Speakers
-
Abhinandan Sekhri
Co-founder and CEO, Newslaundry
Abhinandan Sekhri
Co-founder and CEO, Newslaundry
Abhinandan Sekhri is co-founder of media critique, news and current affairs website Newslaundry and Small Screen a content solutions consultancy and production company. He was educated at The Doon School, and Hansraj College.
He has worked as a producer, director and writer in various television and film projects including food and travel show, Highway on my Plate, which he co-produced and directed; and news-satire show Gustaakhi Maaf and The Great Indian Tamasha.
He regularly delivers lectures and hosts panel discussions on journalism, RTI and the importance and independence of media
-
Ahmed S. Hashim
Associate Professor, Military Studies Programme, RSIS, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Ahmed S Hashim
Associate Professor, Military Studies Programme, RSIS, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Ahmed S. Hashim is Associate Professor of Strategic Studies in the Military Studies Programme, RSIS, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He specialises in the military studies of the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia. His specific focus is on conventional warfare, insurgency and counterinsurgency, terrorism and counterterrorism. His latest book is The Caliphate at War, Oxford University Press, 2018.
-
Ankhi Das
Public Policy Director — India, South & Central Asia, Facebook
Ankhi Das
Public Policy Director — India, South & Central Asia, Facebook
Ankhi Das is the Director of Public Policy for Facebook in India and South & Central Asia. With over 17 years of public policy and regulatory affairs experience in the technology sector, Ankhi’s primary responsibilities are to lead Facebook’s efforts on Internet governance, promoting access and Open Internet, privacy, data security, safety issues and political risk management for the company. In this role, Ankhi oversees the company’s relationships with policymakers, elected officials, government agencies and NGOs in India, South & Central Asian countries and directs the company’s programs in these areas. One of her key goals is to promote the use of facebook for civic engagement, community organizing for elections and social causes and fuelling economic growth and opportunities for SMBs.
Ankhi is a member of the Multi-stakeholder Advisory (MAG) of the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) as a private sector representative and an active participant in the global multi-stakeholder dialog.
She has participated in several global internet policy negotiations of the ITU and represented industry. This includes UN led inter-governmental negotiations, at the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), hosted by ITU, in Dubai in Dec 2012 and the Busan Round or the Plenipotentiary 2014 meeting. She is an active voice on Internet Governance issues at the IGF and groups like ICC-BASIS, FICCI, COAI, USIBC, IAMAI and participated in the NetMundial text negotiations and the meeting in Sao Paolo on the future of the internet. Ankhi is also the Vice-Chair of the USIBC Digital Economy Committee.
Prior to joining Facebook in 2011, Ankhi was at Microsoft, where as the Public Policy Director she was responsible for strategic public policy projects and managing regulatory issues for Microsoft in India.
Ankhi Das is a graduate of Loreto College, University of Calcutta, and has done post-graduate studies specializing in international relations and political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Ankhi is based in New Delhi.
-
Anubhav Sinha
Film Director
Anubhav Sinha
Film Director
Anubhav Sinha (born 22 June 1965) is an Indian film director, producer and writer known for his work in Tum Bin (2001), Dus (2005), Ra.One (2011) and Mulk (2018). He was noticed for his work on Shikast, the flagship show of the TV network in Mumbai. This was followed by the TV show Sea Hawks for UTV. Sea Hawks was the number one show for 35 weeks across all networks. In 2019, Sinha produced and directed Article 15 under his production house Benaras Media Works with Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead. The film is based on Article 15 of the Indian Constitution, which is about prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.[5] The film generally received critically acclaimed reviews from critics and won the title of Best Film in London Indian film festival
-
Anshuman Behera
Assistant Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies
Anshuman Behera
Assistant Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies
Dr. Anshuman Behera is an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. Prior to joining NIAS, Dr. Behera worked with Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and Institute for Conflict Management (ICM), New Delhi. A co-author of a book on Militant Groups in South Asia (Pentagon-2014) and co-editor of a book on Reasoning Indian Politics: Philosopher Politicians to Politicians Seeking Philosophy (Routledge-2018), Dr. Behera writes on internal conflicts in India, Bangladesh and Nepal and on political processes in South Asia. Apart from his extensive work on Maoist conflict in India and Nepal his research interests include political theory, terrorism and political conflicts in South Asia and religious and violent extremism.
-
David Wells
Head of Research and Analysis, UNCTED
David Wells
Head of Research and Analysis, UNCTED
David Wells has nearly 15 years of progressive experience in national security policy, managing teams, and coordinating projects at an international level. He is an innovative thinker and problem-solver. He is currently serving as the Head of Research and Analysis in UNCTED.
-
Maj. Gen. Dharshana Hettiarrachhci
Head of Counter-Radicalisation, Govt. of Sri Lanka
Maj. Gen. Dharshana Hettiarrachhci
Head of Counter-Radicalisation, Govt. of Sri Lanka
Major General Don Dharshana Udaya Kumara Hettiarrachchi is a high ranking officer of the Sri Lankan Army, performing duties as Head of National Action Plan in Sri Lanka on Preventing and Countering the Religious Radicalization, Violent Extremism and Terrorism. He has served as the Commander Security Force - Jaffna and Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Engineers of the Sri Lanka Army. Major General Hettiarrachchi was appointed as the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation under the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms in February 2012 and he held that appointment until July 2013. His contribution to transform ex terrorists (LTTE) to be peace loving useful citizens in Sri Lanka was highly commended by the relevant authorities. He is an officer from the Corps of Engineers of the Sri Lanka Army, he had been awarded the "Rana Sura Padakkama" on three occasions for his acts of bravery in facing the enemy in the battle field during early stages of his career. Furthermore, he is a Senior Fellow at the National Security Think Tank of the Institute of National Security Studies, Sri Lanka.
-
Dhruva Jaishankar
Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings India
Dhruva Jaishankar
Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings India
Dhruva Jaishankar is fellow in foreign policy studies at Brookings India in New Delhi and the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. He is also a nonresident fellow with the Lowy Institute in Australia. Jaishankar was previously a Transatlantic Fellow with the German Marshall Fund (GMF) in Washington DC from 2012 until 2016, where he managed the India Trilateral Forum, a regular policy dialogue involving participants from India, Europe, and the United States. From 2009 to 2012, he was programme officer for Asia with GMF. Prior to that, he worked as a research assistant at the Brookings Institution in Washington and as a news writer and reporter for CNN-IBN television in New Delhi. In 2015-16, he was a visiting fellow with the South Asia Programme of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
-
Dina Hussein
Counterterrorism and Dangerous Organisations Policy Manager, Facebook
Dina Hussein
Counterterrorism and Dangerous Organisations Policy Manager, Facebook
Dina Hussein is a Counterterrorism and Dangerous Organisations Policy Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Facebook. Her background and expertise include analysis of counter terrorism operation in the Middle East and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. Her research has focused on the evolving nature of extremism and terrorism in Northern Africa and the Gulf, gender dynamics within violent extremist organisations and youth inclusion in countering violent extremism. She also supports in leading Facebook’s work with the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT).
