Ka Man Parkinson is Communications Lead at the Humanitarian Leadership Academy where she leads global engagement, storytelling and advocacy as part of the organisation’s convening strategy – connecting people and ideas across the sector to help accelerate the movement for locally led humanitarian action.
In 2025, Ka Man initiated the first global study tracking how humanitarians are using AI in their work, co-led in partnership with Data Friendly Space. Reaching over 4,200 practitioners across 140+ countries by January 2026, this research and convening initiative tracks how the sector is really using AI, in support of advocacy for collective action in humanitarian AI.
Ka Man’s interdisciplinary background – spanning two decades in nonprofit communications and marketing, a technical education in management and IT and practice as an EMCC-qualified coach and mentor – shapes her holistic, people-centred approach. She leads the HLA webinar series and is host of the Fresh Humanitarian Perspectives podcast. Ka Man is based near Manchester, UK.
Posts
AI could be a lever for localisation – but genuine partnership and investment is needed
From a year of dialogue with humanitarian practitioners across the ecosystem, the message is clear: AI could be a genuine lever for localisation – but only if there is renewed thinking, partnership and intentional investment, Ka Man Parkinson at Save the Children argues.