WIIS Brussels was born in the early 2000s as a loose group of volunteers. We aim to advance gender equality in the Brussels-based security & defence sector and change the status quo. Registered as a not-for-profit association in 2013, WIIS Brussels became a key player in gender and security policy discussions beyond its membership, engaging daily with its thousand contacts among policymakers, military personnel, diplomats, legislative aides, scholars, students, journalists, entrepreneurs and business representatives, at all stages of their security-related careers.
Our purpose and values
WIIS Brussels is about community building and networking, contributing expert views on foreign, security, and defence policies.
We are dedicated to advancing the missing voices around the security table, women leadership, building trust and doing things differently, promoting compassion and offering a path towards greater self-reflection in approaching security. We create new pathways and offer safe spaces to discuss our differences off the record, training and inspiring the women leaders of tomorrow.
We aim at leveraging the diversity of ideas that is necessary to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to global security challenges. We believe in paying more than lip-service to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and train accordingly. We lead from a place of transparency, authenticity, and respect.
WIIS Brussels belongs to the global family of approximately 50 independent WIIS chapters around the world.
Steering Committee
WIIS Brussels is led by an energetic and diverse team of unpaid volunteers who make up its Steering Committee. The SC is responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the association and is supported by collaborators.
Angelica Arámbulo
#Trainings
Steering Committee member
Angelica Arámbulo has eight years of experience in a multi-faceted career in the fields of diplomacy, policy implementation and research. She has held key positions at the Consulate of Colombia in Belgium and the Embassy of Colombia in the Netherlands, where she managed diplomatic relations, strategically engaged with international organisations and implemented projects on migration issues and the prevention of gender-based violence. Her experience also includes working as a gender advisor for Bogotá’s Office of Social Inclusion, focusing on public policy and gender mainstreaming, and as a monitoring and evaluation consultant for the Colombian government, assessing the impact of reintegration efforts for former combatants during the signing of the peace agreement in 2016. Angelica is a political scientist and psychologist who holds an M.A. in Development Studies with a focus on Human Rights, Gender, and Conflict Studies, and a specialization in Peace and Conflict Studies, both from the International Institute of Social Studies at Erasmus University. Fluent in Spanish, English, and French, she has a strong interest in the intersection of peacebuilding, reconciliation processes and gender equality. She currently coordinates the training program at WIIS to enhance the skills of its members and increase their impact in the peace and security field.
Anne Schintgen
#Events
Steering Committee member
Anne Schintgen is currently the Head of the Brussels-based Europe Liaison Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict covering relations with the EU, NATO, OSCE and Geneva-based human rights mechanisms. She previously worked in New York as a Political Affairs Officer with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict covering among others the issue of children and armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and the Sudan. Before working for the UN, Anne served in different functions with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg including in New York as an advisor to the Permanent Representative during Luxembourg’s term on the UN Security Council, in Burkina Faso as Deputy Head of the Luxembourg Embassy and in Luxembourg as programme manager for development cooperation with Mali and Senegal. Anne holds an LLM in International Humanitarian Law from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law and an LLM in United Nations Law from the University of Glasgow and beforehand studied law at the University of Strasbourg, France. She also completed the Oxford Women’s Leadership Development Programme with the Said Business School of Oxford University. She is speaking Luxembourgish, German, French and English and is currently learning Dutch.
Diana De Vivo
#WIIS@NATO
Steering Committee member
Diana is working as Team Leader and Adviser in the Office of the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security and for Human Security at NATO HQ in Brussels. She is an Advisory Council Member of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, a GMF Marshall Memorial Fellow and a Steering Committee member of Women in International Security. Diana advocates for the integration of a gender perspective in international security and foreign policy and for strengthening the gender-security nexus. She has been nominated for an Award – Honourable Mention for Integration of a Gender Perspective at NATO. She has previously worked in academia, the private sector, the NATO Communications and Information Agency, NATO Joint Force Command Naples, The Italian Delegation to NATO, the European External Action Service and Non-Governmental Organisations on strategic, partnerships and policy matters. Diana has undertaken field work in 2018 in Ghana, Africa, where she contributed to community engagement, capacity building and research on women’s rights. She has worked with girls from Ghana slums and the Muslim community to enhance women and girls’ awareness of human rights in a country where issues such as child marriage, child prostitution, gender-based violence, illiteracy, child abuse are still a very diffused. She also trained women and girls on leadership, presentation and communication skills hence empowering them with tangible abilities they could employ in the future. Diana has published several articles and research papers for the NATO Defence College and international think tanks on foreign policy and security and defence issues. Born in Naples, Italy, Diana De Vivo holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Politics and is currently pursuing an MLitt (Research programme) in Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews (United Kingdom) – The Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV). She is interested in the contribution of women to counter terrorism and countering violent extremism, radicalisations, terrorism and religion and terrorism and the media. She is Italian mother tongue and fluent in English and French, good in Spanish.
