Trusted advisers to global leaders.

Mark is Director & Vice Chair of Project Associates. In addition to overseeing our US operations, Mark helps drive our global business development efforts. Mark served at The White House as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National Security Council and at the U.S. Treasury as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs. He also worked at the State Department and the United Nations.

His business leadership posts have included: president of a strategic communications firm based in Washington, D.C.; president of the global private equity division of a leading asset management company headquartered in Chicago; and equity partner at a major international law firm where he led the sovereign advisory practice. He was also Vice President at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mark is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on several corporate and non-profit advisory boards, including the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna, the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, and the Wilson Centre.

Rob leads the Project Associates Group and has primary responsibility for overseeing the Group’s activities across all divisions and regions. He has specialist expertise in advising on governmental affairs and international political trends, with particular focus on the European Union and the Middle East.

He previously worked in the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, ran a macro-economic risk consultancy, and at an earlier stage in his career was an advisor to a European Commissioner and a senior member of Tony Blair’s government.

Sheila is a cultural communications and event management expert with international experience in the Arts, luxury retail, finance and the not-for-profit sectors. She has co-founded a variety of agencies and projects in Hong Kong, Sydney, London, Budapest, Rome and New York.

Sheila is on the advisory board of Volta art fairs, Basel as well as Vice-chair of the Europe Asia Center.

Prior to joining Project Associates Simon worked as a senior official in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office over a 15 year career serving on a number of postings in Africa and the Middle East. He also worked as a human rights and development advocate within the third sector working closely with the United Nations and European Commission.

Thierry was the European Union Ambassador to Norway between 2017 and 2021, and the Chief of Protocol of the EU External Service between 2021 and 2023. He served as EU Ambassador to the OSCE in Vienna from 2012 to 2017. He was a member of the private offices of three EU Commissioners focusing on foreign policy, development and humanitarian assistance, energy and institutional matters. He worked on the Gulf countries and the GCC, the Eastern Partnership, and held a leading position in the mediation on Georgia after the 2008 war. Thierry was the European Commission Representative to the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA, and to the Geneva-based UN agencies. He trained as a lawyer, and has been teaching for many years at the College of Europe.      

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Elissa has nearly a decade’s experience in strategic communications, working across sectors including government affairs and for corporate clients. Throughout her career, she has specialised in media relations for global campaigns and international events, as well as crisis management.

Elissa has significant experience in global events, having contributed to the establishment of their strategic communication roadmaps.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Elissa held various roles at consultancies based in London, Paris, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.

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David is one of the UK’s most respected communications advisors, having provided reputation and crisis advice to some of the world's leading private individuals, multi-national companies and governments. 

David founded Project Associates in 1997, bringing together an impressive team of associates with extensive media, communications, business and political experience. He has worked in over 100 countries around the world and has been named one of PR Week’s ‘Top 100 Most Influential People in PR During the Past 21 Years’. 

Before founding Project Associates, he was Communications Director of Camelot, the UK's national lottery operator and was a founder member of the consortium that went on to win the first national lottery licence.  

Erhan leads the firm’s operations in Brussels and specialises in EU affairs and multi-lateral diplomacy.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Erhan was a Special Advisor during the UN-sponsored Cyprus settlement talks. Previously, he served as the Chief Diplomatic Advisor to the Turkish Cypriot President and as an Undersecretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Philip provides strategic counsel to high-net-worth philanthropists and their foundations. He previously ran Project Associates Group's operations in Central and Eastern Europe, where he led campaigns and constructed communications narratives for governments, heads of state and leading families in the region.

Prior to Project Associates, he worked as a speechwriter for Jerzy Buzek during his presidency of the European Parliament; Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe; and three Polish foreign ministers.

Lord Darroch was the British Ambassador to the United States from 2016 - 2019. Prior to this, between 2012 - 2015, he served as the National Security Adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron, overseeing global issues and conflicts in Iraq, Libya and Ukraine. He held senior roles working on multilateral negotiations in UK-EU Policy, including working as the Permanent UK Representative to the European Union from 2007 – 2011, and as Prime Minister Tony Blair’s EU Adviser from 2004 - 2007.