Prior to joining Facebook, Dina was a political officer with the FCO. She has consulted on countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism for the UNDP and UN Women as well as working with Amnesty International on the intersection of CT and human right in the Gulf and North Africa. She has been a fellow at Ulster Univesity’s Department of Transitional Justice and a visiting speaker at Columbia’s SIPA and the LSE’s Women Peace and Security department.
-
Erez Kreiner
Former Director, Israel’s National Cyber Security Authority
Erez Kreiner
Former Director, Israel’s National Cyber Security Authority
Erez Kreiner served more than five years as the Director of Israel s National Cyber Security Authority. He was responsible for preventing cyber-attacks on Israel s critical infrastructures and assets, and led national teams to oversee Cyber and Data Security.
He led the development of new methodologies and tools to defend power supply, finance, health, communications, and other essential services. Previously, he was the Director of Information Security at the ISA and the Director of Israeli Security in Europe. He is a senior research fellow at a number of academic institutions. Kreiner holds a B.S.C in Engineering from the Technion, Haifa, and a Master s in National Security. He is currently an Associate at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT).
-
Haroro Ingram
Senior Research Fellow, George Washington University
Haroro Ingram
Senior Research Fellow, George Washington University
Haroro Ingram is a senior research fellow with the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. His research primarily focuses on the role of propaganda and charismatic leadership in the evolution and appeal of violent non-state political movements; militant Islamist propaganda targeting English-speaking audiences; and the role of strategic communications in national security operations, strategy and policy. Ingram s work draws heavily on primary source materials, most of which is collected during field research in countries across the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. He currently leads several in-country applied projects in these regions mostly focused on civil society capacity building to prevent violent extremist recruitment. A former national security practitioner, Ingram previously worked in counter-terrorism operations and defence strategic-policy.
-
Ian James Bowden
Specialist, Internet Monitoring in EU IRU — Europol
Ian James Bowden
Specialist, Internet Monitoring in EU IRU — Europol
Ian Bowden is a specialist within the European Union Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU). Based at Europol s HQ in The Hague, Ian spends much of his time monitoring and referring jihadist content online, as well as delivering policy analysis and research. Ian began working in the field of online terrorism as an officer with the Metropolitan Police s Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). After his appointment to Europol s ECTC as a UK liaison officer between 2015-2017, Ian moved to a permanent role working for the EU Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU).
-
Indrani Bagchi
Diplomatic Editor, Times of India
Indrani Bagchi
Diplomatic Editor, Times of India
Indrani Bagchi is senior diplomatic editor with The Times of India, where she reports and analyzes foreign policy issues for the newspaper. Indrani covers daily news on foreign affairs, the foreign office, as well as interpreting and analyzing global trends with an Indian perspective. She writes news stories; opinion articles; news features; a blog, "Globespotting". She covers India, US, China, Pakistan, terrorism, nuclear weapons, and national security issues, among others. She joined the Times of India in 2004. Earlier, Indrani was associate editor for India Today, a premier news magazine. Indrani started her journalism career at The Statesman, where she was the weekend editor, before moving to The Economic Times in Calcutta to edit the Metro Magazine. Having graduated from Loreto College, Calcutta University, Indrani has been a Reuters Fellow at Oxford University. In 2010, India was awarded the Chang Lin-Tien fellowship by the Asia Foundation to study US-China relations at Brookings Institution, Washington DC. She is a Fellow of the third class of the Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
-
Jency Jacob
Managing Editor, Boom Live
Jency Jacob
Managing Editor, Boom Live
Jency Jacob is the managing editor of BOOM, India's premier fact checking digital initiative based out of Mumbai. Jency manages a newsroom of enterprising fact checkers across several states who are striving to keep our social media and public space clear of misinformation and communally sensitive disinformation that can result in real-life implications. Jency has worked with some of the best television, print and digital brands in the country over the last 2 decades.
-
Jessie Lowry Francescon
Director, Dialogue & Communications, Hedayah
Jessie Lowry Francescon
Director, Dialogue & Communications, Hedayah
Jessie recently joined Hedayah as the U.S. secondee. She comes with years of international development, strategic communications, brand awareness and media relations experience. Jessie has developed communications and marketing strategies in collaboration with a diverse range of clients including governments, private sector businesses, NGOs, trade associations, nonprofits and donor community across Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central and Southeast Asia.
Most recently, Jessie served as CNFA s Director of Communications, an international development NGO focused on economic growth initiatives. She managed the communication activities, media relationships, digital presence, special events and branding for CNFA Corporate, CNFA Europe and CNFA Programs with a portfolio valued at +200 million. She frequently traveled to deliver training in branding, mass media campaigns and social media as well as develop programmatic intervention communication strategies, produce program videos and engage with local media. She also served as the Communications Committee Co-Chair for the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba and a member of the Public Affairs and Communications Committee for the International Fertilization Industry Association. Prior to her time at CNFA, Jessie was the Communications Manager for the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), a trade association representing 80% of North America s steel industry. Jessie holds a Master of Arts in Political Communication with a concentration in Public Diplomacy from The George Washington University and two Bachelor of Arts in Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs and Organizational Communications from Miami University. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for The Women s Partnership Market - a social enterprise focused on accelerating avenues for income, skills, and dignity for female artisans worldwide.
-
Kabir Taneja
Associate Fellow, ORF
Kabir Taneja
Associate Fellow, ORF
Kabir Taneja is an Associate Fellow with Strategic Studies programme. His research focuses on India s relations with West Asia, specifically looking at the domestic political dynamics, terrorism, non-state militant actors and the general security paradigm of the region.
Kabir has written extensively in The New York Times, The Hindu, Suddeutsche Zeitung, The Huffington Post, Politico, Quartz, The Wire, among others.
-
Kanchan Gupta
Distinguished Fellow, ORF
Kanchan Gupta
Distinguished Fellow, ORF
Kanchan Gupta is a Distinguished Fellow at ORF. His areas of interest and work are domestic politics, religious extremism, terrorism, technology and foreign affairs with emphasis on the Middle East.
-
K Yhome
Senior Fellow, ORF
K Yhome
Senior Fellow, ORF
K. Yhome is a Senior Fellow with ORF's Neigbhourhood Regional Studies Initiative. His research interests include India s regional diplomacy, regional and sub-regionalism in South and Southeast Asia, the Bay of Bengal region and China s southwest provinces. Of late his research has focused on developments in Myanmar and the evolving geopolitics in the Bay of Bengal. Before joining ORF he worked as an Editorial Assistant for Indian Foreign Affairs Journal.
