Our Team

Carl Queiros

Carl Queiros is the Executive Director of CCI, and he is passionate about the cause of childhood cancer. He has over 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector, including his involvement in childhood cancer for over seven years. He was CEO of CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa from August 2014 to October 2020 . He was also the chairperson of the CCI Africa Regional Committee, and member of the CCI board (2018-2020).

Prior to entering the childhood cancer sector, Carl call worked in various senior positions for a number of global NGOs, including Mercy Ships and Habitat for Humanity.

Carl holds an Honours Degree in Psychology and Law. He is a husband and proud father of two daughters. In his spare time he rides his bicycle for the CHOC Cows to raise money for childhood cancer.

director@cci.care
+27 83822 5044 (South Africa)
+351 91207 5796 (Portugal)

Ellen Salvado

Ellen Salvado joined the CCI team in 2024. She takes care of the financial and membership administration and supports the CCI board of trustees and executive director in their activities. Childhood Cancer is a cause close to Ellen’s heart as she lost her sister at a young age to an acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Ellen has Master’s degree in Healthcare Management and speaks fluent Portuguese, Dutch and English. After living 10 years in The Netherlands she is now based in Lisbon, Portugal where she enjoys her time with husband and daughter.

headoffice@cci.care

Maria Passinhas

Maria joined the CCI team as an Administrative Assistant in January 2026. Similar to Ellen, her responsibilities include taking care of financial and membership administration, as well as supporting the CCI Board of Trustees and Executive Director in their activities.

Born in Beja and currently living in Albufeira, in the south of Portugal, Maria has built a professional and personal path shaped by diversity, curiosity, and, above all, a strong people-centred approach.

Throughout her professional journey, she has gained experience in areas such as healthcare, real estate, and tourism, while also nurturing her creative side through fashion and styling.

Guided by empathy and a strong sense of social responsibility, Maria supports both people and animals through volunteer work. Outside of her professional life, she finds balance and inspiration in nature and enjoys dedicating time to her fashion creations, where creativity continues to be a meaningful part of who she is.

headoffice@cci.care

Raluca Popa

Raluca joined CCI Global in January 2024 and is responsible for managing global programmes dedicated to member organisations. She oversees the implementation of operational grants (Home Away from Home, NutritiON!), supports regional capacity-building initiatives such as Coursera, Knowledge Portal, Enlace, and the planning and execution of the annual global conference.

Before joining CCI, Raluca worked in the international non-profit sector, coordinating humanitarian programmes for minority groups, children living in extreme poverty, and refugees.

Raluca holds a degree in Economics and Statistics, though she is more likely to talk about her true passion: humanitarian action.
She lives in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, surrounded by nature – which for Raluca, her partner and their dog is a great ‘playground’.

programmemanager@cci.care

Erzsébet Szécsényi

Erzsébet joined CCI in January 2026 as Communication and Brand Manager. In her role, she focuses on building CCI’s brand identity, creating clear and impactful messaging, strengthening digital and social media presence, and supporting engagement with our global community.

She has been active in the childhood cancer field for many years, contributing her communications experience to multiple organisations through both professional and volunteer work. To broaden her experience, she also worked in a global advertising agency in Prague, gaining insights from the for-profit world.

Non-violent communication is close to her heart, and she has spent many summers at youth camps honing these skills while helping create meaningful experiences for children and young adults.

Outside of work, she is teaching herself to play the kalimba, enjoys books that challenge and transform the reader, and says that if she could hear any musical piece for the first time again, it would be Dvořák’s New World Symphony.

Erzsébet is a childhood cancer survivor, and her personal experience drives her commitment to supporting children and families affected by the disease.

communications@cci.care

Simon Lala

Simon is a New Zealand Chartered Accountant operating his Public Practice for over 40 years. He has extensive experience in advising the commercial and the charities sectors.

Simon Lala became involved with Childhood Cancer after his daughter Tess was diagnosed with leukaemia. Over the past 30 years Simon has held various board positions within the NZ Cancer Foundations and Child Cancer International, including being the Chairman for both organisations at various times.

In recognition of his services to Childhood Cancer, Simon was awarded a Queens Honour, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2013.

He is a Life Member of the NZ Child Cancer Foundation and Child Cancer International.

To fulfil his vision of helping children with cancer in developing countries Simon was instrumental in the formation of World Child Cancer (UK) in 2007.

In 2010 he established The World Child Cancer Charitable Trust (NZ) to specifically fund the Pacific Child Cancer project, which he continues to Chair.

Outside of his profession and charity involvement, Simon has a keen interest in sports, travelling and spending quality family time with his wife Sue, daughters Wanita and Tess, son-in-law Mikko and two grandchildren.