Other roles held by Lord Darroch during his earlier career include Private Secretary to the Minister of State for the Middle East, Head of the News Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Adriatic Department during the Dayton Accords negotiations that put an end to the Bosnian War.

General Sir Mike served as UK Chief of the General Staff (CGS) from 2003-2006, the culmination of four and a half decades in the British Army. His active service included command at company and brigade level in Northern Ireland, and divisional command in Bosnia.

After a degree in Russian Studies, General Sir Mike joined the Intelligence Corps in 1963, transferring to the Parachute Regiment in 1970. He served as the Commander in Chief of Land Command from 2000, having previously served as Commander of Kosovo Force in 1999, the Commander of the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and Director General of Development and Doctrine at the Ministry of Defence. 

Howell sits on the Board of Project Associates Holdings Ltd.

Howell has had a long career as a senior executive and advisor in both government and multi-national businesses. He held roles at Christie’s, the global arts business, as Global Head of Corporate Communications, and at Barclays as Vice Chairman, Corporate Affairs. He was also a member of the Board of Management at the BBC. Howell was CEO of Quiller Consultants, and a Founding Partner and Director of Brown Lloyd James corporate public relations. 

In government, Howell was the Permanent Secretary for Government Communication in the Cabinet Office, under prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He also served as Political Secretary to Prime Minister John Major.  

Howell is Chair of Radiocentre, the body that represents UK Commercial Radio as well as Chair of the Trustees of the Arts Foundation, amongst other trusteeships. He was a Trustee of the British Council until 2016 and was awarded the CBE in 1997. He is the co-owner of El Fenn, a luxury boutique hotel in Marrakech. 

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Jonathan has held various Middle East-focused positions in military intelligence. He then headed a global bank’s coverage of political and financial crime risks in the MENA region from Dubai, and also conducted forensic investigations in the region for a leading consulting company.

Nina has over a decade’s worth of experience as a conference producer and project manager at both DMG Events and CWC, where she acted as a senior operational and sales leader, working with governments and industry experts around the world to develop content-rich and commercially viable events.

Most recently, Nina has spent the last few years as the Director of Global Partnerships at the World Art Foundation, specialising in event formulation, sponsorship, & partnership structuring.

Bertrand Lauzeral is a non-executive director on the board of Project Associates Holdings Ltd.

Bertrand has over 30 years of executive advisory and strategic consulting experience. In early 2006, he founded Exton Consulting in Paris, a strategic management consulting firm specialising in financial services advising major corporates around the world on key European markets. He successfully grew the company opening offices in Munich, Milan, Casablanca and Barcelona. In early 2021, Bertrand sold Exton Consulting to Accenture.

Before selling his global business, Bertrand was Vice-President at Orga Consultants, a private consulting firm specialising in strategy, management and organisational consulting. He held this role for 12 years and was a member of the Executive Committee in charge of the insurance department.

In addition to his role at Project Associates, Bertrand is currently an executive advisor, investor, and mentor to a number of global start-ups.

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Carlo Mazzi is executive Chairman of Chora Srl – Milan, a real estate and corporate advisory company. Carlo was Chairman of the board of Prada SpA from 2014-2021, having been appointed to the board in 2004. He served in a number of roles at the Prada Group, including as deputy Chairman before becoming Chairman.

Prior to this Carlo worked for 30 years in the field of finance: from 1973 until 2000 in IMI and IMI-San Paolo Bank, where he was Managing Director of the large corporate department from 1994. He also has been board member of many Italian and Swiss banks, and of an Italian listed industrial company.

Joe is a member of Project Associates Senior Management Team and leads our UK operations.

He has significant experience in managing and responding to high-profile and complex crisis situations. He has advised clients ranging from CEOs, heads of state, and ministers, on matters including cross-border legal disputes, reputational crises, international arbitration cases, as well as election campaigns.
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Before joining Project Associates, Joe spent time working for two Westminster MPs at both constituency and national level.