Yhome has a PhD and an MPhil from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and an MA (Political Science) from Hyderabad Central University. He is the author of Myanmar: Can the Generals Resist Change? and has contributed chapters in edited books and articles in national and international journals/magazines.
-
Katy Donnelly
Unit Manager (Director), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, New Zealand
Katy Donnelly
Unit Manager (Director), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, New Zealand
Ms Katy Donnelly is Unit Manager in the International Security and Disarmament Division of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, covering counter-terrorism, defence issues, maritime security and people smuggling. Prior to taking up this role, Katy was New Zealand’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and has also served as Deputy Permanent Representative at New Zealand’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Vienna.
-
Khalid B. Shah
Associate Fellow, ORF
Khalid B. Shah
Associate Fellow, ORF
Khalid Shah is an Associate Fellow at Observer Research Foundation. His research work focuses on Kashmir conflict, insurgency and cross-border terrorism.
He was previously associated with leading news channels of India as a correspondent and investigative reporter. Prior to joining ORF, he was Srinagar Bureau Head of WION News, reporting on the conflict in Kashmir.
-
Lorena Pacheco
Program Officer, Club de Madrid
Lorena Pacheco
Program Officer, Club de Madrid
Lorena Pacheco leads the design and implementation of WLA — Club de Madrid´s PVE portfolio. She currently works for the Shared Societies Project that supports a holistic approach to sustainable development, integrating social, economic and environmental dimensions, with social inclusion at its core. Prior to this position, in Venezuela, her country of origin, she worked for Transparency International as Policy and Legal Support Officer, providing legal advice and assistance to victims or witnesses of corruption and monitoring of corruption-related complaints.
Lorena has worked at the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York providing strategic planning and operational support to the Disarmament Demobilisation and Reintegration components of peace operations in DRC, South Sudan and Somalia. As Program Assistant for Action Against Hunger (Madrid), she supported the validation of project proposals related to the Palestine, Lebanon and Syria projects, and worked on the development of the mission´s strategy and outreach plan for Syria.
She has focused her research on the field of conflict analysis and security issues in the Horn of Africa, and on peace building and violence prevention in Latin America.
-
Maulana Mahmood Madani
General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind
Maulana Mahmood Madani
General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind
Maulana Mahmood Madani was born in 1963 in the most illustrious family who played a key role in the freedom movement of India. His grandfather, Maulana Syed Hussain Ahmad Madani, the great Scholar of Islamic theology, a teacher of Hadith (traditions of Prophet) in the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and in Darul Uloom Deoband, devoted his life to the struggle for freedom. His father, Maulana As’ad Madani also played most important role in India’s national politics for half a century as Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind leader and Rajya Sabha MP for about 17 years. After graduating from Darul Uloom Deoband in Islamic theology in 1992 Maulana Mahmood Madani commenced his career as social and community worker from the platform of the largest and the oldest Muslim organization, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind of which he eventually became the General Secretary in the year 2001 and continues as such till date. He has served as a Member of Parliament (RAJYA SABHA) during 2006-2012.
He is one of the most influential Indian Muslim leaders with large following all over India and also across the world. He is recognized as an Islamic scholar, public speaker, social worker and preacher of Islamic humanitarian values, tolerance, and peace. Through the platform of Jamiat, he has consistently condemned terrorism in all its forms. Besides organizing about 200 anti-terrorism conferences all over the country, Maulana Madani has been instrumental in organizing massive public gatherings at the Ramlila Grounds in Delhi in May 2008 and at Hyderabad in November 2008 to mobilize the Muslim masses and ulama against terrorism. A three-day World Peace Conference was held at Deoband and Delhi between 13-15 December 2013, and it was attended by 200 prominent ulama from around the world, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Maldives, and the UK. He organized a protest rally in 75 cities simultaneously in the wake of the Paris terror attacks of November 2015.
Maulana Madani is a vocal supporter of unity in diversity and has consistently stressed on harmonious relations between different faiths in the country. He is the modern-day flagbearer of the concept of composite nationalism propounded by his ancestor Maulana Husain Ahmad Madani in 1920s.
-
Mariam Wardak
Founder of Her Afghanistan
Mariam Wardak
Founder of Her Afghanistan
Mariam Wardak, political analyst, served as Strategic Communication and International Relations Advisers in the Office of the National Security Council to the National Security Adviser, MH Atmar and H. Mohib. In the field of education, since becoming an active member of the think tank community in Afghanistan, Mariam volunteers 10 hours a week to train senior level high school female students in research to better apply critical thinking in academics especially when applying for higher education. Mariam is among the few female researchers and policy advocates in Afghanistan; she has contributed extensively as a writer to a number of publications. Mariam is also served as the Deputy Chairman of Afghanistan Forward, a leading political group for young Afghan professionals. She has established an online educational platform, Her Afghanistan, for women in security, IT and foreign service to advance and strengthen their knowledge in the relevant field.
-
Matteo Pugliese
Associate Research Fellow, ISPI
Matteo Pugliese
Associate Research Fellow, ISPI
Matteo Pugliese is an ISPI Associate Research Fellow for the programme on Radicalisation and International Terrorism. Pugliese contributed to the journals of the Italian Defence Staff and the Italian Domestic Intelligence. In 2017, he was appointed Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman on Youth & Security. In 2018, he was confirmed the same position by the Italian Chairmanship. Pugliese holds a JD from the University of Genova and a MA in Strategic Studies and International Security from the Ca'Foscari University of Venice. He has also studied at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the University of Zagreb, Croatia. Pugliese graduated from the Italian Naval War College in the General Staff Officers Course.
-
Matthew Lawrence
Executive Director, Co-Existence, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Matthew Lawrence
Executive Director, Co-Existence, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Matthew Lawrence is the executive director of the Co-Existence team at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. The team s work focuses on responses to extremism that first understand the underlying ideology and then address it by disrupting its spread, reducing its appeal and building resilience to its messaging.
The team s work includes innovative and internationally acclaimed research and highly regarded programmes that seek to prevent radicalisation and counter-extremism in over 25 countries. Programmatic work includes the Institute s international education programme, Generation Global; work supporting leaders in Nigeria and Egypt; and the development of new pilot projects, including one that works with young women from British communities affected by extremism.
Matthew has overseen the development of the Institute s research team, which focuses on understanding and addressing the role of religious ideology in extremism. The team also invests heavily in the monitoring and evaluation of its programmes, both informing the development of those programmes and providing new opportunities for research and understanding.
Matthew speaks regularly on issues relating to extremism and radicalisation, and has authored articles and papers on the topic. He leads the Institute s advocacy and policy work in the field, in particular the role education reform can play in addressing the threat of radicalisation.
