Leadership

Messeh Leone

PRESIDENT

Mr Messeh Leone founded the Messeh Leone Trust, following almost 20 years of extensive research and active local and global field work in building peace, fighting extreme poverty, and promoting human rights and accountability.

Messeh was a child during the brutal war in Sierra Leone. Growing up in in the midst of conflict, Messeh witnessed unimaginable abuse of children and gross violations of human rights. The horrors he witnessed during the civil war had a terrible impact on him. But despite the shock of the war, Messeh never lost hope. He started on a journey of recovery, studying and working for a better future. At age 14, Messeh entered in to the world of activism. He was elected President of the Children’s Forum Network/Children’s Parliament – a child-led democratic organisation – and served as chair for children’s inputs to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the United Nations backed Special Court for Sierra Leone. 

With support from the British Council and a benefactor at the United Nations, Messeh later moved to the United Kingdom to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a lawyer. He successfully completed his Bachelor of law degree with honours (LLB) from the University of Warwick and then pursued his Bar Practice Training Course (BPTC) and Masters in law (LLM for barristers) at BPP Law School in London. Messeh was chosen by his Inns of Court (Lincoln’s Inn) as a leader among his peers. He also won the University of Warwick Law School MSP scholarship, awarded to a high achieving law student.

Messeh has devoted his time in working for or contributing to a number of international organisations, including the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the European Union. This work has led him to travel to a number of countries, contributing to the planning and implementation of local and global projects in commonwealth countries, including in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Pacific, the Caribbean and the Americas. Messeh was the recipient of the Commonwealth's International Award for Dynamic Youth Leadership and Service. His work has been recognised by Her Majesty The Queen of England and other world leaders.

Messeh has made a lifetime commitment to work for peace and prosperity of a world without violent wars and extreme poverty. He is determined to help make the world a better place and to protect other people from atrocities he experienced as a child.  He believes passionately that conflicts can be prevented. Extreme poverty can be reduced. Climate Change can be addressed. Human rights abuses can be stopped. State and non-state actors must be held accountable.

Dr Saudamini Siegrist

TEAM LEADER, ACTION & POLICY

Saudamini lives in New York City, where she served as Senior Adviser for Child Protection in Emergencies at UNICEF from 2012-2017. She previously served as Child Protection Specialist at the UNICEF Innocenti Research Center and as Chief of Child Protection for UNICEF in Palestine. She also worked in the Humanitarian Policy Unit of Emergency Operations at UNICEF on issues related to children and armed conflict, international criminal justice, and monitoring and reporting of grave violations against children. Saudamini was the lead writer for the Children’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report for Sierra Leone; the UNICEF publication Birth Registration and Armed Conflict; and the publication Children and Truth Commissions, co-authored by UNICEF and the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ). She co-edited the book, Children and Transitional Justice: Truth-Telling, Accountability and Reconciliation, published by the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and contributed to The Impact of War on Children, authored by Graça Machel. Saudamini currently works as a consultant on Child Protection in emergencies. She holds a Doctorate from New York University and a Master’s degree from Columbia University.

Saudamini is also a poet and playwright. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and she has received three nominations for the Pushcart Prize. Her play, "I Am Antigone", was presented as a showcase in the Theater for the New City Dream Up Festival and in the Culture Project "Prologue to Progress" in September 2017.

Artur Safayan

TEAM LEADER, INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

Artur Safaryan is the founder and director at Empasco, a technology advocacy group operating worldwide, working with international organisations and governments on advancing technology innovation in emerging markets. Mr. Safaryan holds LLB Law from Warwick University and MSc Innovation Management from Imperial College London. Mr Safaryan’s current focus is on creation of legally binding smart contracts with Mattereum.

Melron Nicol Wilson

TEAM LEADER, HUMAN RIGHTS & ADVOCACY

Melron Nicol-Wilson is a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of Sierra Leone, and Founder and Managing Partner of Nicol-Wilson and Co (Malaika Chambers). Nicol-Wilson holds two specialised Master's Degrees in Law. He holds a Master's Degree in Law (LL.M) from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom; a Master's Degree in Law (LL.M) from the University of Pretoria in South Africa; A Diploma from the University of Lund in Sweden; a Bachelors Degree in Law with Honours (LL.B (Hons) and a Barrister-at-Law Degree ( BL) from the Sierra Leone Law School. 

Since becoming a lawyer in 1998, he has worked in several distinguished capacities including Ombudsman of the Republic of Sierra Leone, from May 2017 to September 2018; Defence Counsel and Case Manager at the internationalized Special Court for Sierra Leone, from May 2003 to October 2007 and from July 2011 to September 2012; Lecturer in Law at the University of Sierra Leone, from 2003 to 2010; as well as Legal Adviser to Sierra Leone's Anti-Corruption Commission; Founder and Director of the Lawyers Centre for Legal Assistance in Sierra Leone, the first Legal Aid Body in the Country; and Lecturer in Public Law at the Polytechnic of Namibia in Southern Africa. 

Nicol-Wilson has provided legal services for several companies, Governmental Departments, non-Governmental organisations and individuals, and has undertaken consultancies for several United Nations agencies, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the British Council in Sierra Leone and a host of other bodies. 

He is the author of a number of Handbooks and Articles in several Law Journals, including the 2007 African Human Rights Law Journal, and the 2001 and the 2002 Australian International Law Journals. He is a former Teaching Fellow at the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School in the United States and a winner of the 2007 African Human Rights Lawyer Award from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. 

Nicol-Wilson now engages in the work of the Global Peace PACT with a strong focus on all aspects of education and advocacy, in the areas of conflict prevention, reducing extreme poverty, addressing climate change, and promoting human rights and accountability.

Asia Williams 

Team Leader, Enabling Environment

Asia studied at The London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE, and leads on MLT's Enabling Environmental Programme. 

Asia is the Blue Economy Consultant for the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, Caribbean, supporting Blue Economy entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, access training and opportunities to scale sustainably.

Focused on Sustainable Infrastructure development in the UK, Asia worked on affordable housing and public transport programmes; delivering mixed use regeneration schemes with Housing
Associations, ensuring effective community engagement and BREEAM sustainability compliance. Asia
has significant Programme management experience from working with Central Government and the
Environment Agency to support their flood risk programme across the UK and ensure that finances were
brought forward for flood defence schemes identified as needed in future based on climate change
modelling. She has also worked to ensure Sustainable Urban Drainage principles were integrated into new
schemes coming forward and advise developers on flood risk mitigation. She also took this knowledge to
Jamaica where she supported UN-Habitat on a flood risk scheme in Montego Bay. Asia has largely worked
with Local and Central Government clients, developers and Housing Associations to manage risks,
communications and engagement and large capital projects, as well as working abroad with international
institutions. She is also a Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network (CYCN) member who engages
in training for young people on climate change and raising awareness. She recently represented CYCN at
COP25 and COP24 negotiations, hosting an intergenerational climate dialogue. She has also worked with
the Climate Change Division of Jamaica’s Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation to improve
Communications and Outreach activities with Civil Society Organisations, schools in the region and the
Private Sector as part of Green Climate Fund initiatives. She was also part of a campaign in partnership
with the Planning Institute of Jamaica to use cultural music and community ambassadors to spread the
climate action, mitigation and adaptation message across Jamaica. This was done through hosting
Community Climate Change concerts with local artists after training local artists on climate change and the
impact it is having on Jamaica.