Enisa Musai
#Newsletter
Steering Committee member
Enisa works at the Political Affairs and Security Policy division at NATO. With a robust background in global security and diplomacy, she is dedicated to strengthening international collaboration and advancing security initiatives. Throughout her career, Enisa has collaborated with various governmental and international institutions, including projects funded by the European Commission, the U.S. Embassy Grant programs, the Council of Europe, the King Baudouin Foundation, among others. Enisa has also contributed significantly as a journalist, bringing insightful analysis and perspectives on the socio-political dynamics of the Euro-Mediterranean region. Her journalistic work complements her strategic roles in international organizations, providing a nuanced understanding of the region’s complexities. Before joining NATO, Enisa worked at the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), where she led the development and implementation of regional migration projects. Her innovative approaches to migration policy have had a lasting impact on regional cooperation and policy frameworks. Enisa is also the co-founder of the Liberal Alternative Institute (LAI), a think-and-do tank in North Macedonia that champions liberal activism and addresses grassroots societal needs. She holds a Master of Science in European Integration and Development from Vrije University in Brussels, Belgium and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and Political Science from the State University of New York ESC, New York in the United States. In addition, Enisa is a certified Bid and Proposal Manager from the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP). Enisa is an Albanian from North Macedonia thus speaks fluently Albanian, Macedonian in addition to English. She masters in advance Slovenian and Serbian/Bosnian/Croatian languages and she is at beginner proficiency in French and Spanish.
Eva Houtave
#Mentoring
Steering Committee member
Eva is an analyst at the EEAS with over five years of experience in international security and law. She holds dual master’s degrees in law, specializing in public international law with a focus on peace and conflict studies. Eva’s career includes her role as a legal expert in international humanitarian law at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), specifically with the delegation to the EU, NATO, and Belgium. She further expanded her expertise by conducting legal research in cybersecurity at KU Leuven, one of Belgium’s premier academic institutions. In addition, Eva has served as an analyst in counter-proliferation affairs with the Belgian government, contributing to critical security and non-proliferation initiatives. She is also a dedicated reservist officer in the Belgian Army.
Hafsa Temsamani
#Communications
Collaborator
Dr. Hafsa Temsamani is a distinguished expert in international security and defense, specializing in European politics, transatlantic relations, and the geopolitics of the Middle East and North Africa. Currently, she serves as a Senior Political Analyst at the Partner Representation to NATO. Hafsa’s previous roles include Assistant Professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), sworn translator for the Belgian Court of Appeal, and strategic advisor to various governmental entities in foreign affairs and defence. As an aggregated PhD professor, Hafsa has been a ULB Mentor since 2021, guiding the next generation of leaders in her field. Her current research focuses on her upcoming book, NATO Renaissance: From 9/11 to the New World Order. She is the founder of Gendered Peace Compass, a Brussels-based strategic advisory and communication platform. Hafsa holds a PhD in Humanities with a thesis on feminism and gender, an Executive Master’s in International Politics from the Diplomatic School of Brussels, a Master’s in Educational Studies, an Advanced Master’s in Philosophy and Arts, and a Master’s in Modern Languages and Letters, all from ULB. She is fluent in English, French and Arabic, with a working knowledge of Spanish and is currently learning Dutch.
