Visiting Programme Directors

Programme Directors are often supported in the development and delivery of individual events by eminent advisers and visiting programme directors.  Details of our current Senior Programme Advisers and Visiting Directors can be found below.

Simon Harris

Simon is an Advisor to British Sugar plc and to its parent company - Associated British Foods plc.  Currently he is a member of the OECD’s Business and Industry Advisory Committee and serves on various trade association bodies.

His career started in 1965 as a journalist before joining the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1967 as an economist. From 1970 to 1973 he was a member of the civil service team helping negotiate British accession to the EEC (now the EU).  He was also involved in the world’s first ever cost-benefit analysis of foot-and-mouth disease control measures after the 1967/8 outbreak.

In 1974, Simon moved to the City of London as Group Economist for S&W Berisford International plc; a then leading international commodity trader.  He was heavily involved in the Berisford takeover of British Sugar (1980/82) and the subsequent takeover battles for Berisford itself.  In 1987 he moved from the world of commodity trading to the world of food manufacturing when he joined British Sugar in the newly created post of Director for Corporate Affairs.  Until his first retirement in 2003, he was responsible for British Sugar’s lobbying activities in Brussels and Whitehall and helped with its lobbying in Warsaw and Beijing as British Sugar expanded overseas.

Trained as an agricultural economist at the Universities of London and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, during his professional life Simon was for many years a Specialist Advisor to the House of Lords European Scrutiny Committee vetting draft European legislation; Vice-Chairman of the Centre for European Agricultural Studies (London University); a consultant to the FAO in Rome helping edit its annual ‘Commodity Review and Outlook’ volume and working on the measurement of agricultural protection; and a member of two of the European Commission’s advisory bodies - on wholesale/international trade and on sugar.  He wrote the case, accepted by HM Treasury, for a Red Meat Industry Slaughtering Scheme (1980) and was a member of the foundation committee for a London beef futures market.  He led the IPC’s Sugar Task Force (1989/91), attended the 1977 and 1984 UNCTAD meetings to negotiate International Sugar Agreements as an advisor to the Argentinean and British Governments respectively and was a consultant to the World Bank on its international lending policies for sugar (1986/7).  He chaired the British Food and Drink Federation’s Trade Policy Committee during the GATT Uruguay Round of trade negotiations and attended the WTO Ministerial meetings in Seattle, Cancun and Hong Kong as an FDF delegate.

He has lectured widely internationally on commodity trade and food policy issues, written over 60 journal articles and papers and co-authored books on UK sugar policy pre-EU entry (1973) and the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (1984).

Simon is a Senior Programme Adviser.

Kamelia Kemileva

Kamelia is currently Project Manager to the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Geneva Switzerland. She is an expert advisor on the United Nations Human Rights Council at the Academy and handles other Academy research projects. An important part of Kamelia’s work involves organising events, conferences and meetings of various sizes, involving different actors such as diplomats, academics, experts, NGOs, IGOs, local officials and individuals, held in Geneva and elsewhere. She is also in charge of developing strong working relationships with the private sector. 

In parallel to her Academy work, Kamelia has also recently worked closely with the Government of Geneva on the establishment of a Centre for Global Cooperation. This project significantly developed her knowledge and contacts within the areas of migration, health, science, disarmament, refugees, environment and trade, both in Geneva and worldwide.

Before joining the Academy, Kamelia worked as a Special Assistant to the President of the UN Human Rights Council for three years. During this period, she advised the President on political and substantive issues. She was also in charge of various format negotiations namely with Member States, regional and other coordinators, governmental and non-governmental organisations, national institutions and other participants. She handled the follow-up relations between the General Assembly of the United Nations through working, amongst other channels, with the Office of the President of the General Assembly.

Prior to this, she was part of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Office in New York, having worked previously for the Swiss Mission to the United Nations in Geneva. In this role she represented Switzerland at the UN in various political fora. She was particularly involved in the creation of the UN Human Rights Council and its successful establishment in Geneva, and subsequently, in its institution building.

