Stop Conflict. Save lives.

Scilla Elworthy Ph.D

Scilla is founder of Peace Direct, and founder and Chair of Oxford Research Group, established in 1982 to develop effective methods whereby people can bring about positive change on issues of global and local security by non-violent means. Previously she was a consultant at UNESCO on women’s issues, a director of Minority Rights Group in France and has worked for ten years in southern Africa. In May 2003 she was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize and has three times been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Andres Ilves, Chair

Andres has served as Head of the Persian and Pashto Service of the BBC World Service since 2004.  In that role, he is responsible for BBC radio and online content in the languages of Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, and the tribal and frontier areas of Pakistan, with bureaux and journalists situated in Kabul, Dushanbe, and throughout the region.  Previously, he was Director of Radio Free Afghanistan. Andres has also worked in the fields of HIV prevention and civil society building, where his travels and work have taken him to Africa, Eastern Europe, and the United States.  In addition to Persian, Pashto, and his native Estonian, Andres speaks numerous other languages, including Zulu.

Ruth Jenkins, Company Secretary

Ruth is a qualified chartered accountant working as Finance Manager for Homeless Link. Before training as an accountant she worked directly in charities promoting the voluntary sector and researching environmental and health issues. Ruth has been involved in green politics since 1999, working for the Green Party’s Dr Caroline Lucas MEP in Brussels and Jenny Jones AM in the Greater London Assembly, as well as acting as Secretary to the National Party’s executive body. Locally, she has stood in both local and general elections and acted as Election Agent for 5 years.

Joan Link, Deputy Chair

Joan is a former British diplomat, whose 33 year career in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) specialised in arms control, conflict issues and human resources. From 2001-2004 she ran the UK’s innovative Global Conflict Prevention Pool jointly owned by the FCO, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development. From 2004-2007 she was Head of Conflict Issues Group in the FCO, dealing with conflict prevention and countries at risk of instability, peacekeeping and international policing, and peacebuilding, in particular security sector reform and rule of law in conflict affected countries. She currently divides her time between human resources consulting and voluntary sector activities including related to Women, Peace and Security, as well as spending more time with her family.

Eliot Lyne, Treasurer

Eliot is a qualified chartered accountant and works as an interim charity finance director.  Previous clients include Samaritans, Merlin, BBC World Service Trust and currently Livability, the national disability charity. Prior to that he worked in a wide variety of roles in the commercial sector having qualified with Deloitte. Outside work Eliot leads Introduction seminars to the Landmark Forum and loves walking, running, cycling and growing fruit!

Dylan Mathews

Dylan is Africa Programme Manager for Y Care International, the international relief and development agency of the YMCA movement in the UK and Ireland. Previously, Dylan worked for Landmine Action as Sudan Programme Co-ordinator before moving to Oxfam GB to work on humanitarian programmes in Grenada and Guyana. Dylan is author of War Prevention Works , which he wrote whilst working for Oxford Research Group, and he is the Founder and trustee of the Rwenzori Development Foundation, a UK-based charity supporting community development projects in Western Uganda.

Vesna Matovich

Vesna is Responding To Conflict’s Peace and Conflict Advisor with main responsibility for the learning and programme development. She is focusing on application of action research methodology in conflict transformation field. For few years she was managing and teaching on the Applied Conflict Transformation Studies Program (ACTS), MA course for peacebuilding practitioners. She is a tutor on RTC courses and learning events. Dr Matovich is Serbian and has worked for many years in the Balkans for Nansen Dialogue Network as a consultant, trainer and facilitator on conflict issues.

Joel Voysey

Joel has worked in a variety of fundraising roles over the last 12 years at WaterAid, Amnesty International UK and VSO. He is currently Head of Fundraising at United Response, a national disability charity.

Nicholas Bradbury Ph.D

Nicholas trained as a priest and has worked in the Church of England in a variety of urban and rural settings. He was for many years Chair of the Wessex Counselling service in SW England. He currently works for the King’s Fund, designing and directing leadership development programmes and OD interventions for the senior managers and clinicians of the NHS.