Hajar Busif
#Communications
Steering Committee member
Hajar is a passionate and accomplished final-year master’s student in International Relations, specializing in the complex dynamics of armament and disarmament policies within the MENA region. Her academic journey is distinguished by a blend of advanced knowledge and practical experience, which reflects her dedication to addressing critical global challenges. Previously, Hajar applied her technical expertise as an IT technician at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), where she adeptly bridged technology with academia. In addition to this role, she serves as the Alumni Relations Coordinator for the Corax Foundation, where she plays a key role in fostering a vibrant, global community of alumni actively engaged in inter-university debate competitions. Hajar’s leadership abilities are further exemplified by her tenure as president of a student organization, during which she successfully organized Model United Nations conferences in Canada and Spain. These events provided platforms for diplomatic dialogue and collaboration among emerging global leaders, showcasing her commitment to fostering international cooperation. Currently completing her master’s degree in Geneva with a focus on the MENA region, Hajar brings a strong academic foundation built on a double bachelor’s degree. With a career dedicated to global security, diplomacy, and inter-regional cooperation, she is poised to make meaningful contributions to the fields of international relations and peacebuilding.
Isabella Vogel
#Membership #Operations
Steering Committee member
Isabella Vogel is a Project Manager at RUSI Europe in Brussels, supporting the work of the Terrorism and Conflict Research Group. Prior to joining RUSI Europe, Isabella served as Initiative Coordinator and Liaison Officer at the Global Counterterrorism Forum. In her role, she managed several projects including the Gender and P/CVE Policy Toolkit Initiative, and the Gender and Identities Factor Platform Initiative, as well as external relations with close partners. Her other prior experiences include working on projects focused on promoting gender equality, conflict resolution, and safe and orderly migration in the MENA region. Isabella holds a Master of Science in Political Science: Conflict and Cooperation from Leiden University in the Netherlands, and speaks English, German, Hindi, Dutch, and some French and Arabic.
Isabelle Francois
President
Isabelle is an expert in international security with a 30-year professional experience from the Canadian government to international organizations, academia and think tanks. She is currently Head of Partnership West in Political Affairs and Security Policy at NATO. She has also worked as a consultant providing policy advice to the private and public sectors, and volunteered in several nonprofit organizations. She has served in a number of capitals: Ottawa, Brussels, Moscow, Washington. She led many international teams, developing and implementing various projects bringing people from different cultures together, and fundraising for causes she felt strongly about. Isabelle has authored over fifty publications on international security issues, spoken at many conferences, and given various interviews to the press. She received her Law degree from Sorbonne, Paris, her Ph.D in Political Science from Université de Montréal, Canada, a Certificate in Essentials of Leadership from London School of Economics (LSE), and her CoachingCertificate from the United States.
Krystal Gaillard
#Communications #WIISChapters
Steering Committee member
Krystal Gaillard is the Director of Strategy and Operations at MA Adjaho, a development and finance advisory firm where she also advises on climate and security. She is a feminist foreign policy expert, as well as a Policy consultant at AfricaFora. She previously worked as the Programme Executive for the European Young Leader (EYL40) programme at Friends of Europe where she managed the organisation’s leadership programme. Prior to this, she held several roles as a researcher (West African peace and development), assistant researcher (political participation and diversity) and editor-in-chief of a public policy and governance academic journal.
Lucile Bardin
#Trainings
Steering Committee member
Lucile is a political affairs, conflict prevention, management and dialogue professional, currently working for the Finnish private diplomacy organisation CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation. As a specialist of the former USSR, she has extensive experience in project design, implementation, and management, as well as political analysis and engagement in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus, in particular the Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia contexts. She also spent some time in Ukraine and Belarus for the former USSR, in Palestine and Pakistan for other parts of the world. She is currently exploring new regional spaces and undertaking new challenges as part of CMI’s Afghanistan team. Earlier in 2017-2018, she took part in France’s cultural diplomacy efforts in Moldova as Language and Education Officer at the French Embassy in Chisinau. She holds a dual Master’s degree from Sciences Po Lille and the University of Münster, as well as an M.A. degree in Nationalism Studies from Central European University Budapest. Lucile joined WIIS Brussels as a member in March 2023 and WIIS Brussels’ Steering Committee in May 2024 as part of the Training team, bringing to the team her experience in organising capacity-building activities on various peace and security-related topics. She is a curious, dedicated person who strives in both demanding and collaborative international environments such as WIIS Brussels. She enjoys sharing as much as learning.
