Peace shouldn’t be a dream.

Ian Chandler

Ian’s been engaged in the struggle for social and environmental justice for most of their life, through work and as a volunteer activist. They led Oxfam’s campaigning and Amnesty International’s media work, and as a consultant, have worked with environmental, human rights and development organisations around the world to support their advocacy and campaigning. They’re now a County Councillor in Wales representing the Green Party and have just been appointed as the council’s LGBTQ+ champion.

Tanya Kearns

Tanya Kearns is based in Belfast, N. Ireland. Since gaining a Bachelor of Arts in Community Youth Work in 2015, she’s been working in the charity sector locally on various peacebuilding, social action, well-being and arts-based projects. She’s an experienced Community Facilitator with a passion for empowering communities and promoting positive social change.

Wahida Shaffi

Wahida lives in Bradford and has over 20 years’ experience of working with diverse communities from across the UK. She is a qualified social worker, vocational assessor and trainer and author of the book Our Stories Our Lives: Inspiring Muslim Women’s Voices. She completed her MA in international politics and security studies at the University of Bradford’s Department of Peace Studies. She has facilitated, delivered training, curated stories, completed research, developed, directed and managed programmes and produced films on a wide range of issues related to equality, diversity, participation, gender, conflict and interfaith locally, nationally and internationally including in Sri-Lanka, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Romania and Pakistan.

Katrine Turner

Katrine Turner is a theatre practitioner, facilitator and project co-ordinator from Glasgow. She has a wide range of experiences working with communities and has led workshops in youth theatres, schools, nurseries, community centres, art galleries and theatres. She also works as a freelance theatre maker, specifically creating performances for children and teenagers. Her work has been selected for development by Imaginate, Edinburgh International Childrens Festival, O2 Think Big, Theatre Delicatessen, the English Theater Berlin, Cove Park and Tramway. Katrine currently works part time as an Engagement Co-Ordinator and Arts Practitioner at Firefly Arts.

Rosa Hopkins

Rosa joined Together As One (Aik Saath) in 2015 after completing an MA in Conflict Resolution at the University of Bradford. She previously studied International Relations and Politics at the University of Sheffield focusing on post-conflict reconstruction and traditional forms of mediation. Rosa leads Together As One’s training programmes in schools and works with young volunteers to deliver workshops and social action projects. Recently, Rosa has co-ordinated young volunteers at Slough’s Vaccination Centre and the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) campaign group. She’s been a member of The Woodcraft Folk for over 20 years and has run programmes on international camps, attended mediation and conflict seminars and sat on committees. Rosa is a qualified canoeing instructor – in her spare time she enjoys being outdoors and likes walking, kayaking, and camping. She is also a governor at a local primary school.

Sultana Y. Chowdhury

Sultana is passionate about social action and community organising and development to support a more equal, cohesive and thriving society for all. Combining years of advocating for primary schools with safer roads and promoting climate change policies, she is dedicated to promoting local heroes in her area. Sultana is a respected community member of East London and is proud of its rich diversity and talent.

Bob Berg

A well-known figure in the peacebuilding world, Bob founded the Office of Evaluation at the US Agency for International Development, was chair of evaluation for the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, served as President of the International Development Conference, and as senior advisor for various UN bodies including UNESCO and UNDP. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, whose 100+ member organisations work on conflict resolution and conflict prevention in 156 countries.

Mohammad Haider

Mohammad is a qualified Chartered Accountant and experienced senior leader with a variety of experience across different industries within commercial, not-for-profit and charitable organisations. He is a great believer in the ability of collective local action to be a catalyst for impactful global change & hopes to see a shift towards disarmament and a greater desire for justice within the world.

Dylan Mathews

Dylan Mathews is CEO of Peace Direct. His commitment to supporting local organisations in the global south spans almost twenty years, during which time he has worked for a range of peacebuilding, international development and humanitarian organisations. While working for the peacebuilding think tank Oxford Research Group, he authored ‘War Prevention Works’ which profiled the role of non-state actors in conflict prevention and resolution – a publication that helped launch Peace Direct in 2004. He is the editor of ‘Working with Conflict 2’ a practical toolkit for local peacebuilders, published in 2020. Dylan is the Vice Chair of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, a global peacebuilding network based in Washington DC.

