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Amnesty UK's 'Activism Reps' are geographically based across the UK, and bring together local groups in their region, as well as supporting them with their activities. There are 12 areas across the UK.

Current Reps:

• East Anglia: Vacant 

• South England: Mark Stimson (Bournemouth, Poole & Christchurch group).  

• South Midlands: Ian Myson (Banbury group) and Maria Foster (St Albans group) (Job share).  

• South West England: Cherry Bird (Minehead group). 

• London: Graham Bisset (Sutton group).  

• West Midlands: Alan Kessedjian (Bournville group). 

• East Midlands: Vacant 

• North East England: Vacant 

• North West England : Anne Walker (Manchester group) and Elena Auer (Liverpool group) (Job share). 

• South East England: Arianna Pisetti (Guildford group and Surrey & Borders Network) and Sara Kilian (Kent Network) (job share).  

• Northern Ireland: Fionnuala Gray (Belfast group) supported by Saorla White   and and Teresa Hill  

• Wales: Vacant 

• Scotland: Vacant

 
Brief Bios 

Graham Bisset (London) 

• Joined AI in 1982 in Canada 

• And quickly became chair of a very large and active AI group in Vancouver (Kitsilano Group No 52) 

• Coordinated Vancouver campaigns, POC weeks, developed citywide coordination of AI groups, and helped set up the AI Vancouver office 

• On returning to the UK, became chair of the Sutton Amnesty group for 6 years, and grew it into a large and active group (which featured on both BBC and ITV at that time) 

• Was also AIUK London Region representative for 3 years, jointly responsible with another London Region rep for 46 local groups in the region (shockingly now 12!) 

• Was also on the main AIUK Board for that 3 years too 

• Was an active member of the AIUK Group Work sub-committee (GWSC) - alas now no longer in existence! 

• Wrote a comprehensive Regional Representatives Training Manual in 1990 

• Was the AIUK liaison for the AI European Community Project for 2 years 

• After a 25 year break from AI for career reasons, rejoined in 2019 

• And became chair of Sutton Amnesty once more 

• Have now grown the group from “struggling” status to being a reasonably large and active group over the past three years (though not quite where we were in the late 1980’s - yet) 

• Concerned about the huge decline in local AI groups over the past 25 years, I also conceived and presented the 2023 AIUK AGM Resolution O5 on “Support for Local Groups”, which passed overwhelmingly  

Anne Walker (North West) role share 

• Joined Amnesty in 1970 as member of Manchester University group. Acted as society treasurer 

• Stayed in Manchester and joined Manchester III local group in 1973 and immediately became secretary 

• Have remained involved with Manchester group, having taken on many roles over the years e.g. chair, secretary (multiple times), UA coordinator, case work lead and IaR coordinator. Currently membership secretary. 

• Between 2003-2008 was the Regional Representative for the North West and organised 6 regional conferences. After handing on the role, I remained active in regional conference planning until the first Covid lockdown. 

• Worked in hospital radiation protection which isn’t obviously applicable to Amnesty work, however was involved in team leadership and service provision and hopefully picked up useful skills. Retired 2012 

Alan Kessedjian (West Midlands) 

• First joined Amnesty in 1986, involved on and off over the next 35 years as an individual member 

• Significant roles in the British Psychological Society (BPS) including: 

• Regional Chair - West Midlands Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) (2006 -2010) 

• Co-Chair and then Chair of DCP Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) & Anti-Racism Task and Finish Group and member of the BPS Presidential Taskforce for Diversity and Inclusion (2020-2022) 

• Co-Chair of Human Rights Advisory Group and Member of BPS EDI Board (2022-2023) 

• NHS Consultant Clinical Psychologist (now semi-retired) (early career as a Psychiatric Nurse). Have worked in mental health for over 35 years 

• Former Trustee for British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) (2009-2010) 

• Have been involved with Mental Health Training Initiatives with NGO’s in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 2009 (currently providing this through Medical Aid for Palestinians) 

• Trustee for Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham – a citywide charity for refugee musicians) (since 2022) 

• Chair of Bournville Amnesty Local Group (since 2024) 

• Active member of Central England Network Organising Committee (since 2023) 

• Linked In profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alan-kessedjian-2572622b/?originalSubdomain=uk 

• Twitter handle: @AlanKessedjian  

• More biographical information available here:  ‘If not now then when, and if not you then who?’ | BPS 
   

Maria Foster (South Midlands) role share 

• Career background in energy and banking. Volunteering background: school PTA rep and chair, local sports club committees, homeless hostel, Herts Welcomes Refugees. 

• Passive member of Amnesty for 35 years 

• Active since 2018 as member of St Albans Amnesty group, now treasurer. Activism rep for South Midlands with Ian Myson as a job share. 

• Helped organise Midlands Regional Conference Feb 2023 at which Ian and I proposed the setting up of ACEN (Amnesty Central England Network)  - following the successful Kent Amnesty Network model 

• Now a member of the ACEN organising team and the network lead on MP Advocacy 
   

Arianna Pisetti (South East) role share

• Joined AI in 2006 in Italy, Padova group (North East Italy near Venice) 

• Helped with school visits and public talks in the city and occasionally at University of Padova as an AI group representative; 

• Became a country coordinator in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) network covering Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen in 2012. Travelled all around Italy invited as AI guest to Uni talks, lessons and public conferences until 2015, when I moved to the UK. 

