Executive Committee
Cllr Peymana Assad
Co-Founder and Chair
Peymana Assad represents South Harrow on the London Borough of Harrow Council and is currently the Shadow Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Environment. Peymana came to the UK as a child refugee and upon her election in 2018 became the first person of Afghan origin elected to public office in the UK. She is the Co-Founder of the Labour Foreign Policy Group, a former parliamentary candidate and was chosen as an Obama Foundation European Leader by President Barack Obama in 2020. Peymana has worked across Westminster and Local Government as well as in the charity sector on gender, peace and security working extensively on Afghanistan. She appears regularly on international and national media outlets. She stood as a Labour Parliamentary candidate in the 2019 General Election, making her the first person of Afghan origin to run in a national election for any major political party in the UK.
James Jennion
Executive Committee Member
James is a foreign policy and advocacy professional currently. He is co-director of the Labour Campaign for Human Rights and is an Associate Fellow of the British Foreign Policy Group. He was previously an adviser to the UK Foreign Affairs Committee, where he managed parliamentary inquiries into human rights in China, Myanmar, Eastern Europe, and the UK’s broader engagement in the Indo-Pacific. He has also worked as a senior political affairs adviser at UNICEF UK, where he focused on political advocacy relating to the invasion of Ukraine, and at Amnesty International, where he focused on multilateral responses to improve support for refugees. James leads the Group's work on China, and was the founder of Out of London, a career development programme for working class students. His independent analysis on foreign affairs has been featured in publications such as The Diplomat and Just Security and cited in parliamentary and congressional reports.
Andrew Bruce
Executive Committee Member
Andrew is a foreign policy and democratic governance specialist who has worked for the United Nations, European Commission and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and served as the Executive Director of a non-governmental organisation. In these roles he has led political missions, managed the deployment of international election observation missions, overseen democracy support programmes and written, or contributed to, publications on elections and conflict prevention. He has also provided support to a Labour member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Andrew now combines work in foreign policy with teaching students at an inner-city school in South London. He has a Master’s in International Human Rights Law from Oxford University.
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Toby Dickinson
Executive Committee Member
Toby is a Defence and International Security Policy Consultant, and previously served as an officer in the Royal Air Force. He has worked in UK and NATO air defence roles, as an air adviser with the British Army, the Royal Marines and the US Marine Corps, and served three tours in Afghanistan in addition to other overseas deployments. He has worked for Labour front and backbench MPs, providing political and policy advice on issues including the conflict in Syria, Russia, counter-terrorism, and veterans policy. Toby is also the Co-Chair of Labour Friends of the Forces.
Emmanuel Artusa-Barrell
Executive Committee Member (co-opted)
Emmanuel is a risk adviser with a current focus on sustainability and ESG issues for international corporations and asset managers. His earlier career involved managing sociopolitical and security risks across industries and countries in Latin America, including advisory roles for embassies such as the Royal Thai Embassy, where he served as a political and economic adviser. Emmanuel holds a degree in International Relations from the Catholic University of Salta, as well as multiple advanced degrees, including an MSc in Risk, Crisis, and Disaster Management from the University of Leicester, an MBA from the Catholic University of Argentina, and an MSc in International Business and Politics from Queen Mary University of London. He was awarded the prestigious Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Chevening Scholarship, and currently serves as President of its global Alumni alliance. In addition, Emmanuel is an active member of the Young Diplomats in London group and the City of London Corporation's Guild of Investment Managers.