Introducing BFPG’s Associate Fellows

The British Foreign Policy Group is delighted to announce the appointment of five 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.

Dr Mafalda Dâmaso, Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute and Visiting Research Fellow at King’s College London

Dr Mafalda Dâmaso is an academic whose work focuses on EU cultural and media policy and its intersection with diplomacy. Currently, she works as Principal Investigator for Erasmus University Rotterdam on REBOOT, a Horizon Europe project focused on the competitiveness of the European film industry. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre of the European University Institute. Based in London, she is also a Member of the UK Council of Creative UK and Senior Media Policy Advisor of the UK Coalition for Cultural Diversity.

James Jennion, Co-Executive Director at Labour Campaign for Human Rights

James Jennion is the Co-director of the Labour Campaign for Human Rights and works in transnational campaign strategy at a leading international human rights organisation. He previously worked as an adviser to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, and as a senior political affairs adviser to UNICEF UK. He is Chair of the China Working Group of the Labour Foreign Policy Group, and is an incoming part-time PhD candidate at the University of Leeds.

Michael Martins, Founding Partner at Overton Advisory, and former Economic and Political Specialist at the U.S. Department of State

Michael Martins is a founding partner at Overton Advisory, a public affairs, communications, and geostrategy company. Prior to founding Overton, Michael spent six years working for the State Department at the US Embassy in London. He has spent nearly a decade writing for The Economist Intelligence Unit. He holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and an MA and BA from York University.

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 is a mentor at the Blavatnik School of Government and a Research Associate at the Centre for African Studies at Oxford University.

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. He is also a UNHCR Young Champion for Refugees and was awarded the 2023 UNHCR Advocacy Award.