• In 2010 became member of the Italian Amnesty Regional Committee of North East (comprising three counties, Veneto, Trentino/Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia) helping with HRE, regional activism and organising the termly meetings/half day (three times a year) for all activists in the three regions. 

• Moved to the Trento group in 2013 and in 2014 helped a group of members and activists from Trento to create a new AI group (Alto Garda/Rovereto) which is now thriving. 

• Wrote a beginners Country Coordinators handbook in 2013 with help of the Italian Amnesty Section and mentored new country coordinators joining the MENA team. 

• Joined Guildford group in 2016 but had to stop due to job commitments and came back in 2019. Realised during the pandemic that the region needed to create a more consistent and organised regional network to allow activists to meet and connect, taking part to actions together, so decided to start a regional Network like Kent did. 
   

Ian Myson (S Midlands + Amnesty Central England Network Organising Team) 

• Member of Amnesty local groups (Ealing, Bloxham, now Banbury) since 1984 

• Currently Chair of Banbury Amnesty Group 

• Activism Rep for South Midlands since 2019 

• Part of Organising Team for Amnesty Central England Network since its launch in 2023 

• I have been involved in organising the 2020 and 2024 Central England regional conferences 

• Involved in organising the Central England Festival of Social Justice 2021 

• I have delivered a talk I have on “International Human Rights Law for Amnesty Activists” to 25+ local groups over the last three or four years 

• Member of the coordinating groups for two activist-led campaigns: human rights in Kashmir and the United Nations veto campaign/network 

• Relevant qualifications: I have a Master’s degree in International Human Rights Law and have completed the Citizens UK/Birmingham Newman University qualification in Community Leadership/Organising 

• Prior to retirement (2018) my working life was spent successively in professional services, publishing and the professional institute sector. I have a strong interest in management and leadership and what makes organisations effective. As well as Amnesty, I am also involved in various other community ventures. 
   

Cherry Bird: (South West England) 

• Born and raised in Somerset and now living there again. 

• Spent 20 years living and working in overseas development related to education, health and environment (mainly Zimbabwe and Nepal) 

• In UK worked in teaching and health 

• Currently Amnesty CC for India and Nepal (since 2027) and Regional Coordinator for the South Asia team 

• Treasurer and active member of my (very small and struggling) local Amnesty group in Minehead 

Elena Auer Fowler.  (North West) role share 

• Having spent all my working life in the caring professions, with various responsible roles in the NHS, and local authorities, I found that the last ten years running a legal advocacy charity for children and young people, was the hardest of all. It confirmed my belief in human rights and the importance of effective legislation.  

• For many years I taught, for the Open University and enjoyed seeing students develop new skills and grow in confidence.  

• I have had a longstanding interest in Mental health and was a member of the Mental Health Tribunal.  

• Now I am retired, I have enjoyed being Chair of the Board and supporting the fantastic work of the Booth Centre for people experiencing homelessness in Manchester.  

• I am particularly interested in Human Rights in the UK, alongside the marked shift to the right in Europe. Together with the Liverpool Amnesty Group and the country wide Collective for Human Rights in the UK, I work to raise awareness of the impact on our rights, of domestic or foreign legislation or policy, or indeed the lack of it. I was grateful to be elected to the Policy Committee for Liberty, and for the additional insight this provides. I am particularly concerned about the punishment of Protest and the global exponential and unaccountable use of Facial Recognition and Biometrics.
   

Fionnuala Gray (Northern Ireland) 

• Amnesty QUB Student group (2007-2010): group secretary, and campaigns roles. 

• Amnesty Belfast Group (2015 – present) 

• Interned at Amnesty Belfast Office (2016-2017), contributed to research, events and campaigns in relation to Love Equality, Historical Institutional Abuse enquiry, IWelcome Refugee Campaign adaptations to suit NI. Led on volunteer recruitment and management for large public events. Managed political contacts for the staff. 

• Regional/ Activism Rep (2017 – present) 

• Amnesty UU Student Group (founded in 2018) 

• Stand Out Moments: co-founded the Great Refugee Week Picnic with Belfast City of Sanctuary in 2018. Led on the Belfast Pride Week Love Equality lecture in 2017 organising. Nominated for the Social Change Initiative Mentee programme by NI Campaigns staff in 2018. Started the UU group. Successfully organised 3 conferences with 80-120 attendees. Co-developed the Activist Led Campaigns Framework on BPM. Supported staff and activists to communicate their AGM calls to activists around a response to AIUK’s institutional racism scandal in 2020. 

• Key campaigning interests: NI campaigns on HIA and reproductive rights, work on stopping violence against women and girls, refugee rights, anti-racism, freedom of expression/ right to protest, LGBTQAI+ rights, disability rights. Ethnic conflict and apartheid. 

• Countries and regions of interest: Europe, the US, China, India, Russia, Eastern Africa. 

• Career specialism/ interests: communication and digital transformation/ organisational culture and change projects Skills: analysing and streamlining processes, identifying product and training needs, delivering training and resources, stakeholder mapping and management, designing and delivering communications campaigns.