Who We Are
We're a multi-disciplinary team working with a developing methodology, based on cognitive linguistics among other bodies of science. We analyse how meaning is created in public debate, what stories are told, what “frames” and metaphors are used and why they lead to polarisation and false understandings. We develop practical, tested interventions for better, cohesive, progressive debate.
The Flare Team
Andreea Petre-Goncalves
President and Co-founder
Andreea is an international affairs and advocacy expert with two decades of experience in the non-profit, public and private sectors. She has worked in sustainability, food security, international development, public health, gender and human rights among many other topics. She has driven global policy developments, built international partnerships and connected power and knowledge brokers to promote the greater good.
She believes people at all levels are driven by the same instincts, fears and desires and that the best in all of us can be harnessed through respectful and purposeful collaboration. She also believes that our future security and prosperity on our planet depend on our ability to see beyond our myriad of individual interests with a sense of common purpose.
Lauren Brown
Programme development, Communications and Research Manager
Lauren is a future Politics PhD student at the University of Bristol and has just completed her MSc in Migration Studies at the University of Oxford. Her main interests include British politics, societal narratives, portrayals of migration and how the nation and its people are constructed. Having spent a year studying abroad in Copenhagen, she’s also very keen on cinnamon buns.
Leylah Hadrovic
Manager of Insights and Communication
Leylah was recently awarded her MSc in International Relations at the University of Edinburgh. She also holds her BA in International Studies and French Business from the University of Arizona. Her main interests in serving the international community include advocating for the rights of refugees, promoting counter-violence and extremism, as well as countering polarisation and disinformation. She is trilingual in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, English and French, and has had the privilege of living in many different countries from a young age. When she isn’t pursuing good global governance with Flare, she enjoys singing, writing and traveling.
Lucy Walker
Head of Strategy and Programmes
Lucy has significant experience of designing and delivering programmes to enable systemic social change. For five years, she worked with organisations and activists to support an end to female genital cutting worldwide.
Lucy has a BSc in International Environmental Conservation and an Institute of Leadership and Management diploma in Coaching and Mentoring. She has worked to design, facilitate and evaluate projects to develop collaborative learning skills and encourage community, business and educational groups to become self-organising.
Lucy is an avid cyclist, recently completing 15,000km across 4 continents.
Samuel Ajakaiye
Community, Outreach and Dialogue Co-ordinator
Sam is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Oxford studying History and French. Having worked with a range of international and current affairs organisations, he has a passion for developing new ways for young people to engage with a variety of cultures and perspectives.
As an aspiring polyglot, keen basketball player and lover of food, his interests bring him into contact with a variety of fascinating people and such experiences have shown him the beauty and value of genuinely open communication.
Zinah Mohammed
MENA Consultant
Zinah Mohammed is a human rights lawyer holding an LLM Masters of Laws from the UK. She is experienced in advocacy, policy, campaigns and media. She is an Iraqi social activist who strongly believes in empowering women and youth globally and particularly in the MENA region.
Zinah is the founder of Let's Be Friends Project, a peace building project for children across borders, the former Curator at the Global Shapers Community - Erbil hub which is an initiative by the World Economic Forum, and an alumni in many global platforms that promotes peace, advocacy and youth leadership.