Ryan has advised heads of state, ministers, and CEOs across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, North America, and Europe, with a focus on international policy and strategic communications issues. He has worked on high-profile global cases involving conflict resolution, international arbitration, sanctions, elections, diplomatic crises, and communications campaigns.

Before joining Project Associates, he worked for a number of years in Abu Dhabi. Earlier in his career, he was a strategy consultant in the UK.

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Ebru Özdemir is Chairwoman at Limak Group of Companies, a Turkish conglomerate, with major interests in construction, energy, cement, and tourism. She also acts as Limak Foundation’s Chairwoman, a private foundation established in 2016 to professionally manage social investments of Limak Group of Companies.

Ebru serves as member of the Board of Executives and Board of Directors at the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEİK),  and Chairwoman of the DEİK/Turkey-Kuwait Business Council. She holds board membership at the Turkish-American Business Council (TAİK) and DEİK/Turkey-Korea Business Council, and membership at the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD). Ebru is a regular participant at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Annual Meetings in Davos, and is the only representative from Turkey at Bruegel, the Brussels-based think tank.

Ebru is among Founding Members and Board Members of Turkey’s 30 Percent Club, a voluntary platform aimed at developing a diverse and gender-balanced pool of talent for all businesses at all levels. She is also a member of TOBB’s Women Entrepreneurship Council and International Women’s Forum Turkey, and is an Atlantic Council International Advisory Board member.

Based in Brussels, Lucie is the Operations Manager to our EU offices, and also acts as Executive Assistant.

Mariana has extensive experience in the HR field, developing and managing operational processes and procedures within the full remit of the function.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Mariana worked in the London office of a prominent financial compliance advisory firm headquartered in New York. 

Mark is Director & Vice Chair of Project Associates. In addition to overseeing our US operations, Mark helps drive our global business development efforts. Mark served at The White House as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National Security Council and at the U.S. Treasury as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs. He also worked at the State Department and the United Nations.

His business leadership posts have included: president of a strategic communications firm based in Washington, D.C.; president of the global private equity division of a leading asset management company headquartered in Chicago; and equity partner at a major international law firm where he led the sovereign advisory practice. He was also Vice President at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mark is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on several corporate and non-profit advisory boards, including the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna, the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, and the Wilson Centre.

Bente is a public affairs and strategic communications advisor. She is also a national and international speechwriter, moderator, and interviewer - drawing on her experience as a host at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. Prior to that, Bente was an advisor and speechwriter to the Speaker of the Danish Parliament and the Presidium.

Charlie is responsible for setting and overseeing the company’s operational policies, initiatives and goals. She works closely with the CEO to set the strategic and financial direction of the group.

Charlie has primary responsibility for overseeing the daily operations of the Group.

Dr. Joseph Stanislaw is founder of the advisory firm, The JAStanislaw Group, advising Boards of Directors and institutions on strategic thinking, sustainability, and environmentally sound investment in energy (all forms) and technology.  He currently serves on the International Advisory Board of Dana Gas, which is listed on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange and was previously a Board Member of Gulf Keystone Petroleum, a UK listed E&P company. Dr. Stanislaw is a Special Advisor Partner at private equity firm Wave Equity Partners and is also a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an adjunct professor in the Nicholas School at Duke University, where he was a Member of the Board of Advisors for the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. Dr. Stanislaw was also a Partner at the private equity firm Brightstar Capital Partners, and an Advisory Board member at Good Energies Inc (GEI), one of the world’s first, leading, and largest investors in renewable and sustainable energy, with a particular commitment to improving the quality of life for citizens of impoverished nations.

Dr. Stanislaw was one of three founders of Cambridge Energy Research Associates in 1983 and served as President and CEO from 1997 until the sale of the firm in 2004. From 2006 to 2014, he served as Independent Senior Advisor, Energy and Sustainability to Deloitte LLP.

Dr. Stanislaw is the co-author of The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy and the author of “Energy in Flux: The 21st Century’s Greatest Challenge”, used as the basis for a PBS Documentary, “Oil Shockwave.”  He has also authored and/or co-authored numerous reports and published papers on the geopolitics and economics of future energy supply and demand.

