with extensive experience in creating engaging campaigns for sports, social campaigns and environmentalist initiatives. He is a highly attentive listener and will always include every detail by shaping it in his very own unique, neat design style. Combining a technical, practical and a creative approach, Arbër always makes sure to bring the best options to the table. Most importantly he is very patient and will train or explain everything in thorough detail, not once or twice but even many more times if necessary.
Project Coordinator

Tuba Safçiu

Tuba is able to combine flexibility with an unquenchable desire to take on a variety of tasks. She is known for a creative but also methodical approach making her great at project management and coordination.
She is a dynamic force at Utalaya Foundation, methodically monitoring and coordinating work outputs across all stages and providing donors with complete evaluation reports. She has compiled and authored projects with the aim of leaving a lasting influence. Tuba is actively involved in developing project marketing strategies and disseminating content through NGOs' media platforms.
Project Manager

Vigan Hoxha

Vigan is an experienced Project Manager / Designer, with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. He is an avid ultra trail-runner of more than 5 years and participant in numerous regional ultra trail-running races, and has been a promoter of trail-running ever since. He has been both a runner in the HSU's 1st edition (109km), race-course marking team, and managed / coordinated the HSU social media page.
With his long experience in project managing and will often tend to combine all aspects from his versatile profile, making sure the outcome of each project targets the right groups and hits the desired objectives.
Finance Manager

Lum Ademi

Lum contributes state-of-the-art experience to the management and oversight of the financial components of both current and future projects. He holds a solid degree in finance, banking, and accounting in addition to a certification from The Society of Certified Accountants and Auditors of Kosovo. Experienced at multitasking and possessing an intuitive touch from his considerable project expertise, Lum responds to requests quickly and accurately, ensuring a smooth operational workflow. He monitors daily work, controls yearly budgets, applies tactics for managing liquidity risk, and carries out operational plans with great attention to detail. Strong in asset supervision, proficient in QuickBooks Enterprise Edition, Lum guarantees the seamless cash flow of projects, compiles budget proposals for new projects, creates thorough financial reports for donors, and puts together annual financial reports for audits—all while upholding donors' regulations and procurement protocols with full adherence.