Before becoming director of programmes at the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in 2013, Matthew spent 15 years in the investment-banking industry, most recently as a director at Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan Cazenove. He has a long involvement with several education, health, and faith-based charities and initiatives.
Matthew is a member of the Institute s Executive Committee and sits on the Board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), based in Geneva.
-
Maya Mirchandani
Senior Fellow, ORF
Maya Mirchandani
Senior Fellow, ORF
Maya Mirchandani is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation and Assistant Professor of Broadcast Journalism and Media Studies at Ashoka University. For nearly 25 years, she was a practicing journalist with NDTV, reporting on Indian foreign policy, conflict and national politics. She has reported extensively from Kashmir, survived suicide bomb blasts in Sri Lanka, civil war in Sierra Leone, and reported from New York on 9/11 and its immediate aftermath. Maya has won the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism twice, the Red Ink Award for reporting on human rights as well as the Exchange for Media Broadcast Journalism Award for best international affairs reporting. More recently, Maya has been involved in research on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) at ORF that focuses on ways to build counter narratives to prevent radicalization and extremist violence through dialogue and community intervention. Analysis of hate speech that fuels extremist narratives and the impact of counter speech messaging on both mass and social media is also a core focus of her research.
Maya obtained degrees in History from Delhi University, Mass Communications from Sofia Polytechnic in Mumbai and a Post-graduate Diploma in World Politics from the London School of Economics. She continues to be an active journalist and media commentator with regular columns and a weekly video blog called Wide Angle with Maya Mirchandani for TheWire.in where she debates and discusses issues of foreign policy, national security and human rights.
-
Meenakshi Ganguly
Director, South Asia, Human Rights Watch
Meenakshi Ganguly
Director, South Asia, Human Rights Watch
Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, oversees the organization s work in the region. Before taking over as South Asia director in 2010, she served as Human Rights Watch s South Asia researcher since 2004.
Ganguly has worked on a broad range of issues including police reform, sexual violence, discrimination based on religion or caste, freedom of expression, and armed conflict. In India, she has researched abuses surrounding the sectarian riots in Gujarat, the lack of justice in Punjab, issues of religious freedom, the failure to protect India s vulnerable communities including those affected by the Maoist conflict and abuses related to the fighting in the states of Manipur and Jammu & Kashmir. She has also advocated for the protection of women and children from violence, including sexual abuse, and for a human rights approach to India s foreign policy.
In Nepal, Ganguly continues to press for accountability around rights violations during the armed conflict and for reform to bring abusive members of the government forces and the Maoist combatants to justice. With the end of Sri Lanka s conflict, she advocated for human rights abusers in the Sri Lankan military, as well as in the Tamil Tigers forces, to be held accountable. Ganguly has researched the issue of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, as well as discrimination against ethnic Nepali citizens living in Bhutan. She has documented human rights violations in Bangladesh and called for better protections of labor rights. Additionally, she has worked on issues such as protection of children during conflict, discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, and the rights of men who have sex with men. She has been published in several newspapers, websites, and journals.
Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Ganguly served as the South Asia correspondent for Time Magazine, covering Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Ganguly has a Masters in Sociology from the Delhi School of Economics.
-
Mercy Abang
Journalist, Al-Jazeera & NewsWireNGR
Mercy Abang
Journalist, Al-Jazeera & NewsWireNGR
Mercy is a Journalist, she s worked from the United Nations in New York, she s reported from the Bundestag, the German Parliament.Mercy writes and Produces for Aljazeera English amongst others - she s a widely read international journalist that focuses her reports on under-reported communities.
Mercy Abang started her career as a Television broadcaster and then moved from the television newsroom to print and social media. She has reported in Cape Verde, Ghana, Zambia, Nigeria, Germany, New York, Senegal, Sweden etc.
She is the 2017 United Nations Journalism Fellow and the 2017 BudgIT Media Fellow but in the course of her work she s moderated panels across the globe.
Mercy understands digital media and the strategy of marketing acreating ad copies, and trends - She's a consulatant with the Washington DC based Creative Associates, she developed a counter terrorism campaign for the organisation, developed training modules and trained young - She s also a trainer with the US state department Tech-Camp where she mentors young people about the use of elections and technology in Africa.
Mercy had worked with the Economic Communities of West African States, Volunteered with the African Union media, observed elections with the International Republican Institute (IRI). Volunteer with the African Union (Digit-trends Team)
-
Naghma Sahar
Senior Fellow, ORF
Naghma Sahar
Senior Fellow, ORF
Naghma is Senior Fellow at ORF. She tracks India s neighbourhood Pakistan and China alongside other geopolitical developments in the region. Naghma hosts ORF s weekly video series India s World.
She is also a senior editor with NDTV. A bilingual journalist, Naghma is proficient in English, Hindi and Urdu.
Naghma was a UGC JRF scholar, having specialised in rural development.
-
Nidhi Razdan
Executive Editor, NDTV
Nidhi Razdan
Executive Editor, NDTV
Nidhi Razdan is an award winning journalist and author who has worked with NDTV for 20 years. She is currently NDTV’s Executive Editor. Nidhi covers national politics and international relations. She has reported from Pakistan, POK, Afghanistan, China, Tibet, Africa, Israel and more countries. Nidhi was awarded the prestigious Ramnath Goenka award for her reporting from Jammu and Kashmir, while the documentary she filmed in POK was runner up at the Asian TV awards in Singapore. Nidhi anchors a popular prime time news show called ‘Left, Right and Centre’. Her first book was published by Penguin in 2017.
-
Nooshin Waheed
Chairperson, Maldivian Democracy Network
Nooshin Waheed
Chairperson, Maldivian Democracy Network
Nooshin Waheed is a researcher, consultant and human rights defender from the Maldives, with counter terrorism expertise. She is the Chairperson of the Maldivian Democracy Network, a non-profit human rights organisation. She is also the co-creator of the website mvmurders.com, the first online database documenting murders in the country. In the past, she has worked as an intelligence analyst at the Maldives Police Service and a Political Science Lecturer in the Maldives National University. She has a Masters in International Relations from Monash University, Melbourne.
-
Priyank Mathur
Founder and Director, Mythos Labs
Priyank Mathur
Founder and Director, Mythos Labs
Priyank Mathur is Founder and CEO of Mythos Labs, a strategic communications firm that harnesses the power of comedy, digital literacy and artificial intelligence to counter violent extremism and online misinformation. Mythos Labs conducts programming around the world on behalf of clients such as the US Department of State, United Nations and Facebook. Previously, Priyank served as a Policy Analyst and Intelligence Officer in the Office of the Secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). At DHS, Priyank co-authored the department's inaugural CVE strategy and advised the White House and senior DHS leadership on emerging terrorist threats. Priyank also served as Global Consulting Director at Ogilvy and Mather in New York and as a comedy writer at The Onion. He holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, as well as an M.A. and B.A. in International Relations from Boston University.
