JERUSALEM (JTA) — The director of a foundation in London was awarded the 2018 J.J. Greenberg Award from the Jewish Funders Network at its International Conference in Tel Aviv.

Amy Braier, director of the Pears Foundation, is the 15^th recipient of the award, and the first based in the United Kingdom. She accepted the award, which honors foundation professionals age 40 and under engaged in grant making, who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in Jewish philanthropy, on Thursday during the conference in Tel Aviv.

Sir Trevor Pears, the foundation’s executive chair and trustee, said in a statement that Braier’s contribution to the foundation “is immeasurable. I am so glad it has been recognized in this way, as her quiet and humble manner means she rarely receives the accolades that she very much deserves.”

“Amy embodies grace, intelligence, and thoughtful Jewish values,” adds Sally Berkovic, CEO of Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe. “I have seen her challenge ‘accepted wisdoms’ and provoke discussion in a constructive way that demonstrates that Amy is not subject to peer pressure What I admire about Amy is her ability to do this in the most unassuming and modest way, which suggests a strong inner sense of self and a quiet confidence.”

A graduate of the University of Cambridge, Braier has been director of the foundation since 2012. In addition to overseeing the foundation’s grant-making and operations she leads its Holocaust education and higher education work, helping to establish the University College London Centre for Holocaust Education, the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism and the UK Task Force on issues relating to Arab citizens of Israel.

The JJ Greenberg Memorial Award was created and endowed by his family, friends and colleagues as a memorial for Jonathan Joseph Greenberg following his untimely death in a traffic accident in 2002, at the age of 36.