Lilly is an Iranian-American living in the UK since 2006. She graduated from Smith College in 2002 with a degree in Anthropology and International Relations. Her first job out of school was working with the Director of Refugee Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Since then she has had a few different careers and is currently connecting the dots and coming full circle.

In the last 5 years Lilly served as Director of Talent at Maker Studios, the world’s largest short form digital media company, which was acquired by Disney in 2013. Working with some of the most subscribed YouTubers in the world, she has been at the forefront of video creation for digital, millennial audiences, helping to define how advertisers, commissioners and publishers work with this new generation of creatives.

Lilly was born in New York a year after her parents fled the Iranian revolution. Growing up, her sense of not belonging led to a lifelong series of questions that has now driven her to address the opportunities and conflicts raised by refugee resettlement.

“In a political environment of increasing prejudice towards foreigners, it is crucial for young people to learn about the experiences that create refugees, to see the human faces and stories behind the label of ‘refugee,’ and also to learn about how all societies benefit from recognising the needs of both the newcomers and host communities.”

Lilly took part in the 2018 Gather Fellowship, SE Forum’s partnership with Seeds of Peace.