Jean leads the firm’s operations across Europe, particularly in the Francophone world. He has expertise in designing, implementing and delivering pan-European communications programmes. He has advised heads of state and government in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.  

Earlier in his career Jean was a Press Officer in UK central government, where he briefed senior politicians and journalists.  

Adam sits on the Board of Project Associates Holdings Ltd.

Adam Wethered has over 45 years of international commercial and investment experience. This includes working for JP Morgan for 24 years. During the 1990s, he was head of JP Morgan’s London Offices, Chief Executive of JP Morgan Securities Ltd, Co-head of Corporate Finance and Chief Operating Officer in Europe, and Head of Private Banking and Institutional Clients, EMEA. In 2000, Adam co-founded Lord North Street – Private Investment Office, which he managed until its sale in 2014. He is Chairman of Wren Investment Office, a Multi Family Office business advising wealthy families and trustees. He is also a qualified barrister.  

Adam invests in and advises several entrepreneurial businesses. He chairs the Garrick Club investment. He is also on the Development Board of the British Academy. 

Daniel spent over 15 years in the European Parliament, serving as an MEP between 2015-2019 and a Senior Advisor on agriculture and international trade. He was also the Chief Whip of the British Conservative MEP delegation during this time. Daniel currently runs the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium. 

Olivia leads marketing and events for the company and its clients.

Before (re)joining Project Associates, Olivia lived in Abu Dhabi where she worked in the Crown Prince's Court.

Jean was the Permanent Representative of Belgium to the European Union and served as a foreign policy advisor to the European Union's High Representative and Vice-President Baroness Ashton. Prior to that, he was Ambassador to Italy and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, where he led the EU response to the events of 9/11. He is an Associate Fellow at the Egmont Institute and a member of the Royal Academy of Belgium.

Daniel is General Counsel at Project Associates. He brings decades of experience in international affairs, strategic, political, and legal analysis, trade & investment, financial & regulatory policy and compliance, sovereign advisory, technology, and international capital markets.

Daniel served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Trade and Investment and advised the Treasury Secretary on issues related to US investment policies, including the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the WTO, North American trade, bilateral trade agreements, agricultural negotiations, and sanctions. He has also served as a senior advisor at the financial services firm Guggenheim Partners working on innovative cross-border transactions in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and was at an earlier stage an attorney in private practice at Atkin Gump in Washington, London and Brussels. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.

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Based in our London office, Sergej works across a range of political, government and corporate clients in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Sergej worked in private intelligence and political advisory in London.

James has over twenty years’ experience in international capital markets covering equities, derivatives, exchange technology and data services, and regulation.

James has held numerous senior financial communications positions including at the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE).

Julian runs the firm’s Finance Team and is actively involved in providing strategic planning to the business, maintaining an overview of all client accounts.  

Julian is a Chartered Certified Accountant. Prior to joining Project Associates he was a Financial Controller at PHD Media and Financial Controller at Grayling UK.  

John is the Office Manager for our London Office.

Prior to joining Project Associates, John worked at the trade union, Equity, offering administrative support to colleagues and members in his role as Reception & Administration Assistant.

Based in our Brussels office, Riccardo works across a range of government and corporate projects in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Riccardo worked for the EU Commission in the field of competition law and State aid.

Jonathan has advised on EU affairs and created communication strategies for a range of public and corporate clients.

John worked for a senior MEP and the Chairman of a pan-European political group, and prior to this, he advised FTSE 100 companies on engagement with European institutions.

Najib is the General Manager of MediaCity Mauritius, an integrated hub for the multimedia and creative industries looking to connect with African markets. He has over 25 years’ experience in the media industry, having worked as a journalist, a TV production executive, and a consultant for large media organisations.  

Prior to launching MediaCity Mauritius, Najib was the CEO of TIME TV, a French media production company.

Based in our London office, Thomas has a background in domestic and international public policy, having previously worked for the US Congress and the USTDA, a global development agency based in Washington D.C.