Mona Koehler-Schindler
Secretary General
Mona is an experienced professional in climate security, counter-terrorism and human rights. Currently she works as a Staff Officer, Climate Security at NATO HQ. Previously, she served as a member of NATO’s International Staff in different positions at NATO HQ and in NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. From 2017 to 2019, she worked as Political Advisor to the NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan, providing political assessments and supporting civil-military cooperation. Before that, she served in different capacities at NATO HQ in Brussels, including in the Counter-Terrorism Section, the Science for Peace and Security Programme and the Strategic Analysis Capability Centre. Previously, she also worked for the OSCE in the Human Rights and Anti-Terrorism Programme at the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Poland and for the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) in the Police Programme Africa in Cameroon and Chad. Mona holds an Executive Master’s Degree on the International Law of Armed Conflict from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and the Graduate Institute Geneva and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Aberdeen.
Naďa Kovalčíková
#SecConsultation #WIISChapters
Steering Committee member
Dr. Naďa Kovalčíková is the Senior Analyst in charge of the Transnational Security portfolio at the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS). She focuses on hybrid threats, foreign interference, disinformation, resilience and democracy, election security, and transatlantic cooperation. She is a 2019 awardee of Women In International Security; a mentor within the innovative network of Harvard Women in Defense, Diplomacy, and Development; and an expert collaborator for Minsait’s Ideas for Democracy. Nad’a was formerly a Program manager and Fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy in the German Marshall Fund of the United States. She also worked at NATO, the European Parliament, the French and Canadian embassies, and several NGO and think tank projects. Nad’a obtained her Ph.D. in international economic relations with a focus on globalization and security threats, and master’s degrees in Politics and Government from the LSE, in European Affairs from SciencesPo Paris, and in International Relations from EUBA.
Nuria Portero
#Events #HappyHours
Steering Committee member
Nuria Portero, a geopolitical and disinformation analyst, holds an M.A. in Intelligence Analysis and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University Complutense of Madrid (Spain) and the University of Leeds (United Kingdom). Her career includes a research role at the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) in Paris and work with a Member of the European Parliament in Brussels, enhancing her European expertise. Nuria’s dedication to Spain’s foreign policy initiatives is demonstrated through her collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and contributions to the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE), focusing on disinformation and influence operations. Expanding her global experience, Nuria also worked at DCAF in Tunisia, contributing to project management and research in the realm of security sector governance. She is particularly interested in disinformation, foreign affairs, the Middle East, and North Africa, and she speaks Spanish, English, and French.
Rebekka Haffner
Steering Committee member
Rebekka Haffner is Attaché at the Belgian Ministry of Defence working on quality management. Previously, she was Project Officer at the European Organisation of Military Associations (EUROMIL). She holds an MA in Security and Diplomacy Studies from Tel Aviv University as well as a BA in Politics and History and a BA in Politics and Law from the Westfälische Wilhelms Universität in Münster, Germany. In addition to her native German, Rebekka speaks English, Dutch and French. She lives close to Mechelen with her husband and two kids.
Romana Michelon
Vice-President
Romana is a political scientist with over seven years of experience in NATO and the EEAS, where she worked in the fields of conflict resolution, security and defense. Most recently, she worked on Women, Peace and Security in the Human Security Unit in the Office of the NATO Secretary General. Over the years, Romana specialized in issues of gender, peace and security, and she is currently a rostered civilian expert with the Dutch MFA. As Secretary General of WIIS Brussels, Romana works towards the meaningful inclusion of women in the security and defence sector. In 2018, she co-founded WIIS@NATO, which discusses current security challenges through a gendered lens. Romana is currently senior consultant EU affairs at Berenschot in Brussels. She has research experience at the German Marshall Fund, King’s College London, and FRIDE. Romana has a BA in European Studies, an MSc in International Relations, and an MA in Conflict Resolution.
Sofiia Shevchuk
#Podcasts
Steering Committee member
Sofiia is an independent researcher, analyst and project manager in diplomacy, foreign policy, and security. Particularly interested in intersection between climate gender and security. In addition to research, Sofiia is experienced in managing projects and high level events. Worked as a researcher and project manager for MEP Dr Hannah Neumann at the European Parliament, as a researcher at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, as an analyst and event manager at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. As a member of the Steering Committee, organising a mentorship programme with the Women in International Security Brussels and managing strategic (web-)development for The Brussels Binder.
