Political
I enjoy political environments with real stakes. I like the creativity required to shift systems from one state to another, whether at the high level or the grassroots. Most of my work has been consultancies, or through my C.I.C TFM, but I have enjoyed jobs at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the UK Parliament, and Track II peacebuilding agency Concordis.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO)
Prosperity Shift Lead, Africa Directorate. 2018-2020.
What a privilege to work with UK civil servants across departments, the UK network abroad, and African countries. A truly fascinating experience, cut short by a family move to NYC.
My role was to provide Africa Directorate leadership to a cross-departmental effort to deliver inclusive growth under the UK Africa Strategy. I tried my best to integrate conflict and climate sensitivity, and a sense of urgency into the work.
Over my year at the office, I was pulled more and more into representing the Directorate in preparation for the Africa Investment Summit, which announced over £6.5bn of deals. I also contributed to strategic dialogues with China, drafted Ministerial speeches, and supported Ministerial engagement with major UK business.
All Party Parliamentary Group for Sudan and South Sudan
Coordinator and Advisor, 2007-2009 and 2013-2015.
Running an APPG is a creative role. You get out what you put in. I provided leadership to the APPG, exploiting every aspect of our political networks and parliamentary procedure to support peace and justice for the peoples of Sudan and South Sudan. Such a fantastic opportunity to effect real change that I did it twice!
Highlights include conducting parliamentary inquiries into international engagement with the Sudans; developing relationships with the FCO and No.10, which we used to advocate successfully at the most critical junctures; convening high-level political dialogues (such as the first time Sudan and South Sudanese representatives formally met to discuss the Abyei Protocol); organising visits for cross-bench parliamentarians and the UK Special Representatives; and political advocacy (for example, which led to activation of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission).
Parliamentarians often get a bad rep, but the members of this APPG demonstrated only the very best colours. It is a great joy to have worked tirelessly together with them on issues of deep mutual concern.
International Research Manager, Peace Processes
Concordis International, 2009-2012
At Concordis I designed and managed international Track II political processes for East and Central Africa, Afghanistan, the Middle East and Central Asia.
My most extensive contribution was in our Sudan borderlands peace-building initiative. Coordinating with the African Union Border Program and Mbeki’s Panel, this was an ambitious effort to ensure that the community and military interests of the oil-rich borderlands were reflected in the high-level negotiations. After two years of dialogues from the grassroots to the highest level, this work directly informed and influenced the Cooperation Agreements between Sudan and South Sudan. A major achievement that helped de-escalate the very real threat of all out war.
I conducted ongoing remote fieldwork to prepare and win tenders, and ensure our political processes responded to the realities of conflict and peace dynamics. Along the way I became well versed in a range of conflict analysis frameworks and techniques, and produced our own Concordis specific approach.