-
Gen. R.M. Daya Ratnayake
Former Commander of Sri Lankan Army
Gen. R.M. Daya Ratnayake
Former Commander of Sri Lankan Army
General R M D (Daya) Ratnayake (Retd) is a former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army. He has commanded Divisions and Brigades during the separatist war in Sri Lanka.
General Ratnayake has the distinction of being the recipient of gallantry medals the most number of times in the entire armed forces of the country.
He has also held the appointment of Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and had the privilege of becoming the first Commissioner General of Rehabilitation in Sri Lanka, responsible for the rehabilitation of hundreds of LTTE combatants. He also held the appointment as Military Spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, Senior Intelligence Officer at the Operations Headquarters at Ministry of Defence, Commanding Officer of the Sri Lanka Military Academy, Chief Instructor of the Military Intelligence School and Chief Instructor of the Army Training School. He was also the Senior Intelligence Officer in charge of the Northern Peninsula during 1991-1992.
General Daya graduated from the National Defence University, Beijing, People s Republic of China and Defence Service Command and Staff College, Dhaka, Bangladesh and is currently reading for a PhD at Kotelawala Defence University.
-
Raffaello Pantucci
Director of International Studies, RUSI
Raffaello Pantucci
Director of International Studies, RUSI
Raffaello Pantucci's research focuses on counter-terrorism as well as China's relations with its Western neighbours. Prior to coming to RUSI, Raffaello lived for over three years in Shanghai, where he was a visiting scholar at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS).
Before that he worked in London at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. He has also held positions at the European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR) and is an associate fellow at the International Center for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King's College, London.
He is the author of We Love Death As You Love Life: Britain's Suburban Terrorists (London: Hurst, April 2015/US: Oxford University Press, forthcoming), described by The Financial Times as 'the most articulate and carefully researched account of Britain's 'suburban terrorists' to date.'
He is currently completing a writing project looking at Chinese interests in Central Asia. His journal articles have appeared in Survival, The National Interest, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence, and RUSI Journal amongst others, and his journalistic writing has appeared in the New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, CNN, Guardian, Foreign Policy, South China Morning Post, and more.
-
Lt. Gen. Rajesh Pant
Cybersecurity Chief, NCCC, India
Lt. Gen. Rajesh Pant
Cybersecurity Chief, NCCC, India
Lt General (Dr) Rajesh Pant is an internationally recognised Cyber Security expert, who is presently tenanting the prestigious appointment of National Cyber Security Coordinator in the National Security Council Secretariat of India. In this capacity he is responsible for coordinating all activities across multiple sectors to ensure a secure and resilient cyber space within the nation.
He holds a PhD degree for his research in the field of Information Security metrics. He is also MTech from IIT Kharagpur, MPhil from Madras University and Master of Management Studies from Osmania University.
Prior to this appointment, he was the head of the Army s Cyber Training establishment for three years. He served in the Army Signals Corps for 41 years wherein he was awarded three times by the President of India for distinguished service of the highest order. Consequent to his retirement, he was Chairman of Precision Electronics Ltd as also a Governing Council member of IETE(India).
General Pant brings to the table an interesting mix of military operations, academic excellence, corporate governance and cyber security wisdom.
-
Ramiro Martinez
Foreign affairs Officer, US State Department
Ramiro Martinez
Foreign affairs Officer, US State Department
Ramiro Martinez is the Foreign Affairs Officer of the Bureau of Counter terrorism in the US Department of State. He works on Countering terrorism and Countering Violent Extremism.
-
Rema Rajeshwari
District Police Chief — Mahboobnagar, Telangana
Rema Rajeshwari
District Police Chief — Mahboobnagar, Telangana
Rema Rajeshwari is an Indian Police Service officer serving in the State of Telangana. She wields her baton and pen with equal ease. The first female IPS officer from Munnar, Kerala and a topper of the IPS class of 2009, she held various dynamic and challenging positions. Through her collaborative policing efforts, she encourages women to break gender stereotypes and empower them to emerge as leaders. She has been championing for Child Safety by educating the children of rural India to break the silence around Child Sexual Abuse (CSA). A self-confessed addict of the written word, she writes widely on policing, women, children, the less fortunate and history with a passion for scholarly accuracy.
Experienced Police Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the law enforcement industry. Skilled in Counterterrorism, Counter-terrorist financing, Counterinsurgency, CVE and Storytelling. Proven professional record led to her selection as a Yale World Fellow (Post-doctoral fellowship). Focused on Global Affairs (global security) in Yale University. Currently works on design thinking and social innovation to fight fake news and misinformation.
-
Ritesh Shah
Screen-writer
Ritesh Shah
Screen-writer
Ritesh Shah did his Bachelors in English Literature from Hindu College (1993-1996) and has done his Masters in Mass Communications from MCRC, Jamia Milia Islamia. He began his career as a playwright with Act One Art Group, New Delhi. His works include the fringe award winner Othello - A play in black and white. Ritesh switched to television in 1999. His television writing credits include Josh, Kashmeer, Krishna Arjun and the award winning series Kagaar. Ritesh Shah began his film career by contributing dialogue to movies like Kahaani and Namastey London and then went on to co-write films like D-day and Airlift. His solo screenplay and dialogue credits include films like B.A. Pass, Citylights, Force, the critically acclaimed Pink and Raid. Ritesh Shah has been nominated for Filmfare award for best story for B.A.Pass and best screenplay for D-day for which he also won a Zee Cine Awards Nomination. He won the Filmfare, Zee Cine and Star Screen awards for best dialogue for Pink.
-
Saad Mohseni
CEO, Moby Group
Saad Mohseni
CEO, Moby Group
Named an Asia Game Changer by the Asia Society for bringing news, information and entertainment to a barren landscape, Saad Mohseni has built a reputation as a dynamic and innovative entrepreneur bringing world-class media to emerging and frontier markets. In 2002 Mr. Mohseni returned to his home country, Afghanistan, sensing a commercial opportunity but also hoping to help the country get back on its feet. He launched what has become Afghanistan's largest private media group, with market-leading brands including TOLO TV, TOLOnews (which has won multiple awards for advancing press freedom), Lemar TV, Arman FM and Kaboora Productions. Since then MOBY Group, now based in Dubai, has become one of the fastest-growing media and strategic communications companies in South & Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Prior to launching Moby Group, Mr. Mohseni served as an economic advisor to the Afghan government and headed the Equities & Corporate Finance divisions of one of Australia s leading investment banks.
In 2011 Time magazine recognized Mr. Mohseni as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, in 2013 Foreign Policy named him among its 100 Global Thinkers, and in 2016 he was featured on Business Insider s list of 100 global business visionaries. Mr. Mohseni serves on the boards of the International Center for Journalists and the International Crisis Group.
