Tommy Hall
Co-Founder & Director
Tommy serves as a First Lieutenant in U.S. Army (Logistics) currently at Army Sustainment University before an overseas assignment in the Republic of Korea. His prior roles included an assignment as a deputy military advisor at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations' military staff committee where he assisted the team liaise with interagency colleagues in synthesizing complex diplomatic issues. Tommy holds a MSt. Diplomatic Studies from the University of Oxford, a MA in Chinese Studies from SOAS, University of London and a BSc in Chinese from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is proficient in Mandarin.
Adeel Hussain
Co-Founder & Director
Adeel is British Civil Servant who is currently Senior Policy Advisor at His Majesty’s Treasury, prior to this he held roles focused on innovation policy and advanced manufacturing FDI at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). He was also part of the team that created the British ‘Office for Investment’ (OfI), a joint DBT, HM Treasury and Number 10 unit which works across government to land top-tier investment. Adeel holds a MSt. Diplomatic Studies from the University of Oxford, a MA in Chinese Studies from the University of Edinburgh and a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Exeter.
Margaret Siu
Founding Committee Member and Multilateral Policy Lead
Margaret is a former Technology and Security Policy Fellow at RAND, where she advised U.S. agencies on AI hardware supply chains and governance. She serves as a nonresident expert at the Oxford China Policy Lab. Previously, she worked at the headquarters of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) on the Trade and Investments Legal Team. She also worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), focusing on Chinese state-owned enterprise supply chain analysis. Previously, she chaired the 2025 Harvard Trade Forum. Margaret holds a JD from Harvard Law School and earned MSc degrees from the University of Oxford (University College) and the London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar. She received her BA from the University of Texas at Austin in the Plan II Honors Program.
Aidan Powers-Riggs
US Partnerships Lead
Aidan Powers-Riggs is an Associate Fellow for China Analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. His research applies open-source intelligence (OSINT) methods to explore China's use of non-conventional tools to expand its overseas influence. Previously, he has helped inform government and policy leaders on Chinese foreign and technology policies at the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), and the Asia Society Policy Institute. Aidan holds an M.A. from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) at Georgetown University.
Francisco Javier Nicolas Felix
Mexico Partnerships Lead
Francisco Javier Nicolas Felix (Paco) is a specialist in international development and cooperation, with a robust focus on enhancing Japan's Public Diplomacy. With over five years of experience at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), he now serves as the Head of Marketing for the Japan National Tourism Organization in Latin America. His comprehensive expertise covers areas such as disaster risk reduction, humanitarian aid, public health, inter-municipal cooperation, and the strategic application of soft power. Francisco's academic credentials include a Master of Studies (MSt) in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Oxford, complemented by a minor in Japanese Language and Studies from Kagawa University, and a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Francisco is fluent in Spanish and Japanese.
Jack Colonnetta
Communications Lead
Jack is a Director of Communications in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has served Members of Congress from different states in both the House and Senate, including the Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, where he was ultimately exposed to America's global competition in AI development, the new space race, and chips manufacturing. Holding a Bachelor's degree in International Security Studies, he has experience combining his education and expertise in order to message these issues to the American public, the media, and the legislative branch.
Mamiko Shimizu
Japanese Partnerships Lead
Mamiko is a Japanese Civil Servant working at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), where she has focused on a range of domestic and international issues for over six years, from leading energy, finance, and industrial policymaking to economic diplomacy with China, including the COVID-19 emergency response. Mamiko is a Japanese Government Program Scholar and is currently undertaking the Master in Public Policy and next year will begin the MSc in Energy Systems at the University of Oxford.
Jacob Lapin
Finance Lead
Jacob serves as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and is currently assigned as a Cyber Warfare Officer in US Army Cyber Command. He recently completed his Master's in Information Technology Strategy from Carnegie Mellon University, where he specialized in AI and data analytics. His research is focused on the intersection of AI and national security, and he is passionate about the role of technology in shaping global power dynamics. Jacob holds a B.S. in Mandarin and Defense & Strategic Studies from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is proficient in Mandarin.