Guest Speakers and Diplomatic Panel

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

H.E. Rami Mortada

Introducing H.E. Rami Mortada, the current Ambassador of Lebanon to the UK.

His prior diplomatic postings include Belgium, Syria, New York, and Oman. As an experienced diplomat, he has represented Lebanon at the UN, EU, and several international summits, with varied experience across diplomacy, international law, and crisis management in geopolitically sensitive regions.

You will have the chance to hear him speak about his incredible political journey at our prestigious opening ceremony.

DIPLOMATIC PANEL

Continuing the tradition of LSEMUN's fireside chat, this year we will provide students with the opportunity to hear an array of highly valued opinions concerning the theme, inclusion and diversity.

For 2025, LSEMUN is proudly continuing this newly established (and exclusive) tradition.

Our Diplomatic Panel brings together top-notch speakers with academic and practical expertise in crisis management to share their insights on the theme "Navigating Crisis: Diplomacy, Strategy, and Humanitarian Action in an Era of Geopolitical Uncertainty."

While this is an LSEMUN event, you do not need to be an LSEMUN delegate to attend.

H.E. Rami Mortada

Ambassador of Lebanon to the United Kingdom,

H.E. Roy Barreras Montealegre

Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom,

Roy Barreras Montealegre was a Colombian politician and 2018 presidential candidate. Serving as senator from 2010 to 2023 and President of the Senate of Colombia for almost a year, he also presided over the Colombian Congress twice.

Dr. Aminata Touré

Former Prime Minister of Senegal,

Aminata Touré is a Senegalese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Senegal from 1 September 2013 to 4 July 2014. She was the second female Prime Minister of Senegal after Mame Madior Boye, and she previously served as Justice Minister from 2012 to 2013.

Alexander Macintosh CBE

Senior advisor at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,

A life-long international civil servant, Mr. Macintosh specializes in crisis response in Palestine-Israel, Ukraine, and the Middle East.

Simon Shelly

Former member of HBM Diplomatic Service,

Former member of the UK’s Diplomatic Service between 1983-2023. He served on three overseas postings: Soviet-occupied Kabul in the 1980s, Paris (representing the UK at an international organization) and Ankara (macroeconomic analysis and reporting). Moreover, he has diplomatic experience in about 20 countries.

Alexander Macintosh

International Humanitarian,

Michael Stone is a leading international specialist in the humanitarian sector. He has substantial experience of directing large scale emergency response operations with NGOs, the international Red Cross, and the United Nations. He has chaired coordination bodies, evaluated programmes for the Red Cross, EU, UN and Governments, prepared policy papers for senior politicians, and given specialist talks in numerous forums.

ACADEMIC CHAIR

Below we introduce our academic chair for the conference, who will be chairing our diplomatic panel!

Dr. Lloyd Gruber

Associate Professor and MPA Programme Director at LSE

Lloyd Gruber is the former Dean of the LSE’s Institute of Public Affairs. An established expert in international and comparative political economy, he is the author of Ruling the World: Power Politics and the Rise of Supranational Institutions (Princeton 2000) and numerous articles and book chapters on globalization, international governance, and income inequality. Before joining the LSE in 2006, he was Associate Professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, where he taught courses on US foreign economic policy and international political economy. Gruber has held visiting positions at the Brookings Institution and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to his work on globalization and political economy, he is known for his innovative research on education policy and is currently completing a book on the politics of schools and universities in developing countries. Professor Gruber drinks unfair-trade coffee.