Peace Direct is an international NGO supporting local people in some of the most challenging conflict environments in the world.
Our team is primarily based in London and Washington DC, but works with team members and partners across the world. All our staff work on a hybrid basis, with Fridays reserved for learning, development, and wellbeing.
EU Representative. London, UK and Brussels, Belgium.
Anna is Peace Direct’s Representative to the European Union (EU). She is responsible for our advocacy efforts in Brussels where she interacts with EU officials, EU member states and the peacebuilding and international development sectors.
Previously Anna worked for ten years at the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), where she coordinated the policy and advocacy work on EU institutions and policies. In former roles she worked for Search for Common Ground and ESSEC IRENÉ, focusing on programme support and EU fundraising. She holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding from Sciences Po Lille (France). In addition to representing Peace Direct, Anna also represents Nonviolent Peaceforce to the EU.
Bénédicte manages Peace Direct’s work in the Great Lakes and Central Africa regions, primarily in Burundi, CAR, and the DRC, where she supports partner initiatives relating to peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Her experience has spanned the Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, where she has worked with civil society on topics including links between corruption and conflict, post-conflict governance, and the protection of civilians. She previously worked with Transparency International’s Defence and Security programme and with the Center for Civilians in Conflict.
Bénédicte holds an undergraduate degree in French and Common Law from the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole and an LL.M. in Public International Law with a focus on international humanitarian law and human rights law from Queen Mary, University of London.
Valerie is responsible for all aspects of Finance, HR and administration for Peace Direct in the UK. This includes oversight of organisational budgeting, financial strategy, systems, monitoring and reporting, management of financial risk, HR and office administration. Valerie has over 20 years’ experience in the voluntary sector, both in international development and UK charities.
After a master’s degree in International Business, she studied Human Rights for a year in Lyons in France, writing her final dissertation on Tibet after meeting the Dalai Lama in New York and spending six months at the Tibet Society. She is a CIMA qualified Chartered Global Management Accountant. Valerie came to Peace Direct from Y Care International. She is an avid runner and a keen reader.
Dylan Mathews is CEO of Peace Direct having joined the organisation in 2015. His commitment to supporting local organisations in the global south spans almost twenty years, during which time he has worked for a range of peacebuilding, international development and humanitarian organisations.
While working for the peacebuilding think tank Oxford Research Group, he authored ‘War Prevention Works’ which profiled the role of non-state actors in conflict prevention and resolution – a publication that helped launch Peace Direct in 2004. He is the editor of ‘Working with Conflict 2’ a practical toolkit for local peacebuilders, published in 2020. Dylan is the Vice Chair of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, a global peacebuilding network based in Washington DC.
Head of Fundraising and Communications (job share) . London, UK
Gemma jointly leads the Fundraising and Communications team at Peace Direct, helping to grow the funds we need to bring about real change in areas of violent conflict and to raise the profile of Peace Direct and peacebuilding in general.
She has 13 years’ experience in the UK charity sector and holds a BSc in Economics from Loughborough University.
Head of Fundraising and Communications (job share) . London, UK
Grace jointly leads the Fundraising and Communications team at Peace Direct, helping to expand our reach and connect with supporters to bring about real change in areas of violent conflict, and steering our communications strategy across the organisation.
Head of Programmes and Research / Deputy CEO. London, UK.
Harriet oversees Peace Direct’s International Programmes and Research, providing guidance and strategic direction to the work, team and partnerships.
Harriet is also a co-designated Safeguarding Lead within Peace Direct and can be contacted through [email protected] with any safeguarding concerns or queries.
Harriet has been supporting local organisations in the global south for over 15 years across the international development and peacebuilding sectors. At Peace Direct, Harriet has overseen the expansion of the Local Action Fund including establishing this work with a new partner in Afghanistan. Prior to Peace Direct, Harriet worked with Y Care International, the global YMCA movement and a range of youth-focused civil society organisations. Her work has focused on youth empowerment, livelihoods, tackling injustice, and building more sustainable, socially relevant organisations. Harriet has an MSc in International Development Management and a BA in French and Hispanic Studies.
Chair of US Trustee Board and Member of UK Trustees Board
Bridget Moix serves as the US Board Chair for Peace Direct. She is General Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and leads 2 other Quaker organizations affiliated with FCNL: the FCNL Education Fund and Friends Place on Capitol Hill.
She brings with her 25 years of work on international peace and conflict issues, with a focus on US foreign policy and locally-led peacebuilding. She previously served as US Executive Director for Peace Direct and was on the founding US Peace Direct Board. She has also worked with the Quaker United Nations Office, the US Agency for International Development, Oxfam America, the Casa de los Amigos in Mexico City and the Quaker Peace Centre in Capetown, South Africa.
Bridget holds a PhD from George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution and has taught courses on peacebuilding at various universities. She has two teenage sons who challenge her peacemaking skills every day, and she lives with them in Washington, DC.
Chair of UK Trustees board and Member of US Trustee board
Anthony is the Chief Executive at Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Anthony joined WFD in August 2014. He is a member of the Foreign Secretary’s Advisory Board on Human Rights and of the Board of the European Partnership for Democracy. Anthony’s role in WFD builds on his international experience. He was previously a member of the Diplomatic Service and a Civil Servant. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1986, served in the Embassy in Madrid and worked on a range of European policy issues including the Balkans, trade policy and Common Foreign and Security Policy. In 1996 he moved to the Department for International Development (DFID) where he worked on Environment Policy, Europe and Southern Africa, as well as being Private Secretary to Clare Short when she was Secretary of State for International Development. Anthony returned to the FCO as Director for European Political Affairs from 2006-2008 before becoming International Relations Director at DFID from 2008-2014, responsible for DFID’s policy on EU development issues, DFID’s funding to the UN system and the Commonwealth, engagement with the G20 and G8, and relations with development partners.
Regina serves as the Policy and Partnership Officer for Peace Direct’s US Office, where she supports decolonization efforts and advocates for change in the US and at the United Nations. She has experience in human rights, development, and peace issues, having worked at the Mexican Mission to the UN in NYC and the UN Verification Mission in Colombia. Notably, she contributed to the negotiation of over 15 UN resolutions during her tenure at the Mexican Mission. Regina also has a strong background in research and partnership building, demonstrated during her time at UNICEF and the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness. She holds an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a B.A. from Anahuac University in Mexico City.