Before changing career to the public sector Kamelia worked for two years in a Geneva based bank where her tasks involved the establishment of, and follow-up to, clients’ legal files and the creation of a database of the relevant information with regard to regulations against money laundering as Compliance Officer’s assistant.
Kamelia Kemileva is a lawyer with a Master’s degree in International Public Law from the University of Geneva. After graduating she worked on specific mandates for the Bulgarian Helskinki Committee on issues related to minorities in the Balkans region. She also completed an MBA diploma (2011), focused on non-profit organisations.

Julian Lindley-French

Julian is Eisenhower Professor of Defence Strategy at the Netherlands Defence Academy, Special Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of Leiden and Senior Associate Fellow of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom.  He is also an Advisor to General Sir David Richards, Chief of the General Staff and Head of the Commander’s Initiative Group (CIG) for the Commandant of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). A member of the Strategic Advisory Group of the Atlantic Council of the US in Washington he was formerly a Course Director at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and European Co-Chair of the US-European Working Group on Stabilisation and Reconstruction Missions for CSIS and is currently Project Leader for the Atlantic Council’s Stratcon 2010 project on the NATO Strategic Concept.

In January 2007 he published a new book entitled “NATO: The Enduring Alliance” for Routledge in the US and Europe.  In November 2007, following his return from a trip to Afghanistan, he prepared a major report on the situation therein and the way ahead to which he added a second report in April 2008 after a further trip. In January 2008 he published a new book on the history of European defence for Oxford University Press which was nominated for the Duke of Westminster Medal for Military Literature.  In February 2009 he launched a report on Stabilisation and Reconstruction Operations relations for CSIS in Washington and also published a major Bertelsmann-RAND report on the transatlantic relationship with Steve Larrabee of RAND Washington.  He is currently Chief Editor of the Oxford Handbook on War for Oxford University Press which will be published in 2010 and has just completed work on a new book on British national strategy.  

Julian Lindley-French is an Oxford historian. He received a Masters Degree in International Relations (with distinction) from UEA and holds a doctorate in political science from the European University Institute.  He has lectured in European Security at the Department of War Studies, Kings College London, and therein was Deputy Director of the International Centre for Security Analysis (ICSA).  He was Senior Research Fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris and acted as a consultant to NATO in Brussels where in 1999 he was recognised for outstanding service.  

Alun Rhydderch

Alun is founder and Director of Horizon Scanning Ltd, a London-based strategy startup helping public and private sector clients develop robust strategies and ambitious plans for the future. In 2005 he was part of the team that set up the UK’s Horizon Scanning Centre, based at the Foresight unit in the Government Office for Science. He worked at the Centre until 2011, running projects such as International Futures, The Future of World Trade, and Technology and Innovation Futures, on behalf of the major government departments. The International Futures project was described by the Permanent Secretaries Strategy Group as “emblematic of how horizon scanning could be used to develop strategic thinking”. He commissioned and edited The Sigma Scan (www.sigmascan.org), a unique repository of horizon scanning articles relevant to public policy, and published a Guidance note on scenario planning in government. He has run a series of 2-day courses on horizon scanning and scenario planning for the European Commission, and has been invited to speak on his scenario work at IFRI in Paris and SWP in Berlin.

Before working at the UK Horizon Scanning Centre, Alun set up and ran a software development company in Prague, which won an award as the fastest-growing technology company in the Czech Republic in 2000. He holds a BA (Hons) in modern and medieval languages from Cambridge University.

Catarina Tully

Cat set up FromOverHere to help governments navigate the complexities and uncertainties of the 21st century.  She has advised the UK parliament on an inquiry on Government Strategic Capability as well as consulted and trained senior officials from governments around the world.  Cat does research as well as advisory work on different countries' practice, approaches and innovation in the use of strategic foresight.  She is an active contributor to debates on strategy and international relations: including managing risk, the impact of technology, democracy 2.0, and the future shape of government.  She is particularly interested in ways that support ministers and officials enhance foreign and domestic policy decision-making processes through taking a longer timescale into account.