-
Saiful Haque
President, MOVE foundation
Saiful Haque
President, MOVE foundation
Saiful Haque is the founder and president of MOVE Foundation, a youth-led civil society organization that promotes non-violence, inclusive education, and de-radicalization. For more than a decade, he has worked with the U.S. Department of State, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Asia Foundation, and the Danish Working Environment Authority on good governance, youth mobilization, electoral reform, labor rights, and civilian security issues. Haque led Bangladesh s largest election monitoring coalition, the Election Working Group; co-authored a piece outlining an election-time strategy during 2014 pre-election unrest; and appealed for peaceful resolution of political conflict through consensus. He later guided local NGOs under the Stop Violence Coalition to conduct a nationwide anti-violence campaign. He conducted post-graduate studies in international relations at the University of Dhaka.
-
Sajid Shapoo
Indian Police Service Officer and PhD Scholar, Princeton University
Sajid Shapoo
Indian Police Service Officer and PhD Scholar, Princeton University
Sajid Farid Shapoo is a PhD scholar at Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University. His research looks the evolution of Salafism and its impact on Jihadist violence. He is highly decorated Indian Police Service officer with 20 years of progressively senior experience in sensitive and high profile counter terror assignments across India. He has in-depth experience in investigation, intelligence operations and counter terrorism. He was the first officer chosen to serve in the National Investigation Agency, which was created in the aftermath of Mumbai terror attacks of 2008. He has supervised many important terrorism related investigations viz. conspiracy in Mumbai terror attacks, Patna serial blasts case, Bodh Gaya serial blast.
He has been twice conferred with Gallantry Medal, the highest bravery award by the President of India. He is also a recipient of the Police Medal for Meritorious Services, conferred to him by President of India.
Sajid served as Adjunct Associate Professor in City University of New York, where he taught a course on Terrorism and Politics to masters students . He also served as an adjunct instructor at Columbia University teaching a course for Summer Immersion Programme. His areas of expertise include terrorism and counter-terrorism, religion and politics in the Middle East and South Asia, ideologies driving various Jihadi organisations, early Islamic period (Shia-Sunni divide) and international security policy.
-
Salim Cevik
Visiting Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs
Salim Cevik
Visiting Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs
Salim Cevik, Ph.D., is a guest researcher at SWP-Berlin. Prior to joining to SWP, he held research or teaching positions at Lund University (Sweden), Ipek University (Turkey), Bilgi University (Turkey) and Columbia University (USA). He earned his PhD degree in Political Science from Bilkent University (2015, Turkey). His dissertation entitled Subverting the Secular-Religious Dichotomy: Religious Exclusion and Nation-Building in Turkey and Pakistan deals with the relation between religion and nationalism. His main area of research are religion in politics, democratization and democratic decline, and nationalism and nation building. His most recent publication is Erdogan s Comprehensive Religious Policy: Management of the Religious Realm in Tur-key (SWP Comments, 2019)
-
Samir Saran
President, ORF
Dr. Samir Saran
President, ORF
Samir Saran is the President of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and Chair of CyFy: The India Conference on Technology, Security and Society. He is co-founder and the curator of the Raisina Dialogue, India's premier platform on geopolitics and geoeconomics.
Samir is a commissioner on the Global Commission for the stability of Cyberspace, an international multi stakeholder body working to discover and detail the norms and rules that will help in managing cyber regimes implicating international security.
He is also a member of the World Economic Forum s Global Future Council on Geopolitics and member of its South Asia Advisory Board where he consults on digital and tech sector issues.His latest publication, New Norms for a Digital Society, outlines rights and responsibilities of stakeholders in evolving digital spaces. Samir has frequently been featured in national and international publications and his opinions are regularly featured in the top newspapers and websites in India and abroad.
Samir has a PhD in climate studies, a Masters in media studies and is an electrical and electronics engineer. He is consulted by governments and the corporate sector on specific projects.
-
Sumaiya Shaikh
Neuroscientist, Research in Violent Aggression, LiU Hospital, Sweden
Sumaiya Shaikh
Neuroscientist, Research in Violent Aggression, LiU Hospital, Sweden
Dr. Sumaiya Shaikh is a neuroscientist at Centre for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Link ping University Hospital, Sweden. My research is to study the neurobiological underpinnings of violent extremism. The work is a combination of laboratory and clinical research on why ordinary individuals engage in reward-seeking violence such as terrorism, which is then correlated with speaking with the real-world radicals and extremists who have been violent in the past.
-
Shaheen Afroze
Director Research, Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies
Shaheen Afroze
Director Research, Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies
Dr. Shaheen Afroze is Director Research of Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS). BIISS is the premier think tank of Bangladesh that promotes studies and research in international relations, national issues and policies relating to security, peace and defence and supports the implementation of related policies. She holds a doctorate degree in International Relations from the University of Glasgow, UK and has authored a number of significant academic publications. She specialises in foreign policy and security of small states, security and strategic issues with specific relevance to Bangladesh, non-traditional security including human security, peace and conflict studies, terrorism, counter-terrorism, counter-radicalisation and gender studies.
-
Shandon Harris-Hogan
Director of RADAR Solutions
Shandon Harris-Hogan
Director of RADAR Solutions
Shandon Harris-Hogan is the Director of RADAR Solutions, a company specialising in research, training and evaluation related to Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). Before founding Radar Solutions, Shandon worked as a researcher at the Global Terrorism Research Centre (Monash University) and as an analyst for the Australian government. A graduate of Masters programs run by Monash and Macquarie Universities; Shandon is currently an Adjunct Fellow at Victoria University.
Shandon s work focuses on understanding radicalisation and analysing the structure of terrorist networks. Such work has been published in a number of leading academic journals including Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence and Behavioural Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression (where he holds the most read article in the history of the journal). In 2014 he was named the Future Strategic Writer of the year by the Institute for Regional Security.
Shandon s applied research focuses on helping to facilitate disengagement from violent extremism through the design, implementation and evaluation of CVE programs and policy. Since 2010 he has been involved over a dozen applied research grants (more than half as lead or co-lead researcher) with partner agencies including the Australia New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Federal Attorney-General s Department. Shandon has also delivered presentations at a range of international and domestic academic conferences, lectured in post-graduate university courses and briefed high level government and police officials on issues relating to terrorism, security and international relations.
-
Shanthie Mariet D'Souza
Founder & President, Mantraya
Shanthie Mariet D'Souza
Founder & President, Mantraya
Dr. Shanthie Mariet D’Souza is Founder & President of Mantraya; Teacher in Defence and Strategic Studies; Member of Research & Advisory Committee, Naval War College, Goa; Board Director at Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Colombo; Research Fellow at WeltTrends-Institut für internationale Politik, Potsdam, Germany; Editorial board member of Small Wars & Insurgencies (Routledge: UK); Associate editor for the Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs (Sage); Expert and Contributor to the Middle East-Asia Project at the Middle East Institute, Washington DC; Senior analyst for the South Asia desk with the Wikistrat Analytic Community and Adviser for Independent Conflict Research and Analysis, London. She has previously been Visiting Research Associate at the School of Business & Governance, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia (2017); Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies , National University of Singapore ( 2010-14); Associate Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses, New Delhi ( 2006-10); Fulbright Fellow and Visiting Research associate at South Asia Studies, The Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC( 2005-06).
