Omid was founded by Marjaneh Halati, a London-based social psychologist and psychotherapist. The Omid concept is her brainchild, and it is her vision that has created its distinctive holistic approach to helping vulnerable and disadvantaged young women achieve self-awareness, self-determination and self-sufficiency in modern Iranian society. She works with all four Omid charities (Iran, USA, UK, and Canada) in order to bringing new solutions to complex problems. She does this with uniqueness, effectiveness and originality.

Born in Iran, Marjaneh moved to the United Kingdom when she was 12 years old. After finishing her undergraduate education in the USA, she completed her MS Degree at the London School of Economics in Social Psychology where her work focused on domestic violence. She did her PhD work at the University of Cambridge, where her work focused on the institution of marriage in Iran.