ABOUT EMMA
Emma DeSouza is an award-winning campaigner, writer and civic leader. She is the Founder and CEO of Ceannas House, an independent non-profit working to strengthen democratic leadership and develop practical responses to political and societal challenges on both sides of the Atlantic.
Emma has extensive experience in peacebuilding and conflict resolution in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Turkey. Her international work has included advising UN-facilitated subcommittees as part of the Cyprus peace process. She previously served as Director of the Northern Ireland Emerging Leaders Program at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, where she led a transatlantic programme focused on supporting Northern Ireland’s peace process and strengthening relationships with the United States.
Emma changed UK immigration law following a high-profile human rights case concerning the citizenship and identity provisions of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. The five-year case resulted in significant changes to UK law and policy and helped shape wider debate around the interpretation and implementation of the Agreement.
She is also the Director of Northern Ireland’s Civic Initiative, a participatory structure that brings communities and civil society into policymaking through deliberative dialogue. Previously, at the National Women’s Council of Ireland, Emma established the first All-island Women’s Forum, creating a new peacebuilding structure for women from across Ireland.
Alongside her policy and peacebuilding work, Emma has an established career as a journalist and writer. She hosted *Lost in Implementation*, a six-part podcast examining Northern Ireland’s peace process, and is currently working on her first book.
Emma lives in County Fermanagh with her husband Jake, their four dogs — Galaxy, Shadow, Rogue and Wraith — and their cat, Barney.