Darshita Gilles

Darshita was born in Mumbai, India. After qualifying as ‘47th all-India rank’ Chartered Accountant she worked at board level of Standard Chartered Bank. She is the founder of Maanch: the first and fast-growing global impact platform to facilitate funding to worthy projects using the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She works closely with the UN, religious institutions, governments, MNCs, non-profits, fellow impact investors and family offices.Her experience builds on and blends 4 facets – ‘Finance and Strategy’, ‘Leadership Development’, ‘Technology’ and ‘Planetary Sustainability’.

Deborah Henderson

Deborah is a London-based leadership, team, culture and systemic coach (22 years) and former investment banker (16 years). She supports leaders -primarily within financial services- to examine their sense of purpose, values, relationship to money and their impact, in turn, on stakeholder relationships and the wider system. She supports examining the role the corporate world plays in global peace.

Andy Salmon

Andy Salmon CMG OBE has extensive experience of conflict and resolution from his front-line service with the Royal Marines. Andy is passionate about the importance of countries seeking peace and the ways in which this can be achieved. He has been an essential leader in the international concept of Human Security, fostering the protection of people and their rights. Currently, he heads Journey Through Conflict, an organization that values the cultural importance of countries in seeking peace.

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC is one of Britain’s most distinguished lawyers. She has spent her professional life giving voice to those who have least power within the system, championing civil liberties and promoting human rights. Baroness Kennedy was a commissioner on the National Commission for Education 1991-1993 and then chaired the Further Education Commission into Widening Participation which produced the seminal report, Learning Works in 1997.

Paul Ingram

Paul Ingram has several decades experience leading diverse and multicultural teams to impact decisions on existential threats, particularly nuclear war. He was the Executive Director of the transatlantic British American Security Information Council (BASIC) from 2007-2019, focusing on nuclear deterrence and disarmament issues in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Since 2019 he has worked closely with the Swedish Foreign Ministry crafting the Stepping Stones Approach. Paul also set up and ran the Trident Commission (2011-14) that considered Britain’s future nuclear weapon policy, and helped set up the Middle East Treaty Organisation in 2017. He has taught systems approaches at various universities. He also hosted a weekly TV talk show (2007-12) on state Iranian TV and connected with the highest levels of Iranian government, helping facilitate back-channel negotiations that contributed to the nuclear deal. He has also led several projects funded by the UK Foreign Office on Middle East WMD diplomacy and nuclear responsibilities. He was elected as a City Councillor in Oxford in 1996 and served as co-leader of the City Council in a shared administration from 2000-02. As the Green Party’s defence spokesperson he sat on the Stop the War Coalition Steering Group in the run-up to and after the war with Iraq in 2003. He was the first Chair of the Board for Crisis Action (2004-7), now an award-winning network with hundreds of partners and nine offices on four continents protecting civilians from the ravages of conflict.

Lord David Ramsbotham GCB CBE

Nobel Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Nobel Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a leading promoter of freedom, peace, justice, women’s empowerment and democratic rule. As Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state, she led Liberia from 2006-2018 through reconciliation and recovery following the nation’s decade-long civil war, as well as the Ebola crisis, winning international acclaim for achieving economic, social, and political change. Recognized as a global leader for women’s empowerment, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize for Peace in 2011. She is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the United States’ highest civilian award – and the Grand Croix of the Légion d’Honneur -France’s highest public distinction — for her personal courage and commitment to expanding freedom and improving the lives of Africans. President Sirleaf was named one of Forbes’ “100 Most Powerful Women in the World,” the most powerful woman in Africa (Forbes Africa, 2011), one of six “Women of the Year” (Glamour, 2010), among the 10 best leaders in the world (Newsweek, 2010) and top 10 female leaders (TIME, 2010).

