Guest Profile

Scilla Elworthy

Scilla Elworthy Ph.D. founded the Oxford Research Group in 1982 to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy makers worldwide and their critics, work which included a series of dialogues between Chinese, Russian and western nuclear scientists and military, for which she has been three times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She founded Peace Direct in 2002 to fund, promote and learn from local peace builders in conflict areas; Peace Direct was voted 'Best New Charity' in 2005.

Scilla was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003, and was adviser to Peter Gabriel, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Sir Richard Branson in setting up 'The Elders'. She co-founded Rising Women Rising World and advises the leadership of selected international corporations and teaches young social entrepreneurs; her latest book is Pioneering the Possible: awakened leadership for a world that works North Atlantic Books, 2014, and her TED talk on non violence has been viewed by over 930,000 people.