Romana Cacchioli
Secretary General, PEN International
Romana Cacchioli joined PEN International in 2014 as Director of International Programmes. She has been its Executive Director since 2020 and works closely
with the International Board to manage the day-to-day operations of the
Secretariat based in London, with oversight of the organization’s work including
emergency support to writers at risk, strategy and programmatic development.
Romana has over 25 years of experience working in human rights, including at
Anti-Slavery International where she led their Programmes and Advocacy team in
advocating for reform in law and policy and redress through national courts for those
affected by slavery. She also worked as a Programme Coordinator with Interights – the
International Centre for the Protection of Human Rights where she coordinated
programmes in Asia and Africa.