Dr D’Souza’s research interests and expertise include: Countering terrorism, insurgencies and violent extremism; Asymmetric and emerging security threats; Armed conflicts, illicit networks and organized crime ; Women, peace and conflict; Prospects for long term stabilization of Afghanistan; State and Peace building in fragile states; Security Sector Reform; Sub-national governance and downward accountability in Afghanistan; International interventions, Aid delivery and Post conflict stabilization; Non-traditional security threats in Asia; Organizational restructuring, public-private partnerships, Strategic Communications; Identity Politics in Asia; Emerging powers and Great power politics; India’s foreign, maritime and security policy; Prospects for Regional Cooperation in South and South East Asia.
-
S. M. Sahai
Additional Secretary, National Security Council, India
S. M. Sahai
Additional Secretary, National Security Council, India
S.M. Sahai, Additional Secretary in the National Security Council Secretariat under the PM Office, is assigned with work relating to strategic security issues of national importance. He also oversees Internal Security, International Terrorism, non-traditional security, energy security and heads the working-level Indian delegation at the SCO–Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, a multi-lateral security organisation.
A senior officer of the Indian Police Service, he has held many important posts and assignments during his distinguished service spanning 30 years in Jammu & Kashmir. He had wide exposure to cross-border terrorism in J&K, including border ranges of Rajouri / Poonch. He remained head of Kashmir Police for two terms and Head of Intelligence. His tenure saw a dramatic drop in violence in Kashmir, which he achieved through innovative measures in policing and by using modern techniques.
He has been decorated with many prestigious awards including gallantry award, awards for meritorious services and distinguished services from the President and State Government.
-
Stephen Tankel
Associate Professor, American University and Adjunct Senior Fellow, Centre for a New American Security
Stephen Tankel
Associate Professor, American University and Adjunct Senior Fellow, Centre for a New American Security
Stephen Tankel is an associate professor in the School of International Service at American University and an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. An expert on terrorism, counterterrorism, security assistance and cooperation, and security and military affairs in South Asia, Dr. Tankel frequently advises U.S. policymakers and members of the Intelligence Community on these issues. He previously served as a Senior Advisor at the Department of Defense. Dr. Tankel has conducted field research in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, and the Balkans. He is the author of numerous works, including With Us And Against Us: How America s Partners Help and Hinder the War on Terror, and Storming the World Stage: The Story of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Dr. Tankel is also a senior editor at War on the Rocks, associate editor of the Texas National Security Review, on the editorial boards of Terrorism and Political Violence, and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, and a frequent media commentator. He received is MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and his PhD in War Studies from King's College London.
-
Sunjoy Joshi
Chairman, ORF
Sunjoy Joshi
Chairman, ORF
Sunjoy Joshi has a Master’s Degree in English Literature from Allahabad University, India, as well as in Development Studies from University of East Anglia, Norwich. He also studied Upstream Economics and Risk Analysis at the Petroleum Economist, Woking, UK. He joined the Madhya Pradesh Cadre of the prestigious Indian Administrative Services in 1983, but has taken premature retirement from the service in 2009 in order to pursue his primary interests in energy and environment.
During his career spanning over 25 years in the Indian Administrative Service, Sunjoy has gained experience across the conventional as well as non-conventional energy sectors. He has handled oil and gas exploration as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and was the Government nominated Director on the Boards of ONGC, OVL, OIL and MRPL. Sunjoy headed the Madhya Pradesh Energy Development Agency as its Managing Director and served as Chairman of M.P. Windfarms.
He has been Visiting Associate at the International Institute of Strategic Studies, London as well as Distinguished Visitor to the Programme on Energy and Sustainable Development, University of Stanford, USA.
-
Sushant Sareen
Senior Fellow, ORF
Sushant Sareen
Senior Fellow, ORF
Sushant Sareen did his masters in economics from the Delhi School of Economics and later qualified for the Indian Civil Service and joined the Indian Railway Traffic Service in 1993. A year later he resigned from Government and joined Public Opinion Trends, a news agency that monitored news and developments in South Asia. Since then he has been a close observer of the political situation in South Asia, specialising on Pakistan, and by extension terrorism, Kashmir and Afghanistan.
He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation and associated with the Neighbourhood Initiatives program at the ORF. Before joining ORF, he worked as Senior Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation from 2010-2018. From 2009 to 2015 he was a Consultant with the Pakistan Project of Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). Earlier he was the Executive Editor, Public Opinion Trends, a news agency that monitored developments in South Asia. He has also been Associate Editor, southasianmedia.net, a South Asian news portal being run by the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA). Between 2002 and 2004, he was the Honorary Director, Pakistan Centre at the Observer Research Foundation.
He is the author of the book: "The Jihad Factory - Pakistan's Islamic Revolution in the Making". He has also contributed papers on the situation in Pakistan and on India-Pakistan peace process for academic journals and newspapers.
He writes a regular column in Mail Today and for two news portals – DailyO and Newslaundry. He also comments on developments in the region on all top Indian and some foreign TV and radio networks.
He is invited to lecture at premier institutions like the Army War College, Naval War College, College of Defence Management, Foreign Service Academy, National Police Academy.
-
Swayam Prakash Pani
Inspector General, J&K Police
Swayam Prakash Pani
Inspector General, J&K Police
Swayam Prakash Pani, who has the distinction of being the youngest IPS officer officer to have become IGP, Kashmir range. Pani has held the post of Superintendent of Police (Kulgam).The area was highly infested with foreign mercenaries at that time and Pani has led several operations till the area was cleared completely. After central deputation with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB), Pani was posted as Deputy Inspector General of South Kashmir at a time when the entire area was witnessing widespread disturbance following the killing of Burhan Wani. During his stint in South Kashmir, Pani was again in action against as he led operations from the front till he ensured that terrorists and separatists groups were pushed to the backfoot.
-
Syed Muazzem Ali
Bangladesh High Commissioner to India
Syed Muazzem Ali
Bangladesh High Commissioner to India
Syed Muazzem Ali is former Foreign Secretary of the Government of Bangladesh. Mr. Alihad joined the Pakistan Foreign Service in 1968, and retired from a distinguished career in Diplomatic Service in December 2001.