Based in our London office, Frezer has a decade of experience advising public sector and international organisations with their strategic and crisis communications. He has extensive knowledge of political dynamics in Africa, with a particular regional focus on the Horn and East Africa.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Frezer was a senior advisor to the Ethiopian Embassy in London.

George specialises in public policy and governmental affairs, with a focus on the EU and its relationships with global trading partners.

George has been involved in EU affairs since 1973 and has carved out a career both in the public and private sector as a UK diplomat and as a senior executive in a major UK company. 

Olivia is the HR Generalist at Project Associates. Previously, she has worked at Warner Brothers and The Francis Crick Institute in HR Operations.

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Anthony is the former British Ambassador to the UAE and an esteemed retired diplomat whose career focused largely on the Arab world. His postings included Beirut, Jedda, Khartoum, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Cairo and Geneva.

Anthony worked for the Defence Export Services Organisation in the Ministry of Defence, where he was responsible for relations with the GCC States. Anthony currently runs Tysers' office, a Lloyd's-based reinsurance brokerage, in the Dubai International Financial Centre, having previously set up the Brunswick Office in Dubai. 

Based in our London office, Helmi advises governmental clients on complex policy and communications challenges worldwide. Her expertise spans strategic communications, foreign policy analysis, and public diplomacy.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Helmi worked across diplomacy, media, and foreign policy analysis.

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Claire is Managing Director of Pangolin Claddagh, a corporate finance and strategic advisory firm based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Claire is an investment banker with a track record across global blue-chip financial institutions and entrepreneur-led businesses in developed and emerging markets. 

Based in our London office, Ioana works across a range of private client, corporate, and government projects.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Ioana worked in a private security firm in South Sudan where she handled numerous research and commercial projects.

Abby is an Executive Assistant supporting Project Associates directors. Before joining the company, Abby worked as an Executive Assistant at a leading London law firm.

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Based in our Paris office, Dana has experience in international affairs spanning intergovernmental organisations, embassies, and NGOs. 

Prior to joining Project Associates, Dana worked in communications in the fields of education, gender, culture, and diplomacy.

George has nearly a decade’s experience leading capacity building and reputation management projects for a high-profile and global client base. He has advised political leaders, diplomats, senior civil servants, and CEOs on five continents, in particular across the Middle East, West Africa, and Eastern Europe.

George's previous work includes teaching English & Politics at Sciences Po Bordeaux.

Kelly is a Senior Executive Assistant working directly for our CEO, Rob Worthington. She has extensive experience working for Global CEO’s and C-Suite Executives for large scale companies, primarily in the Technology sector. 

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Marina Levi, Ph.D., leads our work in Italy, the southern Mediterranean and South America from PA’s Milan office.

Marina advises leading financial institutions across Europe, as well as a number of preeminent companies in the luxury goods sector. She is a visiting professor at a number of academic institutions in Europe where she lectures in corporate anthropology, crisis communications and behavioural economics. Marina is also a fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI).

Marina spent more than 20 years in investment banking and investor relations in Europe, the Middle East, and South America.

Independent consultant contracting via Levi Certelli Consulting.

Based in our Paris office, Leonard specialises in strategic communications and stakeholders’ engagement, having advised numerous international clients across Africa and Europe.  

Prior to joining Project Associates, Leonard spent five years working in a variety of roles within an international strategic communications firm dedicated to Africa.

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Josh has worked extensively within risk management and strategy offices of global investment banks where he has developed expertise in financial and non-financial risk assessments. He has held roles in product development and portfolio performance tracking within wealth management and has contributed to group-level transformation initiatives.

Prior to this, he worked in the International Affairs division of the U.S. Treasury Department.

Based in our London office, Finn works on a range of corporate and government projects across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Finn spent three years working at a specialist technology public relations firm.

Fiona is the founder of Forming Impact and a thought leader in sustainable development and strategic partnerships. She has spearheaded Forming Impact’s flagship events, including the Necker Island Leaders Gathering and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Week. 

Fiona is an expert in bringing global players from the private sector to the impact world, consulting for ventures in sectors including investment, innovation and sustainability.

