Sanela Diana Jenkins (born Sanela Dijana Ćatić; 1973) is an

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

who was born and raised in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. She currently resides in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Jenkins fled her home country during the

siege of Sarajevo The siege of Sarajevo () was a prolonged military blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the ethnically charged Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by Serbian forces of the Yugoslav People's Arm ...

and immigrated to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where she studied at

City University, London City, University of London was a public university from 1966 to 2024 in London, England. It merged with St George's, University of London to form City St George's, University of London in August 2024. The names "City, University of London" and ...

Career

After graduating with a degree in Computer Science and Economics from

, she acquired the swimwear line Melissa Odabash. In 2009, Sanela created and launched the Neuro line of functional beverages based in

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks (founded in 1927) is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, California within the San Fernando Valley region. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density ...

where she currently is President and CEO. Diana Jenkins is the founder and CEO of D Empire Entertainment, a music label that represents emerging and established artists within the intersection of traditional and innovative media strategy, branding, publicity, recording, distribution and licensing. In 2021, Jenkins joined the cast of ''

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' (abbreviated as ''RHOBH'') is an American reality television series which has been broadcast on Bravo since October 14, 2010. Developed as the sixth installment of '' The Real Housewives'' franchise, i ...

'' for the twelfth season. She made her debut in May 2022. In January 2023, Jenkins departed the show after only one season. Jenkins and DEmpire Entertainment produced '' Sevap / Mitzvah'' which was released in 2023. Sevap/Mitzvah won best short film at the Humanitas Awards in October of 2023.

Philanthropic activities

Sanela Diana Jenkins established The Irnis Catic Foundation in 2002 in memory of her brother who was killed during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

. The foundation provides essential funding to the medical facilities at the

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...

. In 2009, Diana Jenkins was awarded the Peace Connection prize by the Center for Peace and Multi-Ethnic Cooperation. On May 5, 2018, Jenkins was honored at the Advisory Council for Bosnia & Herzegovina Gala in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

for her continued support and philanthropic activities in the country. Along with

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. Known for his leading man roles on screen in both blockbuster and independent films, Clooney has received numerous accolades, including two Ac ...

, Jenkins hosted an A-List fundraiser in Mayfair London in 2008 for the victims of Darfur, raising over £10 million. She established the Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

in August 2008. The clinic concentrates on legal advocacy, political advocacy and documentation. It is the first endowed program on international justice and human rights at any law school in the western United States. In 2009, Jenkins founded the Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project along with Richard Steinberg. Together, they hosted the Sanela Diana Jenkins Clinic on Gender Violence in Eastern Congo. The Clinic has established the Restore the Village Project, which is conducted a series of humanitarian interventions in villages affected by mass rape attacks, and is carefully studying the effects of these interventions in order to determine how to best help communities in need and better understand the phenomenon of mass rape. Immediately following the

2010 earthquake in Haiti 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, Jenkins and actor

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...

established the Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization to deliver hospital supplies and provide medical care to thousands of displaced Haitians. She compared the long-term recovery in Haiti to that in Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighted the need for basic humanitarian aid, and argued that the U.S. military should not leave the country prematurely. In March 2010, Jenkins posted bail for former

President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: ''Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine'' / ''Федерација Босне и Херцеговине'') is one of the two Politi ...

Ejup Ganić Ejup Ganić (born 3 March 1946) is a Bosnian engineer, politician and academic who served as President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1997 to 1999 and from 2000 to 2001. A former member of the Party of Democratic Action, he also ...

, who was detained in London on a Serbian extradition request. Sanela was honored with the Enduring Vision award by the

Elton John AIDS Foundation The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is a nonprofit organization, established by musician Sir Elton John in 1992 in the United States and 1993 in the United Kingdom to support innovative HIV prevention, education programs, direct care and s ...

for her activism in the fight against

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. Sanela produced a photography book entitled "Room 23", photographed by

Deborah Anderson Deborah Leigh Anderson (born 16 December 1970) is an English musician, photographer, and film director. Her early music work was as a vocalist on her father Jon Anderson's albums. Her 1995 single " Feel the Sunshine" was her first song that cha ...

. Many of the celebrities in the book are friends of Jenkins, including

and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

. Proceeds from the sale of the book benefit several philanthropic programs. In 2022, Jenkins founded the Sunela Foundation with a donation of $100,000 for the victims of Lion Air Flight 601.

Personal life

In 1999, she married Roger Jenkins who was a prominent executive at

Barclays Bank Barclays PLC (, occasionally ) is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services ...

. The couple met at the gym at the

Barbican A barbican (from ) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe Medieval Europeans typically b ...

, where Jenkins was living after the end of his marriage to his first wife, a banker at Barclays. During their 10 year marriage, they had two children together, a son, Innis, and a daughter, Eneya.Cadwalladr, Carole
"Diana Jenkins: Accidental Philanthropist"

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

, 27 September 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-22. In 2020, Jenkins welcomed a daughter, Eliyanah, with then-boyfriend

Asher Monroe Asher Monroe Book (born September 18, 1988), known professionally as Asher Monroe, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor. In 2006, after starring in an extensive run of national tours including ''The Sound of Music'', ''Oliver!'', ...

. The couple subsequently announced their engagement. Jenkins later suffered a miscarriage. In December 2022, it was announced that the couple were expecting another child. In August 2023, Jenkins gave birth to a baby girl, Elodie Mae Book.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Sanela Diana 1973 births Living people Alumni of City, University of London Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Businesspeople from Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to the United Kingdom British emigrants to the United States Yugoslav Wars refugees Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to the United States 21st-century women philanthropists 21st-century businesswomen