High Commissioner Ali has also served in Bangladesh Embassies in Warsaw (1975–1978), and New Delhi (1986–1988), and in the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York (1982–1986). He was Consul General in Jeddah (1988–1991) during the Gulf War, and later served as Bangladesh Ambassador to Bhutan (1991–1992), Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Turkmenistan (1995–1998), France and Portugal (1998–2000).
In Paris, he was Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UNESCO. In that capacity, he tabled a draft resolution, on behalf of Bangladesh, for the proclamation of 21 February (Bengali Language Martyrs’ Day) as the International Mother Language Day. He spearheaded the lobbying efforts and its unanimous adoption by the UNESCO General Conference in 1999.
As Foreign Secretary, High Commissioner Ali worked for the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the South Asian region and beyond. Since Bangladesh was the Chairman of the LDC group at that time, he coordinated the move that led to duty–free and quota–free access of LDC exports to the EU at the Third UN LDC Conference. He also worked for the emergence of Bangladesh as the largest troop contributor to UN Peace keeping operations.
Specialising in multilateral diplomacy, he has represented and led Bangladesh delegations to various Senior Officials’, Ministerial, and Summit–level meetings of the UN, UNESCO, Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Non–Aligned Movement (NAM), Commonwealth, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Group of 77, and World Bank’s Development Forum (earlier know an Consortium) Meetings.
Syed Muazzem Ali regularly contributes articles on South Asian and international issues to various newspapers, magazines and journals. His current interests lie in the interplay of democracy, security, development, and regional cooperation.
-
Vajiu Naravane
Professor, Ashoka University; former Paris Bureau Chief, the Hindu
Vajiu Naravane
Professor, Ashoka University; former Paris Bureau Chief, the Hindu
Vaiju Naravane is Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Media Studies at Ashoka University. For the past three decades she has held senior positions covering Europe, notably for The Times of India, Radio France Internationale, AITV and The Hindu. Prof. Naravane has taught Journalism and Contemporary Indian Literature at Sciences-Po, both in Paris and Le Havre and was the Director of Information of the Geneva-based World Health Organization. She is Foreign Fiction Editor at Albin Michel in Paris and is currently working on her second novel.
Prof. Naravane obtained degrees in the Humanities and Journalism from Pune University and spent a year travelling and writing in the USA as a Fellow of the World Press Institute, Saint Paul, Minnesota.
-
Vani Tripathi Tikoo
Theatre Personality and member, CBFC
Vani Tripathi Tikoo
Theatre Personality and member, CBFC
Vani Tripathi Tikoo, an Actor and a producer by profession is one of the youngest ever member of the Central Board of Film certification popularly known as "censor board".
She has been a socio political acrivist and her campaigns and outreach programmes have focused on encouraging women's participation in politics and bringing the youth to a universal platform that addresses issues including education, empowerment and employment.
She has been closely involved in theatre, films and television, having worked in projects in India as well as abroad. As an actor, she has about 50 plays, 40-odd TV serials and six films to her credit. She has worked in plays by legends like Anton Chekov, Peter Shaffer, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams and several Indian playwrights.
After graduating in political science from the Delhi University, she went to the Living theatre academy of drama and learnt acting under the guidance of the legendary theatre guru Ebrahim Alkazi.
Her close links with theatre further manifesting in her founding country's first state run drama school in bhopal– MADHYA PRADESH NATYA VIDYALAYA – in Madhya Pradesh in 2011.
An extremely talented individual, Vani was also attached to journalism and broadcasting in India – she continues to contribute in Indian newspapers from time to time.
She currently analyses issues related to broadcasting and cinema and was part of the Core steering committe for the International Film festival of India,goa(IFFI) since the past four years.
-
Vidya Ramalingam
Founder, Moonshot CVE
Vidya Ramalingam
Founder, Moonshot CVE
Vidhya has vast experience working to combat anti-minority violence, far-right extremism, and terrorism. She is the founder of Moonshot CVE, a startup that develops innovative ways of combating violent extremism. This is achieved by applying startup thinking to the field of countering violent extremism through the use of data, science techniques, creativity and an appetite for risk-taking. Vidhya s vision is underpinned by a range of experience engaging with extremists, building new partnerships with activists, and advancing policy design.
Previously, Vidhya was Senior Fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), where she set up and ran the international program on Far-Right Extremism and Intolerance. From 2012-2014, she led the EU s capacity building program on far-right terrorism, the Far-Right Extremism in Europe Initiative (FREE Initiative), working with over 300 practitioners across 10 countries. She holds various roles including Commissioning Panelist for the UK Security and Intelligence Agencies and ESRC, Faculty Associate at the University of Oxford, and Fellow at the German Institute on Radicalisation and Deradicalisation Studies (GIRDS). She sits on the Advisory Board of Life After Hate and Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks).
-
Zafar Sareshwala
Former Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University
Zafar Sareshwala
Former Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University
Mr. Zafar holds a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management After starting his career in marketing he entered the financial services industry in 1988 as a sub-broker in Ahmedabad. He progressed to become a trader on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and in 1990 launched his own Company, Parsoli Investments. In 1995 he successfully floated the Company Parsoli Corporation Ltd.
-
Zarni
Co-founder & General Secretary, FORSEA
Zarni
Co-founder & General Secretary, FORSEA
Co-founder and General-Secretary of FORSEA.co, Zarni (aka Maung or Mr Zarni) is a UK-based Burmese activist, scholar and writer with 30 years of experience in human rights activism, international politics and scholarship on Burmese military and current affairs. He earned his MA and PhD from the universities of California at Davis and Wisconsin at Madison, specializing in Burmese education and politics. Zarni has taught and/or held research and visiting academic fellowships at National-Louis U. in Chicago/USA, Oxford, LSE, UCL Institute of Education, Harvard, University of Malaya and UBD (Brunei). He was a fellow in the Rockefeller Foundation Next Generation Leadership Program (2001-03) and a Member of Georgetown Leadership Seminar (2014). He is the first scholar and rights activist who alerted to the world about Myanmar's genocidal persecution of Rohingyas while highlighting the state-society nexus in generating and disseminating violent nationalism among his fellow majority Burmese Buddhists, the country's dominant religio-ethnic community. Zarni co-authored, with Natalie Brinham, a 3-year academic study "The Slow-Burning Genocide of Myanmar's Rohingyas" (Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal, 2014) and "Reworking the Colonial-Era Indian Peril: Myanmar's State-directed Persecution of Rohingyas and Other Muslims" (The Brown Journal of World Affairs, Fall/Winter 2017). He is the co-author (with Natalie Brinham) of "Essays on Myanmar Genocide" (Refugees and Migratory Movement Research Unit, Dhaka, 2019). He serves as an adviser to the European Centre for the Study of Extremisms (Cambridge, UK) and the Genocide Watch (USA). Zarni is a recipient of "Cultivation of Harmony" award from the Parliament of World's Religions (2016) and a finalist for Sweden's Right Livelihoods award (2018).