Nour works across a range of government and corporate projects in Europe and the Middle East.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Nour held multiple communications roles, spanning the communications team of a French Member of Parliament, worked at the French Ministry of Ecology and the Grand Palais. She also participated in the 2020 Paris municipal campaign, and worked at an independent platform that encourages citizen dialogue, where she oversaw communications.

Languages: French, English, Spanish

Heidi is the founder of Curayio, a communications consulting, coaching and training firm. She advises people globally across many sectors including healthcare, technology, aerospace, and defence. 

Heidi has worked at Brunswick, reputation.com, and has held Board positions at various communications agencies.

Thomas was German Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, and Ambassador to India. In his 36-year career as a German diplomat he also held the positions of Director General for Political Affairs, Deputy Ambassador in Washington DC and Chief of Staff to two foreign ministers. He also served as European Affairs Advisor to Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. 

On retiring from the diplomatic service, he worked for Deutsche Bank between 2011 - 2016. He is also a Senior Advisor at Flint and sits on various non-profit boards. 

Enrico is executive Chairman of Salbora Srl – Milan, an Insurance and corporate advisory company. Enrico is also an adjunct Professor at IULM University where he lectures in the field of Crisis Communications.

Prior to this, Enrico worked for 30 years in the field of Insurance.

Sam McAlister is a BAFTA-nominated interviews producer. With skills honed over a decade in the BBC’s elite news programmes, she is used to persuading reluctant individuals to participate in a news programme renowned for its rigour and bite.

She has worked with everyone from Jeremy Paxman to Emily Maitlis, briefing on topics from economics to geopolitics, and often deciding the questions that CEOs, politicians, and public figures will be asked in a news crisis. Her most famous exclusive was the interview with HRH Prince Andrew on BBC Newsnight.

Sam’s book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews was released in 2022.

Peter was the British Ambassador to Libya from 2015 - 2018.  During that time he played a role in supporting the UN's efforts to negotiate and then implement the Libya Political Agreement. He also managed the return of the British Embassy from Tunis to Tripoli. 

Before Libya, Peter was British Ambassador to Jordan from 2011 - 2015, and High Commissioner to Cyprus from 2015 - 2010.   

He is the Chairman of the Libya British Business Council.

Based in our Brussels office, Anna has extensive experience in international and public affairs, and geopolitics.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Anna worked at a law firm in Paris as a public affairs manager, and as a speechwriter for OECD's Secretary-general Angel Gurria.

Dan is Director of Communications & Public Policy at the Centre for Information Resilience. She specialises in government communications and capacity building and has spent significant time on-the-ground in African and Middle Eastern countries consulting on media handling, digital communications, and stakeholder engagement. She also sits on the Advisory Board for the Africa Chapter of the 50/50 Women on Boards Initiative. 

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Based in our London office, Anthony specialises in strategic message development and political communication, and has worked with clients across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Anthony worked for an international strategic consultancy, closely advising governments, ministers, and ambassadors.

Cameron was U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan from 2010 –2012, and to Serbia from 2007 – 2009. He served twice in Iraq, leading the first Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mosul and Baghdad. During his three decades as a career diplomat, he served as Director for Central Europe at the National Security Council under Presidents Clinton and Bush and completed postings in Warsaw, Prague, and Bonn. 

After retirement from the diplomatic service he became President and CEO of the EastWest Institute in New York.

Sam is Founder and CEO of Farasi Strategy Advisors Ltd, a firm providing investment and strategy advice to public and private sector clients.

Sam served in senior positions in the Government of Kenya between 2002 - 2012, including Economic Advisor at both the Ministry of Planning and State House as well as Deputy to the Head of Public Service at the Office of the President. 

Sir Richard was a Member of Parliament for 27 years, standing down in 2015. He was Chairman of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee from 2010 - 2015 and a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee from 2005 - 2010.

Sir Richard is an international lawyer by profession, and qualified as a solicitor specialising in maritime and commercial law.

Based in our Brussels office, Melissa has extensive experience in geopolitics and EU affairs spanning intergovernmental organisations, embassies and NGOs.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Melissa worked in the European Commission in the field of migration, culture and education, health, and humanitarian aid.