Prior to this work, Cat was Strategy Project Director at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Policy Planning Staff in the UK.  She led strategy projects examining cross-cutting, priority and upstream foreign policy issues, and built strategic capability in the Department.  She worked directly with the Foreign Secretary David Miliband, other members of the UK government, European and US leaders, and a broad network of international policy thinkers on foresight and policy planning.  She was a founding member of the Wilton Park annual Futures conference.  Before that, she worked in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, developing domestic policy and strategic capability for both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including a strategic audit of the UK.  Cat has also worked for the UN Deputy Secretary General's office on the UN reform process, Global Compact, UN Development Programme, and with the World Bank in Geneva. She has a business and finance strategy qualification (CIMA) and spent seven years lending her expertise to improving strategic capability and advising leadership teams in charities including Christian Aid and private sector businesses, particularly Procter and Gamble.

Professor Myles Wickstead CBE

Myles was, from early 2004 to late 2005, Head of Secretariat to the Commission for Africa.  He has a long history of involvement with, and working in, Africa.  Between 1993 and 1997 he was based in Nairobi as Head of the British  Development Division in Eastern Africa, responsible for British Government development programmes in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.  He coordinated the 1997 Government White Paper 'Eliminating World Poverty: A Challenge for the 21st Century'; served on the Board of the World Bank (and as Development Counsellor at the British Embassy) in Washington from 1997 to 2000; and from 2000 to 2004 was based in Addis Ababa as British Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti.

Having left Government service in late 2005, Myles' portfolio now includes: Visiting Professor (International Relations) at the Open University; Senior Advisor to the Africa Unit (Association of Commonwealth Universities); Board Chair of CONCERN UK and Independent Vice-Chair of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy; and Board member/Trustee of the Baring Foundation, the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET), the University of Ulster UNESCO Centre, the Crown Agents Foundation, the Development Studies Association, the Comic Relief International Grants Committee, International Inspiration and the Advisory Council of Wilton Park.

He has degrees from the Universities of St Andrews (MA First Class Honours) and Oxford (M.Litt), and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Education by Leeds Met University in July 2009 in recognition of his work on Africa.  In the New Years Honours 2006 he was appointed CBE.

Myles is also a member of the Wilton Park Advisory Council.

Revd Canon Dr Gary Wilton

Gary is visiting Programme Director for faith and religion. He is based in Brussels where he is the Archbishop of Canterbury's Representative to the EU and a Canon of the Pro-Cathedral of Holy Trinity.

He is a member of the Diocese in Europe Synod, the Bishop's Council, the Steering Group of the Institute for Leadership and Ethics at the Evangelical Theology Faculty at Leuven and Associate Researcher at K.U. Leuven. Gary was previously a member of the Northern Regional Board of the Co-operative Group Ltd, the South Yorkshire Police Authority Standards Committee and Durham University’s External Examiner to the North East Ordination Course.

Gary regularly contributes articles for academic journals, the Church press and Diplomat magazine. He is currently collaborating on a book entitled God and the EU and has contributed to the Wilton Park blog

Ordained in 1988, Gary served in parish ministry before spending 10 years in theological education, first at Church Army’s college in Sheffield and then at York St John University where he was Head of Postgraduate Studies in Theology.

Gary studied Economics & Politics at the University of Bath (BSc Hons); Religion & Society at Trinity College Bristol (MA) and Adult Education at the University of Nottingham (Ed.D).

Professor Michael Winter OBE

Professor and Director of the Centre for Rural Policy Research at the University of Exeter, Michael is a rural policy specialist and a rural social scientist with particular interests in applying inter-disciplinary approaches to policy-relevant research and in direct engagement in the policy process. Within the University he is a member of the management boards for three research centres/themes: Climate Change and Sustainable Futures; Sport, Leisure and Tourism; and Egenis. He is a member of DEFRA’s Science Advisory Council, DEFRA’s Panel of Agricultural and Environmental Economists; SWRDA's Panel of Economists; and the National Ecosystem Assessment Expert Panel.

