Azure Strategy

Dr Neil Quilliam

Partner

Neil leads the strategic advisory practice at Azure Strategy and is responsible for driving forward the company’s mission and objectives. He works closely with the senior team to drive a results-oriented service for clients.

Neil is a foreign affairs specialist with extensive experience consulting to government officials and corporate clients on geopolitics and energy in the Middle East. His previous positions include CEO of Castlereagh Associates and Senior Energy Adviser to the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is also an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. Neil has lived in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE. He is a fluent Arabic speaker and regular marathon runner and is often in trainers during meetings.

nquilliam@azure-strategy.com

Alice Gower

Director of Geopolitics & Security

Alice leads the geopolitical risk and security practice at Azure Strategy. She has advised government departments and corporate clients on major security themes and developments in the Middle East, with particular experience analysing conflicts in Libya, Yemen, and Iraq.

Alice previously worked at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK, on the response to the Arab Spring and broader regional security themes. She has also worked in global government affairs for a major UK IOC.

agower@azure-strategy.com

Mohamad Hany Nassar

Macroeconomic and Financial Markets Consultant

Mohamad Hany Nassar is a macroeconomic and financial markets specialist with eight years’ experience in emerging market economies in the MENA region, including KSA, UAE and Egypt. He has extensive experience advising senior stakeholders at CEO, CFO, vice minister and ministerial advisor levels within the financial and non-financial sectors. Mohamad is a native Arabic speaker and holds an MPA in Economic Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Jemima Oakey

Associate

Jemima is a specialist in water and food security in the Middle East. Formerly the Middle East Analyst at Global Water Intelligence, she has worked on sustainable water resource management and food supply chain security with regional NGOs, security think tanks and senior stakeholders in the Middle East’s water and agricultural sectors. She has experience consulting on the geopolitical and hydro-diplomatic implications of water scarcity and climate change.

Currently based in Amman, Jemima is proficient in Arabic and teaches herself Hebrew in her spare time.

Maggie Kamel

Associate

Maggie has 15 years of experience in policy analysis, qualitative and quantitative research, and monitoring and evaluation in the private sector, government and development sectors. She has worked in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and the UAE on major projects funded by the EU, OECD, World Bank/IFC and USAID, among others. Her knowledge and experience spans private sector development, public administration reform and regulatory reform, impact evaluation, climate change, and youth and women employment.

Maggie has trained more than 600 people on impact assessment and streamlining administrative processes, and has engaged with multiple stakeholders in government, business and civil society. She holds a PhD in Political Economy from the University of Durham.

Kholoud Mansour

Associate

Kholoud has extensive experience in humanitarian response and international development in conflict and fragile environments, and has worked with leading international organisations, UN agencies and think tanks.

Her areas of focus include humanitarian funding, forced displacement and reintegration, women’s and gender inclusion, civil society and peacebuilding. She has in-depth knowledge of the MENA region, in particular Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

Amy Stapleton

Chief Editor

Amy has extensive experience working with policy thinkers, analysts and journalists to produce top-quality research and web articles on MENA politics, business, economy and more. She earned her stripes working at Castlereagh Associates, as head of the company’s editorial operations.

Amy has spent much of her working life overseas, first in Japan, then Turkey and finally Germany. She is London based for now but has a bag packed on the off chance that Azure needs an editor abroad.

astapleton@azure-strategy.com