Stella Zervoudaki
#Mentoring
Collaborator
Stella Zervoudaki has served in the European Union for forty years, in the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) in various posts including three times as an EU ambassador. During her career she has also collaborated with several universities as guest lecturer and with civil society organisations where she had the opportunity to promote among other things human rights and equal opportunities for women, conflict management and mediation, and security sector reform. She is currently volunteering as a mentor and coach for women and migrants who want to integrate the labour market or advance in their career. Stella has an MA in philosophy and linguistics as well as postgraduate studies in international relations and change management. She is fluent in Greek, English, French, Spanish and German.
Stephanie Daher
Treasurer
Dr. Stephanie Daher is an independent researcher, working on terrorism and violent extremism. Stephanie is also an ERCOR (European Research Community on Radicalisation) researcher. Since 2021, she has been working with RAN Policy Support on several deliverables, including the Project-Based Collaborations (PBC) MENA and violent left-wing and anarchist extremism. She holds a PhD in International Relations from the Sant’Anna Advanced School of Studies (Italy) with a focus on Middle Eastern studies, and master’s degrees in World Politics and International Relations from the University of Pavia, and in Law from the Lebanese University. She has also conducted extensive fieldwork in Lebanon and Tunisia, in addition to visiting research periods at the Institute of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at Durham University (UK) and Centre D’Études Maghrébines in Tunisia. She speaks English, Arabic, Italian and French.
Advisors
Our Advisors are long-standing colleagues and supporters who offer strategic guidance, connections, and help carry projects and activities.
Rosa Balfour is director of Carnegie Europe. Her fields of expertise include European politics, institutions, and foreign and security policy. Her current research focuses on the relationship between domestic politics and Europe’s global role. She has researched and published widely for academia, think tanks, and the international press on issues relating to European politics and international relations, especially on the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, EU enlargement, international support for civil society, and human rights and democracy. Balfour is also an associate fellow at LSE IDEAS. In 2018 and 2019, she was awarded a fellowship on the Europe’s Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. Prior to joining Carnegie Europe, Balfour was a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. She was also director of the Europe in the World program at the European Policy Centre in Brussels and has worked as a researcher in Rome and London.
Historian, author, journalist and consultant
Ilana Bet-El is a senior adviser on energy, defence, geopolitics and communications, with over thirty years’ experience in both the private and the public sectors. She is also a widely published writer on politics, history and identity in the EU, Russia, the Middle East and the Trans-Atlantic community. With a background in academe and the media, she has worked for the UN in both the Balkans and New York as well as advising multinationals and governments from her base in Brussels. She created and edited the editorial page of European Voice (now Politico), and has contributed hundreds of columns and opinion to pieces to a wide variety of international media. She holds a PhD from the University of London and is fluent in English, Hebrew and French.
WIIS Brussels Honorary President
Cristina Gallach is a journalist and former United Nations official. MS. Gallach was the 14th Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and for Ibero-America and the Caribbean of the Spanish government from 2020 to 2021. From July 2018 to January 2020 she served as High Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda of the Spanish government. She also served as the United Nations Undersecretary General for Communications and Public Information from December 2014 to August 2017. Prior to this, Ms. Gallach was with the Council of the European Union as Head of the Public Relations Unit in the Directorate-General for Information and Communication.
Former President of WIIS Brussels (2015-2019) & Managing Director, Leadership Programs at GMF
Corinna Hörst is Managing Director for GMF’s Leadership Programs. In this capacity, She leads GMF’s diverse portfolio of leadership development initiatives. She is also a member of the DE&I Advisory Group at GMF which is guiding the organization’s diversity and inclusion performance. She regularly speaks or writes on European affairs and transatlantic relations as well as leadership, diversity, gender, and women.
She is also co-founder of The Brussels Binder, an online database of female policy experts. Her recent book “Women Leading The Way in Brussels,” co-authored with Claudia de Castro Caldeirinha (John Harper Publishing, 2017) looks at women leadership in Europe and Brussels, including vignettes of women who exercise leadership across different sectors in Brussels. Before coming to GMF in 1999, she was a teaching associate at Miami University, teaching American and world history and worked as assistant project manager at a publishing company in Germany. Hörst has a PhD and master’s degree in history and studied at Miami University in Ohio, United States, the University of Heidelberg in Germany, and St. Andrews University in Scotland.