He is a Commissioner for the Commission for Rural Communities, President of Devon Rural Network and a vice-President of Devon Community Council. He is former trustee/director of the BBSRC North Wyke Research centre and former Chair of the South West Rural Affairs Forum. In 2000, he was a member of the Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales chaired by Lord Burns. He is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Sustainable Agriculture. His current research interests, among others, focus on rural policy analysis and governance with a specific focus on regionalism; sustainable agro-food systems and food security; climate change and rural land use; the historical and contemporary sociology of west country agriculture; and farmer environmental attitudes and decision-making, particularly in the context of diffuse pollution and water quality.

Jan Martin Witte

Jan Martin is a Co-Founder and Fellow of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi). He is based in Kampala (Uganda), and serves as an Energy Sector Development Adviser for the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). He also serves as a Non-Resident Fellow for the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) of Johns Hopkins University. His areas of expertise include global energy policy, international development, international organizations, Corporate Social Responsibility and transatlantic relations.

Work experience includes consulting and research assignments at the Brookings Institution, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). From June 1999 to June 2001 he served as a Research Associate with the Global Public Policy Project, Washington D.C. Between 2003 and 2010, Jan Martin served as Associate Director for GPPi, based in Berlin.

He has published widely on issues of energy policy, international development, UN reform, global governance, and transatlantic relations, most recently "Global Energy Governance: The New Rules of the Game" (Washington, DC: Brookings Press, 2010), "50 Jahre OPEC: Kartell zwischen Macht und Ohnmacht" (Munich: Hanser Verlag, 2010); and "Transforming Development? The Role of Philanthropic Foundations in International Development" (Berlin: GPPi 2008).

Having received scholarships from the German National Academic Foundation (European Recovery Program Fellowship), the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD); Jan Martin was the recipient of the Daimler-Chrysler Fellowship for Transatlantic Affairs at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies of Johns Hopkins University.

Jan Martin holds a PhD and MA in International Relations and International Economics from the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. He also received a Diploma in Political Science from the University of Potsdam.

Tom Woods

Tom is President of Woods International, LLC, a private sector consulting firm based in Washington, DC. Tom uses his diplomatic and development background to achieve successful outcomes on a broad range of issues.  He helped create and sustain one of the world’s largest Muslim and Christian collaborations focused on fighting malaria in Nigeria.  He has championed global efforts to halt the spread of deadly counterfeit pharmaceuticals.  Tom also provides specialized strategies and senior-level relationships for companies expanding into complex emerging markets. 

Tom served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Africa (2004-2006) and led U.S. engagement with 25 countries in west and southern Africa.  He also led U.S. economic policy towards Africa.  Tom also served as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa at the U.S. Agency for International Development (2002-2004).  In this role, he oversaw the agency’s more than $1 billion Africa development budget, and he brought new focus to revitalizing Africa’s agricultural sector.  Tom previously served as the State Department’s Officer in Charge for Democracy and Human Rights in Africa (1998-2000).  

Tom serves currently on the boards of the South Africa-Washington International Program, the Nigerian Interfaith Action Association, and the Fourth Presbyterian School in Potomac, Maryland.  He earned a BA in International Studies and economics with highest honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his MA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Professor Akiko Yamanaka

Professor Yamanaka is a Senior Visiting Scholar at Churchill College, Cambridge University, whose areas of expertise include intercultural studies, international peace-building, international negotiation and strategic studies. Her current research is focused upon human security, particularly water security, energy security, food security and disaster prevention.

Her previous research experience includes posts at the Institute of international Policy Studies, the United Nations University and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In an advisory capacity, she has held positions as Member of Council for Japan’s Institute of International Affairs and, in 2002, as Member of the Chief Cabinet Secretary’s Advisory on International Cooperation for Peace.

Between 2005 and 2009, Professor Yamanaka served as a member of the House of Representatives, taking the post of Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2006. Within the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party, Professor Yamanaka held the position of Director of the Women’s Bureau between 2006 and 2007, and, from 2007 to 2008, served as Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Professor Yamanaka holds the Organisation for International Spiritual and Cultural Advancement Award (for contribution to Asia) and the International Soroptomist Japan’s ‘Sen Kyoko Prize’ for contribution to international understanding.