About us
WIIS UK is a branch of the WIIS global network, committed to promoting women’s careers and professional development and providing a network for women working in the field of international security and on international security issues. WIIS UK is defined by our brilliant members (hailing from different age groups, sectors and nationalities) and our invaluable institutional partnerships with organizations across the UK.
WIIS UK activities may include socials, skills workshops, panels and open conversations with experts. Through our activities, WIIS UK members generate an active network of individuals and organizations willing to provide support, advice, and promotion of the activities, expertise, and role of women in international security.
WIIS UK is an open, inclusive, and constantly evolving platform that is open to all, regardless of gender identity or existing professional involvement in the international security field.
In short, WIIS UK is:
A vector for the excellence and expertise of women in international security
A diverse, inclusive and dynamic community reaching beyond the UK, with London as a hub for global exchange
An agent for positive, lasting change in the international security sector
The Leadership Team
Kristin Thue
Kristin Thue is the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Conflict, and the Communications Coordinator at the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA). She previously worked as a researcher in the Defence and Security team at RAND Europe. Kristin completed her MA in International Conflict Studies at King’s College London in 2020, where she specialised in gender and terrorism. Kristin has a background in advocacy and communications in Norway, and has participated actively in national debates on gender equality, ISIS’ foreign fighters, and counterterrorism. Twitter: @kristin_thue
Sophie Smith
Sophie Smith works in the political and security risk sector, and is currently part of an in-house intelligence function for a major entertainment company, providing analysis on geopolitical and security issues across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Prior to this, Sophie worked for two political risk consultancies, providing country risk reports to a variety of clients, and has previously worked in government and for an NGO. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and French from the University of Leeds.
Daryna Dvornichenko
Daryna Dvornichenko is a visiting research fellow at the University of Oxford. She received her Ph.D. in political science from Odesa I. Mechnikov National University. Before 24 February 2022, she worked as an associate professor at the National University and advisor to the head of Research Institute of Informatics and Law of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine. Daryna has produced extensive academic research on European integration and gender. She is also a founder of “Agents of Change!”—a nongovernmental organisation that promotes women’s participation in decision-making and non-formal education in Ukraine.
Sabrine Dao
Sabrine Dao is a multilingual political scientist and human rights lawyer. She currently works in Global Affairs at Search for Common Ground. She is also a Security & Intelligence Research Analyst at the Africa Center for Strategy & Policy based in Washington D.C. and Nairobi. In 2022, Sabrine founded Human Rights Advisors (HRA) a Business, Human Rights & Environment Intersectional Advisory Group. Sabrine is a Feminist Foreign Policy & Development Fellow with the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
Jennifer Confidence
Jennifer Confidence is a security specialist with International SOS, focusing on travel security. Previously, Jennifer worked at the regional security center of Pinkerton (embedded with SAP), where she. monitored security within EMEA. Additionally, she was with HOZINT as an intelligence analyst and has been involved in academic research on conflict, security, and peace in Africa.
Isabella Wilkinson
Isabella Wilkinson is a research associate in the International Security Programme at Chatham House and an editorial associate for the Journal of Cyber Policy. Isabella specializes in cyber policy and how societies can build resilience to cyber threats. Isabella is on the UK Internet Governance Forum Steering Committee and is part of the Santander-CIDOB ‘35 Under 35’ Future Leaders Forum 2022 list. Isabella has a master’s in Democracy and Governance from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s from the London School of Economics. Twitter: @IWilkinson0.
Previous Leadership
Thank you to all who have contributed their time, energy and skills to developing the WIIS UK network:
Sophia Besch, Alice Billon-Galland, Perla Bronzi, Jen Deegan, Dr Alexi Drew, Sofia Martinez Fernandez, Ulrike Franke, Ashlee Godwin, Laura Hamilton, Olivia Kearney, Johanna Moehring, Camilla Molyneux, Armida van Rij, Heather Williams.
Interested in joining the Leadership Team? Send a 300-word statement of purpose and CV to wiisuk@outlook.com. WIIS UK receives applications on a rolling basis.