Future
Resilience
Forum
New World Order, New World Thinking
People
Fiona Hill CBE - Founder
Fiona Hill CBE founded Future Resilience Forum (FRF) which launched in London in 2023 and was opened by the then UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and then President of Senegal, Macky Sall. The conference seeks to bring together new partnerships and analysis to meet the threats and opportunities of a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape. Fiona also runs her own strategic advisory company. She was the first female Chief-of-Staff for the UK Government, working with the then Prime Minister Theresa May having previously worked with Mrs. May at the UK Home Office Department. Fiona is a former journalist working in broadcast media as News Editor for SKY News and in print media as a writer for the Scotsman Newspaper and the Daily Record.
The forum is supported by a senior independent advisory board, including:
Sir Alex Younger KCMG CB: 1963 to 2026
I am very sad to hear of the news that one of our country’s most talented and dedicated public servants has passed away. I enjoyed working with Sir Alex Younger in government and I am indebted to him for his support when I launched FRF. My thoughts are with his family and friends.
Faisal Abbas
Editor-in-Chief of Arab News
Faisal J. Abbas is Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, the Riyadh-based English-language daily, a role he has held since 2016. In 2024, he was elected Deputy Chairman of the Saudi Journalists Association. Under his leadership, Arab News has taken on a more global and digital direction, launching international editions and expanding its global correspondent network.
Previously, Faisal was Editor-in-Chief of Al Arabiya’s English site. He is a regular political commentator on CNN, BBC and Sky News, and has written for Newsweek, Foreign Policy, and The Huffington Post.
Faisal is a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum and an alumnus of the U.S. State Department’s Murrow Program. He holds degrees from the Lebanese American University and the University of Westminster, and has completed executive education at Harvard and Cambridge.
In 2024, he published Anecdotes of an Arab Anglophile, a bestselling collection of personal stories praised by leading figures from media and diplomacy.
Nick Allan
CEO of Control Risks
Nick Allan is the Chief Executive Officer of Control Risks, a global specialist risk consultancy. He assumed the role in January 2019 and is responsible for the firm’s strategic direction and operations worldwide.
Nick joined Control Risks in 1996 and has held several key positions, including CEO for the Europe and Africa regions and head of the Asia Pacific region. Throughout his tenure, he has advised clients on complex strategic challenges, focusing on comprehensive risk profiles and pragmatic solutions. Notably, he played a central role in establishing Control Risks’ cyber security business and expanding its presence in Africa and Europe.
Before joining Control Risks, Nick worked with De La Rue. He holds a degree in Politics from the University of Bristol and an MBA from Imperial College Management School, University of London. Fluent in Spanish and conversant in Portuguese, Nick frequently speaks at international forums and has appeared in media outlets such as the BBC, CNBC, and Bloomberg.
Dr Jean Baderschneider
Non-Executive Director at Fortescue Metals Group
Dr Jean Baderschneider is a business leader and anti-trafficking advocate with over 35 years of global experience in supply chain, procurement, and sustainability. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Fortescue, where she chairs the Safety and Sustainability Committee. Formerly Vice President of Global Procurement at ExxonMobil, she led operations across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Dr Baderschneider is a founding Chair of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery and sits on several international boards, including the McCain Institute, the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, and the UN Financial Sector Commission on Modern Slavery. She holds a PhD from Cornell University.
Patrick Calvar
Former Director of the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Intérieure
Patrick Calvar is the founding president of C. CONSEIL and a former senior figure in French intelligence. Over a 40-year career in national security, he served as Director of France’s internal security service (DCRI, then DGSI) from 2012 to 2017, and earlier as Director of Intelligence at the DGSE. He now acts as a special security advisor at Institut Montaigne, a leading French public policy think tank.
Mike Craven
Founder and Executive Chairman, Lexington Communications. Former Communications Director of the UK Labour Party
Mike Craven is Executive Chair of Lexington, a strategic communications and public affairs company he founded in 1998. In this role, he advises a number of global corporations on their reputation and political challenges. He is a former advisor to the UK Labour Party.
