Meet our team

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

Sebastian Brixey-Williams

Executive Director
Risk Reduction | Nuclear Disarmament | International Organisations

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Dr Gry Thomasen

Senior Policy Fellow and Programme Manager, Risk Reduction Programme
NATO-Russia | Risk Reduction | Non-Proliferation

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Dr Rishi Paul

Policy Fellow and Programme Manager, Nuclear Disarmament Programme
Nuclear Deterrence | Nuclear Order | Risk Reduction

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Chris Spedding

Policy Fellow and Programme Manager, Technological Risk Programme
Emerging Technologies | Futures and Foresight | Disarmament

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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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Kim Obergfaell

Policy Fellow and Acting Programme Manager, Inclusive International Security
Risk Reduction | NATO & Nuclear Deterrence | Nuclear Disarmament

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Alice Spilman

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

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Laura Rose Brown

Policy Fellow
Gender | Nuclear Order | Disarmament

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Eva-Nour Repussard

Policy Fellow
Strategic Stability | Cybersecurity | Emerging Technologies

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Anahita Parsa

Policy Fellow
Nuclear Disarmament | Intersectional Approaches | Nuclear Diplomacy

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Falguni Patel

Operations and HR Manager
Operations | Human Resources | Communications

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Mhairi McClafferty

Policy Intern
Nuclear Diplomacy | Humanitarian Impacts | Gender

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Declan Penrose

Policy Intern
Nuclear Disarmament | Gender | Non-Proliferation

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Nicholas J. Wheeler

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

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Meet our Board

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

Dr Andrew Cottey

Chair

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. 

Peter Jones

Treasurer

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

David Pritchard

Board Member

David Pritchard advises nonprofit, private, and public sector organizations on how to assess and increase their social impact. He supports effective change-makers by helping them plan and evaluate what they do. 

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.

Helena Harding

Board Member

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).

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.

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