Koulla Yiasouma  was appointed Chair of the Board of Management on 1 June 2023 by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, TD.

Koulla is a qualified social worker. She established the first 24-hour telephone helpline for women who were experiencing domestic abuse before she joined Include Youth in 1998 as their first Director (Chief Executive).  The organisation supports young people who were care experienced and/or had been involved in the criminal justice system to improve their employability through work experience, training and education. They are also the primary policy and advocacy NGO in Northern Ireland for young people in the criminal justice system.

She was the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People and her eight-year term ended in March 2023. The Commissioner is the independent children’s rights institution and is required, by legislation, to safeguard the rights of children and young people, monitoring and advising every aspect of government.

She has also been awarded the role of Honorary Professor of Practice by Queens University Belfast and will be working closely with the Centre for Children’s Rights in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work.

Koulla is Greek Cypriot and was born and lived in London until 1994 when she moved to Northern Ireland, where she still lives. She is married with two adult daughters.