Mike is a director of the UK think tank Labour Together and also serves as Chairman of the international weekly Catholic magazine, The Tablet.
A veteran public affairs strategist with more than 25 years of experience in political communications and policy advisory, Mike has grown Lexington into one of the UK’s leading national consultancies, with offices in London, Manchester, and Cambridge. He is known for his work helping clients navigate complex political and regulatory landscapes.
Marie Deniau
Former French civil servant
Marie Deniau is a partner at C. CONSEIL, where she works alongside Patrick Calvar. A former civil servant, she held roles in the Paris Criminal Investigation Department and the Directorate General of Internal Security, gaining extensive experience in intelligence and crisis management. She now also teaches at Sciences Po Paris.
Ieva Ilves
Senior Adviser on Cybersecurity to the Government of Ukraine
Ieva Ilves is a Latvian diplomat and cybersecurity expert with over two decades of experience in foreign and security policy, digital governance, and cyber defense. She has held senior positions within Latvia’s Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she led the development of the country’s first national cybersecurity strategy and played a key role in establishing NATO’s Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Riga.
She has also served internationally, including as a Political Advisor to the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus in Baku, and as an advisor to Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation. Ieva currently advises the Finnish cybersecurity company WithSecure. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Latvia and a Master of International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University. Her work continues to focus on strengthening digital resilience and defending democratic values in the information age.
Seumas Kerr CBE
CEO of D Impact, Retired Major General
Major General (Ret’d) Seumas Kerr CBE is a former senior British Army officer and strategic advisor with a career spanning defence, infrastructure, and public value. After 35 years of military service – culminating in the rank of Major General – he transitioned into leadership roles across government, business, and not-for-profit sectors. He spent a year in Qatar as COO of the Doha Development Company, helping shape the Conceptual Master Plan for the capital, and later served as a Managing Director at Carillion for over a decade.
He is currently CEO of D Impact, a not-for-profit company that connects government and defence industries to deliver contracts with measurable social value. He also advises global infrastructure and resilience firms, including Skanska and Achilles. In addition, he serves as Chair of the Pakistan Society, a Visiting Fellow at Durham University, and an Ambassador for the Open University Disabled Veterans Scholarship Fund.
David Miller OBE
Former Foreign Office Official
David Miller OBE is a member of the Advisory Board of the Future Resilience Forum, the UK’s first international security conference focused on promoting global resilience. A former UK diplomat, he retired from the Foreign Office in 2021 after a 20-year career with postings across South America, Africa and the Middle East. He later served as UK Trade Officer in Baku, Azerbaijan. He now specialises in international business development and due diligence. He was awarded an OBE in 2007 for services to foreign policy and holds an MBA from the European Business School in Madrid.
Leif Johan Sevland
Director of ONS Foundation and former Mayor of Stavanger, Norway
Leif Johan Sevland is a Norwegian business leader and former politician with a distinguished career spanning public service and the energy sector. He served as the Mayor of Stavanger from 1995 to 2011, during which he was instrumental in diversifying the region’s economy and played a key role in establishing the University of Stavanger. Sevland also led efforts that resulted in Stavanger being named the European Capital of Culture in 2008.
Since 2011, Sevland has been the President and CEO of the Offshore Northern Seas (ONS) Foundation, a prominent organisation that facilitates international dialogue on energy, technology, and innovation. Under his leadership, ONS has evolved into a comprehensive energy forum, reflecting the industry’s transition towards sustainable practices.
In addition to his role at ONS, Sevland serves as Chairman of the Board at HitecVision, a leading private equity investor in the European energy industry. He has been recognised for his contributions to the energy sector, notably receiving the Norwegian Petroleum Society’s award in 2019.
Sevland holds a degree from Rogaland University College, now known as the University of Stavanger. His extensive experience bridges the realms of politics, business development, and energy, positioning him as a central figure in Norway’s energy discourse.