About us

WIIS UK is a branch of the WIIS global network, committed to promoting women’s careers and professional development and providing a network for women working in the field of international security and on international security issues. WIIS UK is defined by our brilliant members (hailing from different age groups, sectors and nationalities) and our invaluable institutional partnerships with organizations across the UK.

WIIS UK activities may include socials, skills workshops, panels and open conversations with experts. Through our activities, WIIS UK members generate an active network of individuals and organizations willing to provide support, advice, and promotion of the activities, expertise, and role of women in international security.

WIIS UK is an open, inclusive, and constantly evolving platform that is open to all, regardless of gender identity or existing professional involvement in the international security field.

In short, WIIS UK is:

  • A vector for the excellence and expertise of women in international security

  • A diverse, inclusive and dynamic community reaching beyond the UK, with London as a hub for global exchange

  • An agent for positive, lasting change in the international security sector​

Leadership Team

Isabella Wilkinson

Co-Chair

Isabella Wilkinson is a Research Fellow in the Digital Society Programme at Chatham House. Her work focuses on the geopolitics of global technology governance (specifically AI), new centres of decision-making power on technology, and disinformation. 

Isabella is also a DPhil Public Policy candidate at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, where her research explores the political economy of collective action among companies in global AI governance. Formerly, Isabella was a Research Associate in Chatham House’s International Security Programme – covering cybersecurity, cybercrime and gender – and part of the Journal of Cyber Policy’s Editorial Team. She was also a Visiting Fellow at The Hague Program for International Cybersecurity.

Kristin Thue

Co-Chair

Kristin Thue  is the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Conflict, and the Communications Coordinator at the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA). She previously worked as a researcher in the Defence and Security team at RAND Europe. Kristin completed her MA in International Conflict Studies at King’s College London in 2020, where she specialised in gender and terrorism. Kristin has a background in advocacy and communications in Norway, and has participated actively in national debates on gender equality, ISIS’ foreign fighters, and counterterrorism.

Sophie Smith

Sophie Smith works in the political and security risk sector, and is currently part of an in-house intelligence function for a major entertainment company, providing analysis on geopolitical and security issues across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Prior to this, Sophie worked for two political risk consultancies, providing country risk reports to a variety of clients, and has previously worked in government and for an NGO. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and French from the University of Leeds.

Sabrine Dao

Sabrine Dao is a multilingual international security & peacebuilding consultant, as well as a human rights lawyer. She serves as a Security & Intelligence Research Analyst at the Africa Center for Strategy & Policy. In recent years, she held positions at the Peacebuilding organisation Search for Common Ground in global affairs and development and at the German Marshall Fund of the United States in transatlantic leadership and strategic engagement. Sabrine draws on a diverse and interdisciplinary blend of international academic and professional experience in primarily geopolitics, peace & security, climate security, international law and global governance. She grounds her expertise in multiple field experiences across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. At WIIS, Sabrine is chairing the Human Security & Peacebuilding working Group. She is a 2022 Feminist Foreign Policy & Development Fellow with the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Shona Warren

Shona Warren is a Policy Analyst at the Center for Global Development, in the Migration, Displacement and Humanitarian Policy Team. Shona specialises in migration, climate change, and human security. Previously, she worked for an international development consultancy, managing research projects and evaluations for clients including bilateral donors, foundations, and international organisations. She holds a Master of International Relations, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne. Twitter: @shonajwarren. Twitter: @shonajwarren

Join the team

While we are not currently recruiting for new team members, please do fill in this survey to express your interest.

Our advisory committee

WIIS UK is fortunate to benefit from the experience and expertise of advisers from across the international security sector.

Previous contributors

Over the course of over ten years as a network, WIIS UK has been shaped and developed by the time, energy and skills of Sophia Besch, Alice Billon-Galland, Perla Bronzi, Jennifer Confidence, Dr Daryna Dvornichenko, Jen Deegan, Dr Alexi Drew, Sofia Martinez Fernandez, Ulrike Franke, Ashlee Godwin, Laura Hamilton, Olivia Kearney, Johanna Moehring, Camilla Molyneux, Shatabhisha Shetty, Armida van Rij, Heather Williams and Claire Yorke.

Has WIIS UK shaped your career in and around international security? Have you been involved in previous events, papers or projects? Please do share your stories with us at wiisuk@outlook.com: we’d love to hear from you.