Team

Benefit from global expertise and flexible service

What we do

Azure Strategy supplies written research and strategic expertise bespoke to the needs of corporations and investors in the Gulf and MENA region.

We are specialists with substantive experience of the region. We provide clients with the information they need to identify opportunities and risk relevant to their operations and interests – and so gain the edge in their engagement .

Our research is forward-looking; we assess the impact of events, trends and policy changes on key sectors so our clients can plan for the future.

How we work

Azure combines the flexibility of a boutique firm with the extensive network and knowledge of a global organisation. We are committed to delivering a tailored service to our clients, providing them with the information they need – when they need it.

Our organisational structure offers clients access to not only the in-house team – encompassing decades of experience in government, geopolitics, security, finance and media – but a distinguished group of senior advisers whose insight and access to the region is unparalleled.

 

Who we are

We believe that strong connections are integral to business success. We are committed to building deep relationships with our clients in order to best understand their needs and objectives, and so provide a service of lasting value.

We guarantee to provide only the highest level of expertise.

Our team

The in-house team has extensive and valuable experience of the region’s complex political, macroecomic, security and business envrionments, and specialises in advising clients in both the private and public spheres.

We believe strong connections are integral to the success of any business. Our priority is to build deep relationships with our clients in order to deliver a service of lasting value.

Dr Neil Quilliam

Partner

Alice Gower, Director – Geopolitics and Security

Alice Gower

Partner

David Des Roches

Associate

Jemima Oakey, Associate, Azure Strategy

Jemima Oakey

Associate

Khaloud Mansour

Kholoud Mansour

Associate

Maggie Kamel

Maggie Kamel

Associate

Amy Stapleton

Chief Editor

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 – Geopolitics and Security

Alice Gower

Partner

Alice oversees the geopolitics and security portfolio 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 international oil corporation.

agower@azure-strategy.com

David Des Roches

Associate

David is Associate Professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington DC, where he specialises in Arabian Peninsula countries, weapons transfers, missile defence, counterinsurgency and terrorism.

David joined NESA in 2011 after serving the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy. He holds advanced degrees from the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies and Kings College London. He had a thirty year career in the US Army, serving in conventional and special operations parachute units as well as on the Joint Staff and US Special Operations Command staff, and deployed to Egypt, Bosnia and Afghanistan, where he was awarded the Bronze Star. He retired as a Colonel and is a Ranger and Master Parachutist.

Jemima Oakey, Associate, Azure Strategy

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.

Khaloud Mansour

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.

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

Maggie Kamel

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, the World Bank and the US Agency for International Development, among others.

Maggie’s knowledge and experience spans private sector development, public administration and regulatory reform, impact evaluation, climate change, and youth and women employment. She has trained more than 600 people on carrying out impact assessments and streamlining administrative processes, and has engaged with stakeholders in government, business and civil society. She holds a PhD in Political Economy from the University of Durham.

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

Global Advisory Board

Our senior advisory team are academic, policy and commercial sector experts whose specialist knowledge encompasses financial market trends, energy and environmental issues, geopolitical developments, international trade and investment partnerships, and domestic policy reform and its implications.

Dr Sanam Vakil

Deputy Director MENA programme | Chatham House

Jessica Obeid

Energy Policy & Transitions Specialist

Dr Sanam Vakil

Deputy Director MENA programme | Chatham House

Sanam is a geopolitics expert, analysing political risk and policy developments in the GCC, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Egypt. She heads the Future Dynamics in the Gulf project and Iran Forum at Chatham House. Sanam is also a Professorial Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe.

Jessica Obeid

Energy Policy & Transitions Specialist

Jessica focuses on electricity, utilities and energy transitions. She has provided advisory services for the public and private sectors, and international organisations. Jessica is an Academy Associate at Chatham House. She was formerly the Chief Engineer at the UN Development Programme in Beirut, Lebanon.