Meet our leadership team
Scroll down to learn more about the people behind WIIS UK’s work. Interested in joining the team? Email us at wiisuk@outlook.com.
CO-CHAIR
Kristin is the Policy and Advocacy lead for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Conflict, and the Communications Manager at the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA). She also sits on the Executive Committee of the New Diplomacy Project, and 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 from Norway, and has participated actively in national debates on gender equality, ISIS’ foreign fighters, and counterterrorism.
Kristin Thue
CO-CHAIR
Bella 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. Bella is also a DPhil Public Policy student 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, Bella 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.
Isabella Wilkinson
WIIS INTERNATIONAL & NETWORKS OFFICER
is a researcher at the Centre for Geopolitics and International Policy at the think tank IPPR. Her research focuses on how the UK should navigate its geopolitical alliances in an increasingly multipolar world, with a primary focus on building relationships with countries in the “global south”. Previously, Sofie worked with climate and development advocacy in one of the biggest NGOs in Denmark, where she is originally from. She also sits on the Young Professional Advisory Board of the Wonder Foundation in London. She holds a BA from the University of Cambridge and a MSc from LSE in Anthropology and Development.
Sofie Hesthaven Pultz
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS & WORKING GROUP OFFICER
is a quantitative political scientist specialising in gender equality, Women, Peace and Security (WPS), and post-conflict political inclusion. She is a Research Assistant in the Department of Government at the University of Essex, where she works with large-scale peacekeeping and development datasets, applying statistical and machine learning techniques to UN and conflict data. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Essex and previously completed an MA and BSc in International Relations and Strategic Studies in Greece. Her work bridges academic and policy communities, informing research on peacekeeping gender programming, political inclusion, and post-conflict governance.
Dr Lydia Karga
POLICY & PARTNERSHIPS OFFICER
is a Senior Programme Director at Wilton Park, convening dialogues on human rights, organised crime, and migration. Prior to joining Wilton Park, she was Assistant Director of the Russia & Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. Her work there included the intersection of internal and foreign policies with responses to climate change in Azerbaijan, human rights, and civil society in Belarus, and disinformation and media freedom in Georgia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Turkish and Islamic studies from The University of Manchester, which she followed with a master’s degree in modern Middle Eastern studies at Oxford University.
Ľubica Polláková
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
is currently completing a PhD at King’s College London. Her research is a comparative case study of the atrocity prevention strategies of the USA and UK. Her goal is to understand the development of these strategies in order to improve them. Eleanor is also Fellowship Manager at the Churchill Fellowship, where she supports UK-based change makers to design and conduct overseas research. She is committed to amplifying women’s leadership in international security and driving inclusive engagement across WIIS UK’s community. Eleanor volunteers as a Brownie leader, supporting young girls’ confidence and leadership.
Eleanor Smith
MEMBERSHIP OFFICER
currently works in policy and public affairs across technology and energy clients at Strand Partners, a strategic communications consultancy. With a strong interest in transatlantic trade policy, Josie previously worked on the Europe Program the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. and as a Schuman Trainee at the European Parliament following Brexit. In bridging her interests in European competitiveness and strategic technologies, she had the opportunity to work on the “5G for industry” team at Ericsson Telecom in Stockholm as part of the Wallenberg International Fellows Program. Josie holds an MA from Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service where she was a Fulbright-Schuman scholar and a BSc in EU law and politics from the University of Amsterdam.
POLICY PARTNERSHIPS & WORKING GROUP OFFICER
is a Policy Analyst at the Center for Global Development, in the Migration and Displacement Programme. In this role, Shona develops policy relevant research focusing on issues relating to forced displacement, and the connection between migration and development. Previously, she worked for an international development consultancy, managing research projects and evaluations for clients including: the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network, bilateral donors and development finance institutions. She holds a Master of International Relations, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne.
Shona Warren
Josephine Sylvestre
A huge thank you to our previous team members
For nearly ten years, WIIS UK’s activities and aspirations have been shaped by a Leadership Team. We extend our gratitude to previous team members, many of whom still provide advice and guidance, including 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 (Co-Founder), Armida van Rij, Heather Williams, Sophie Smith, Sabrine Dao (Founding Chair, Human Security & Peacebuilding Working Group) and Dr Claire Yorke (Co-Founder).