Based in our Paris office, Paulius specialises in issue management and media engagement for clients in the Middle East and Central and Eastern Europe. 

Before joining Project Associates, Paulius worked in the Baltics, and before that Dubai and Riyadh, advising a range of corporate and public sector clients on their communications strategies.

Based in our London office, Ana has experience in advising government and corporate clients in policy issues, strategic communications and crisis management.

Prior to joining ProjectAssociates, Ana worked at a global communications firm where she focused on energy and financial communications briefs and has previous experience working in elections campaigns in the LATAM region.

Oliver has had a longstanding career in politics, business and communications, international conference organisation and strategy consulting for political decision makers and business leaders.

Oliver founded a Munich-based strategic communications consultancy and previously was the Head of Communications for the Munich Security Conference.

Based in our London office, Jeanne works across a range of private, corporate, and government clients. 

Before joining Project Associates, Jeanne worked at the Institute Montaigne, where she analysed international politics and helped craft a book on French foreign policy.

Stefano was Diplomatic Advisor to the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, Italian Permanent Representative at NATO and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Italian Embassy in Washington. He also served in Perth, Western Australia; New York (United Nations) and Moscow.

Stefano sits on the Board of Directors of the European Leadership Network in London, the Board of Directors of the Center for American Studies in Rome, and is non-resident Senior Fellow of the Brent Scowcroft Center for International Security at the Atlantic Council. He was also Vice Chairman of Italian defence company OTO Melara. 

He was a Lieutenant in the Alpine corps of the Italian army, and a recipient of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He also has honours from the governments of France, Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Morocco and South Korea.

General Trinquand held several commanding positions in the French army and at international organisations. He took part in operations across the world, most notably in Lebanon and ex-Yugoslavia, where he advised the leadership of the UN forces in the field. More recently, as the head of the French military mission to the UN, he led the negotiations surrounding the deployment of French troops in Lebanon and Africa.

In 2010, he joined Group Marck, where he is Director of External Relations, responsible for managing the Group’s relationships with French officials and international governments.

Based in our London office, Leena supports the team with a wide range of finance functions.

Prior to joining Project Associates, Leena worked as Accounts Associate at a Risk Consultancy company working in accounts payable.

Based in our Paris office, Pietro has expertise in developing creative campaigns for multi-national corporations and high-net-worth individuals. He has also advised governments on complex communications and political issues.   

Before joining Project Associates, Pietro was a trainee solicitor at Cleary Gottlieb Hamilton & Steen, practising EU law and antitrust.

Based in our London office, Eugenie specialises in political advisory and media engagement for clients in West Africa and the Middle East.  

Prior to joining Project Associates, Eugenie was based in Dubai where she worked for a strategic communications consultancy specialising in providing strategic counsel to GCC governments on a range of complex issues. 

Nicholas Westcott is Professor of Practice in the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London, an Associate at Oxford University’s Department of Politics and International Relations, and a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Martin School. He was Director of the Royal African Society from 2017-2023.

From 2011-17 he was Managing Director in the EU’s External Action Service in Brussels, firstly for Africa and then for the Middle East and North Africa.  

After completing a PhD in African history at Cambridge University, he worked from 1982-2011 for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in a number of posts in London, Brussels, Washington DC and in Africa, including (from 2008-2011) as British High Commissioner to Ghana and Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger and Togo.

Kate is a former British diplomat with specialist expertise in East and Central Asia. Since leaving the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 2011, Kate has consulted private clients across a range of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, aerospace, mining and real estate.

Kate is a published independent scholar on China and is a regular speaker on the European academic circuit.

Isabelle is an expert on the intersection of technology and election integrity. She has advised social tech platforms, political campaigns, governments, and non-profits for over ten years. As an adviser for Project Associates, she focuses on issues of technology and election integrity.

Isabelle currently serves as Head of Technology and Society at the institute of Strategic Dialogue, where she works on issues at the intersection of technology, disinformation and violent extremism. Previously, Isabelle served as Head of Global Election Integrity Policy at Tiktok, where she developed policies to combat Election Misinformation, Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior and Synthetic Media.

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