Meet our team

Our dedicated and professional team brings a diversity of expertise, approaches and perspectives. Meet its members below.

Our Policy Team

Sebastian Brixey-Williams

Executive Director
Risk Reduction | Nuclear Disarmament | International Organisations

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Dr Gry Thomasen

Research Director
NATO-Russia | Risk Reduction | Non-Proliferation

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Dr Chiara Cervasio

Policy Fellow and Programme Manager, Nuclear Responsibilities Programme
Nuclear Diplomacy | Trust-building | Asia-Pacific

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Alice Spilman

Policy Fellow
Non-Proliferation Treaty | Nuclear Diplomacy | Nuclear History

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Eva-Nour Repussard

Policy Fellow
Strategic Stability | Nuclear Strategy | Emerging Technologies

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Anahita Parsa

Policy Fellow
Nuclear Diplomacy | Nuclear Disarmament | Global Nuclear Order

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Mhairi McClafferty

Policy Fellow
Nuclear Diplomacy | Humanitarian Impacts | Gender

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Declan Penrose

Policy Fellow
Nuclear Disarmament | Gender | Non-Proliferation

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Laura Rose Brown

Policy Fellow
Gender | Nuclear Order | Disarmament

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Dr Lisa Vickers

Policy Fellow
Risk Reduction | Gender | Disarmament

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Dave Cullen

Policy Fellow and Programme Manager, Emerging Voices Network
UK Nuclear Weapons | UK-US Cooperation | Disarmament

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Aisling Burns

Policy Fellow
Nuclear Non-Proliferation | Peaceful Uses | International Law

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Dr Lyndon Burford

Policy Fellow
Nuclear Disarmament | Emerging and Disruptive Technologies | Multilateral Governance

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Dr Manuel Herrera Almela

Senior Policy Fellow & Programme Manager, Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
Nuclear Non-Proliferation | Iranian Nuclear Programme | Non-Proliferation Treaty

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Our Operations Team

Falguni Patel

Head of Human Resources and Operations 
Operations | Human Resources | Communications

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Bernard O’Brien

Strategic Finance Manager

Our Non-Resident Fellows

Professor Nicholas J. Wheeler

Non-Resident Senior Fellow
Trust Building | Security Dilemma | Nuclear Order

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Richard Reeve

Non-Resident Fellow
Human Security | Dialogue | Geopolitics

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Dr Rabia Akhtar

Non-Resident Fellow
Non-Proliferation | Nuclear South Asia | International Security

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Ruhee Neog

Non-Resident Fellow
Crisis Decision-Making | Nuclear Strategy | Indian Foreign Policy

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Chris Spedding

Non-Resident Fellow
Emerging Technologies | Futures and Foresight | Disarmament

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Our Board

Helena Harding

Chair

Helena is a Non-Executive Director with executive and board level experience and a specialist in organisational development and programme leadership. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and a Fellow of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management. She has worked within both blue chip PLCs and the public sector, including Radioactive Waste Management Limited (RWM), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

Fawad Dar

Treasurer

Fawad Dar is a seasoned Senior Finance Leader with over 14 years of expertise in financial management, strategic planning, and business transformation across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. As Financial Controller for EMEA at Aviat Networks, he manages finance operations for 20+ global legal entities, driving improvements in governance, compliance, and operational efficiency. His prior experience includes senior positions at TPXimpact, Liberty Global, and MYSHON LTD, where he led financial integrations, optimized processes, and enhanced financial reporting accuracy.
Paul Carroll

Board Member

As the Director of the Charity & Security Network, Paul Carroll is responsible for overall organisational management of the network, its staff, and strategy setting with respect to its issues and policy advocacy. He spent seventeen years at the Ploughshares Fund, a public foundation that works to eliminate the risks from nuclear weapons. More recently, Paul served as the Director of Nuclear Security Partnerships at N Square, a funders collaborative that seeks to foster innovation and collaboration into the nuclear security sector.

Laicie Heeley

Board Member

Laicie is the founder and editor of Inkstick and the host and executive producer of the PRX- and Inkstick-produced podcast, Things That Go Boom. She is also a Partner with the Truman National Security Project.

Dr Togzhan Kassenova

Board Member

Togzhan is an expert on nuclear politics, WMD nonproliferation, strategic trade controls, sanctions implementation, and financial crime prevention. From 2011 to 2015 Kassenova served on the UN secretary general’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.

Ambassador Thomas Hajnoczi

Board Member

Thomas is the Former Head of Disarmament Department in Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Former Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations in Geneva.

James Madeley

Board Member

James is an experienced Human Resources professional and currently is HR Director for Portland, a communications company. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Dr Andrew Cottey

Board Member

Andrew Cottey is Jean Monnet Chair in European Political Integration at University College, Cork. He previously worked at the Dept of Peace Studies, University of Bradford; the EastWest Institute; Saferworld; and BASIC.

Daniel Johnson

Board Member

A respected growth marketing expert, Daniel Johnson excels at boosting startups and established firms. As a BASIC Board Member, he uses his diverse innovation and public relations skills to advance their mission: protecting humanity and the environment from nuclear and security threats and fostering a safer, more secure world.

Peter Jones

Board Member

Peter is a Chartered Accountant and Vice President for Corporate Strategy at the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Balvinder Sangha

Board Member

Balvinder is the Managing Director of Endo Enterprises, a chemical manufacturing company specialising in water treatment solutions, with over 20 years of leadership experience in global resourcing and consulting. As a strategic board advisor, he has played a key role in driving transformational change across industries, government, and the nonprofit sector in the UK and internationally. His experience includes resourcing and consulting for major UK infrastructure projects such as the London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority, the Major Projects Authority, and the Geological Disposal Facility. Balvinder is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Freeman of the City of London, and a Liveryman.