Lydia Stone – FCDO Research and Evidence Directorate

Lydia Stone is the Technical Conflict Lead for FCDO’s Research and Evidence Directorate, where she has also led the XCEPT programme since 2019. She was previously Social Development Direct’s lead on Security, Justice and Peacebuilding. From 2007-2014 she was based in South Sudan where she undertook a number of consultancy roles including as Senior Advisor to the Ministry for Gender, Child and Social Welfare and Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration advisor to the UK’s Stabilisation Unit.

Brigadier L C Westerman – British Defence Staff, East Africa

Brigadier Ronnie Westerman serves as Head of British Defence Staff, East Africa and as Defence Adviser (Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles). She previously served as British Defence Attaché Tel Aviv and as Defence Attaché in Juba, South Sudan.  In earlier roles, Ronnie commanded 22 Signal Regiment, providing command support to Headquarters of NATO’s Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps. She also served as Requirements Manager in the Delivery Team responsible for Land Environment Tactical CIS within Defence Equipment Support. Previous deployments include roles in the Falkland Islands and Kandahar Afghanistan. She holds a post graduate certificate in Security and Strategy for Global Leaders, a Master’s in Defence Technology and is a graduate of the Advanced Command and Staff Course and the Royal College of Defence Studies. She is a chartered engineer, a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology and an engineering graduate from Pembroke College, Cambridge.