Sir Mark Rylance

Sir Mark Rylance, Oscar winner, actor and former Artistic Director of the Globe Theatre, is a supporter of Conscience, Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), The Peace Pledge Union and World Development Movement (WDM). He was born in the UK in 1960 and raised in the USA until 1978. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he was given his first job by the Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow in 1981. Mark is also an Associate Artist of the RSC, a Friend of the Francis Bacon Research Trust and Chairman of the Shakespearean Authorship Trust. He is also a trustee of the Murray Cox Foundation, and an honorary bencher of the Middle Temple.

Professor Dr. Kingsley Moghalu

Dr. Kingsley Moghalu is the President of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation (IGET), a public policy think tank focused on inclusive growth, and the CEO of Sogato Strategies, a global investment advisory firm. He was recently a Special Envoy of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Post-Covid Development Finance for Africa. He was also formerly Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and Professor of Practice at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He previously served at the United Nations for 17 years in peacekeeping, legal and external affairs in New York, Cambodia, Croatia, Rwanda/Tanzania, and Switzerland, rising to the highest career rank of Director.

Lord Browne

Desmond Henry Browne, Lord Browne of Ladyton, is a Scottish politician who served in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as Secretary of State for Defence 2006 to 2008 and Secretary of State for Scotland from 2007 to 2008. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Kilmarnock and Loudoun from 1997 to 2010.

Dr Gertie Arts

Dr Gertie Arts is a strategist and innovator who advises on national and international political and administrative issues, including for the Ministry of Defence in the Netherlands. Her focus is on contributing to a sustainable, fair and secure world.

Ravi Venkatesan

Ravi Venkatesan is the chairman of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and founder of the Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME). He is also UNICEF’s Special Representative for Young People and Innovation and serves on the Boards of The Rockefeller Foundation and Hitachi. Ravi has previously also served as the chairman of Microsoft India, Bank of Baroda and Cummins India and co-chairman of Infosys Limited.

Rob Deeks

Rob Deeks is a renowned social cohesion expert in the UK and CEO at Aik-Saath- Together as One, the multiple award-winning young people’s charity based in Slough that is widely credited with having ended bitter intercommunal violence in the area. For 20 years, Rob has supported young people to move their ideas and aspirations forward, leading to his involvement in diverse spheres of work, including race, identity, conflict resolution, specialist services for young carers and young people from various backgrounds, and the arts and heritage. Under his leadership, Aik-Saath- Together as One has won numerous awards, including The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2006 and The Guardian Charity of the Year in 2009. Rob is a prominent local figure in community events and has spoken in Parliament on issues such as the value of multiculturalism and what deprived urban areas need from central government to support their young people.

Belong

Belong is a UK-based charity aiming to create a more integrated, less divided society and strengthen good relations across difference. They offer academic research, consultancy, training, networking, thought leadership and events on social cohesion for members across the public, private and charitable sector in the UK. Belong is supporting Plan for Peace as our Evaluation and Learning Partner for the pilot phase of our UK programme, Connecting Communities, in 2023.

Dr Scilla Elworthy

Dr Scilla Elworthy is a three times Nobel peace prize nominee and visionary whose peacebuilding experience spans many countries and conflicts. She has worked with notable peacemakers such as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, advised heads of state in nuclear non-proliferation talks and is a vocal advocate for business as a force for peace.

Dr Madeleine Mosse

Madeleine has led grassroots peacebuilding projects in Kosovo and supported social cohesion organisations in the UK. She has written policy recommendations on social cohesion for local and national government. Madeleine is committed to supporting people at all levels of society to find creative and collaborative solutions to building peace.

Michelle Arnell

Michelle has worked with Plan For Peace throughout its early years of start-up, as Operations Manager, Mighty Heart Course Manager, and now as CEO for Business Plan for Peace. She is a highly skilled project manager with a background in accounts, events and technical management.

