28 May BFPG’s Associate Fellows – New Additions
The British Foreign Policy Group is delighted to announce the appointment of two new Associate Fellows.
As the UK’s leading think tank focused on the intersection between foreign and domestic policy, we believe that effective foreign policy decision-making requires diverse insights and expertise. Specialists with knowledge spanning key regions and disciplines, our new Fellows will help expand and strengthen BFPG’s knowledge and expertise as we continue to grow.
Our new appointees will be joining our existing Associate Fellows, James Jennion, Michael Martins and Mafalda Damaso. View the full team here.
Mohamed Cassimjee, Geopolitical Analyst and Consultant, and former Deputy Ambassador of South Africa to Germany
Mohamed Cassimjee was a senior diplomat for South Africa for over 26 years. He served as Deputy Ambassador to Germany from 2016-2020, and prior to that served abroad in Washington DC, Uganda and Senegal. He has served in various positions at the Department of International Relations including: Director of the African Union; German Speaking Countries/Nordics/Baltics; Latin America/Caribbean and the European Union. Prior to joining the foreign service, he was an Advocate (Barrister) in South Africa. He is a mentor at the Blavatnik School of Government and a Research Associate at the Centre for African Studies at Oxford University. He is also a Director at the SA Chamber of Commerce UK. He has consulted and presented on geopolitics to government, business chambers, risk consultancies and academia in the UK. He has also written for the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and for Chatham House.
Aryan Sanghrajka, Founder and Managing Director of Forced to Flee and UNHCR Global Young Champion for Refugees
Aryan is an award-winning young leader for refugees, migration & human rights. At the age of 14, he founded Forced To Flee, a global non-profit organisation advocating for the rights of refugees around the world. Aryan was named best Human Rights & Refugee Organisation MD at the SME News Awards 2023. He is also a UNHCR Young Champion for Refugees and awarded the 2023 UNHCR Advocacy Award for his efforts. Aryan also was Alternatives to Detention Specialist at the UN Major Group for Children & Youth Migration Constituency, and now serves as an elected member of the Executive Team and GCM Lead. Aryan has represented youth at the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly, 2023 SDG Summit and Global Refugee Forum, giving interventions in front of Heads of State & Government. On a domestic level, he is a member of the UN Association – United Kingdom’s Finance & Governance Committee.