Head of the EU external relations team for the Open Society European Policy Institute
Marta Martinelli is the head of the EU external relations team for the Open Society European Policy Institute, where she oversees policy development and EU advocacy within the institute. She acts also as OSF Special Advisor on security governance. She joined the Open Society Foundations in May 2010. Previously, Marta worked in Kinshasa for the European Union mission for Security Sector Reform in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. From 2005 to 2009, she advised the Belgian Directorate General for Development on peace-building policies in the Great Lakes Region. Marta has advised the European Commission, the European Parliament, the UNDP, OECD/DAC and UNIFEM on gender, peace support operations, and security system reform in Burundi, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Marta’s academic career includes holding a chair in peace and conflict studies at the Free University of Brussels, and teaching at the Institute of International Sociology in Gorizia (Italy) and at the UNESCO Chair for Peaceful Conflict Resolution and Human Rights in Bujumbura (Burundi). In Brussels, she serves as an adviser to the European Institute of Peace, the European Network for Central Africa, and Save the Children. She holds a PhD in conflict resolution and an MA in international politics and security studies from the Department of Peace Studies in Bradford (United Kingdom) as well as a BA in diplomacy and international relations from the University of Trieste (Italy).‘Leading with Resilience’ Trainer, Facilitator, Speaker
Daria Nashat is a speaker and trainer on inclusive leadership, resilience strategies, and the co-founder of ‘Women in Politics’. She is a Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) trainer, co-host of the ‘Courageous Conversations on Race & Privilege’ circle, and the co-author of the German Center for International Peace Operations’ (ZIF) Stress Management Handbook for civilian experts in peace missions. Prior to founding her own business, she worked in the field of peacebuilding, refugee return, and community-building.Freelance Reporter for NPR and Deutsche Welle; Podcast Host, Atlantic Council
Teri Schultz is an experienced multimedia journalist who has reported from more than two dozen countries, having lived in Finland, Russia and Belgium in addition to the United States. Based in Brussels since 2006, Schultz currently covers NATO and the European Union and can be seen, heard and read on NPR, on the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) and on her own podcast, Channeling Brussels.
Having begun her international career covering the disintegration of the USSR from Helsinki, Schultz remains particularly focused on counter-terrorism, security and defense with an emphasis on Russian disinformation and destabilization activities. Over her career, she has traveled six times to Afghanistan, been a Kiplinger Fellow in Digital Media, a journalism exchange participant in Pakistan with the Center for International Journalists, and a Knight International Press Fellow teaching throughout rural Russia.
Schultz has a Master of Science in International Relations (magna cum laude) from the University of Helsinki and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism (with honors) from New Mexico State University. She speaks French and Finnish. She is a frequent debate moderator and panelist, active in promoting better gender balance across subject matters.
Partner at Forward Global
Pauline Massart has been an active member of WIIS Brussels since 2010, as a member of the Steering Committee until September 2023 and now as an Advisor. She is currently a Partner at Forward Global in Brussels, where she manages cyber and strategic intelligence activities, working with EU institutions, NATO and the private sector. She was previously Head of Media & Communication at the European Defence Agency, after before that used to head the Peace, Security & Defence Programme of the Brussels-based think-tank Friends of Europe (previously the Security & Defence Agenda). She began her career in the defence industry, after studying at King’s College London, the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris and Leiden University in the Netherlands. Pauline was a co-founder of the Brussels Binder, the online female expert database dedicated to more diversity in EU policy debates. She speaks English, French, German and Italian, and is the mother of two children.
Our activities
WIIS Brussels puts a premium on its members providing tools to enhance their skills, develop their career, and share their stories. We promote training and mentoring and offer various platforms to amplify women voices among security experts and practitioners. WIIS Brussels reaches out beyond its membership and take part in intellectually diverse debates to enrich its understanding of security, peace and defence issues, also offering informal opportunities for experts and practitioners to discuss their differences “off the record”.
How can you help?
WIIS Brussels is a not-for-profit organisation which relies on volunteers to help carrying out its activities. Members of the Steering Committee are all unpaid volunteers and WIIS Brussels unfortunately cannot offer employment or internship opportunities. We regularly share interesting vacancies of other organisations on social media so feel free to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn!
As we lack the resources to offer meaningful internship experiences that align with out goals, WIIS Brussels does not offer internship opportunities. If you seek mentorship, please apply for our current programme.
If you are a student or a recent graduate interested in supporting WIIS Brussels by giving some of your time, you can also reach out to our university antenna WIIS Campus (wiiscampus@gmail.com).
Stay tuned to learn more!
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