Jo Berry

Jo Berry is an award-winning public speaker who works to resolve conflicts around the world. Sixteen years after an IRA bomb killed her father in 1984, Jo met with the man responsible, Pat Magee. This led to them speaking on over three hundred occasions on a shared platform worldwide. They’ve been featured in documentaries, plays and on film. The founder of the charity ‘Building Bridges for Peace’, Jo advocates that listening and unbounded empathy are the biggest tools we have to transform conflict.

Elizabeth Besa

Elizabeth has worked in the charity sector for over 10 years, including for organisations experiencing rapid growth. She is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and has obtained her MSc in Charity Financial Management.

Ruby Kellard

Ruby works at the intersection of grassroots peacebuilding and mental health initiatives, having led projects in both the UK and Uganda. She has worked closely with conflict-affected communities to support peace and recovery after trauma. Ruby is dedicated to building an environment in which peacebuilding initiatives are trauma-informed and locally led.

Pelin Turgut

Pelin is a storytelling consultant and writer of Turkish/British origin. A lifelong belief in the power of stories informs her work. Founder of a popular independent film festival and a regional screenwriters lab with the Sundance Institute, she was also a long-time correspondent for publications such as TIME magazine and The Independent. She teaches storytelling at institutions across Europe such as The School of Life and Escape the City, is a mentor on various startup accelerator programs and works with impact-led companies and founders on strategic storytelling. Pelin is also a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader. Her first book, Secrets of a Vanishing Country, came out in 2018.

Courtney Kotze

With over seven years of marketing and communication experience, Courtney is passionate about using her business development skills for good. After working closely with NPOs in South Africa, she is committed to making a change in communities on a global level.

Tom Abel

Having studied International Relations, and specialising in development, Tom is looking to make a global impact by contributing to the peacebuilding efforts of Plan for Peace. With experience in community building in rural Honduras, a passion for creative design and a drive to make positive change, Tom looks to utilise these skills and experience to make a positive impact in his work.

Hussein Salahaldin

Hussein is a passionate critical peace educator, storyteller and social entrepreneur. He has a BA and MA in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford. Through his work, he is interested in creating spaces for children, young people and adults exploring self-directed cooperative learning spaces that encourage courageous conversations, critical consciousness and radical freedom to re-create knowledge, challenging educational structures and innovating new ones using playful, artistic and decolonised practices. He is a part-time lecturer in peace studies and conflict resolution, modern Arab and Palestinian history, political violence and militarism, Islamism and the history of education in the Muslim world.

Theo Cadbury

Theo is a participatory facilitator and consultant who creates inclusive communities for learning, collaboration and decision-making. She works in social and environmental justice settings and believes that empathy and connection are key to building resilience within both ourselves and society. Her key areas of work are: co-design and coproduction with experts by experience and senior decision-makers, delivering training, including on power and participatory methods and facilitating Action Learning Sets with changemakers.

She founded the charity Xenia in 2016 to bring migrant, refugee, asylum-seeking and British women together to share and learn together in Hackney. Her work has been cited as an example of best practice by the British Academy and the Council of Europe’s North-South Centre, among others. She has been Participation Lead at The Trussell Trust since 2021 and is also a Trustee of The Four Winds Trust and St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation & Peace.

Dr Gëzim Visoka

Dr Gëzim Visoka is Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU), Ireland. His research focuses on the making, remaking, and unmaking of states and peace processes in contemporary world politics, specializing in post-conflict peacebuilding and statebuilding, as well as state creation and the politics of diplomatic recognition. He is author and editor of 10 books and numerous other journal articles, and currently serves as Deputy Editor of Peacebuilding Journal. Parallel to his academic activity, he has extensive experience working with civil society groups and policy-makers in post-conflict societies, mostly focusing on Kosovo and the Western Balkans.

Morgan Guthrie

With a degree in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice, Morgan is interested in approaching peacebuilding with an inclusive and intersectional lens. She has worked with displaced persons and looks to build on these experiences to positively contribute to the work of Plan for Peace.