Electoral Reform International Services (ERIS)

Andrew Bruce became the Executive Director of Electoral Reform International Services (ERIS) in September 2012, following twelve years working for international organisations. Most recently, he served as a Political Affairs Officer in the UN Department of Political Affairs in New York, where he focused on developing UN policy on preventing and responding to election-related violence.

Prior to that, he served as a Policy Desk Officer in the Human Rights and Multilateral Relations Directorate of DG External Relations in the European Commission, based in Brussels, where he managed the deployment of EU election observation missions.

Before that, he served as an Election Adviser for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), based in Warsaw, where he was responsible for managing the ODIHR’s election work in a number of OSCE participating States.

He started his career at ERIS in 1994, where, as the first full-time employee, he served as Programme Officer and Programme Manager, with responsibility for co-ordinating British election observation teams. Andrew co-edited the European Commission’s Handbook for European Union Election Observation and the OSCE/ODIHR Handbook for Domestic Election Observers. He holds an MA in Politics and Geography from the University of Edinburgh and an MSt in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford.

Christopher Child is Senior Professional Officer and Business Development Manager at ERIS.

He was formerly Head of the Democracy Section in the Political Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat.  Prior to that he worked in the private office of the Leader of the British Labour Party and was Deputy Secretary of the British Anti-Apartheid Movement.

Email: chris[at]eris.org.uk

Holly Ruthrauff is a London-based independent elections analyst who has been active in the field of elections assistance since 1998.  She works with various international organisations to improve the conduct of elections in line with international standards and to enhance the practice of election observation.  She joins observer missions, develops handbooks for both international and domestic observers, conducts observer trainings and provides technical assistance to domestic observer efforts. 

For five years Holly served as an Election Advisor for the OSCE/ODIHR where she organised 14 election observation and assessment missions, including to the Russian Federation and Belarus.  Prior to that she was Senior Program Officer for Elections at the National Democratic Institute, building capacity of domestic observer groups and organising international observer delegations worldwide.  Holly has a MA in International Studies from the University of Washington and a BA in International Relations from Stanford University.

Grace is a Programme Officer focusing on Africa and the Middle East.

She holds a Law degree and a Masters degree in International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution from the Centre for Humanitarian Law and Humane Crisis Management in Aix-en-Provence.

She has previously worked in the field of human rights as a caseworker and project officer. She has a diverse set of experience in Africa, including work as an intern for the UNHCR in Tanzania.

She speaks French, English, German and Swahili.

Email: grace[at]eris.org.uk

Iwona joined ERIS in April 2008, and focuses on Asia and Eastern Europe.

She holds an MA in International Economic and Political Relations in the scope of European Studies from the Academy of Economics of Poznan, Poland and MA in International Relations from London Metropolitan University.

Her previous experience includes work for the Polish Foreign Ministry and work in the field of international recruitment.

She speaks Polish, Russian, English and Spanish.

Email: iwona[at]eris.org.uk

Beata joined ERIS in April 2010. She holds an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS University of London and an MA in International Relations from University of Warsaw.

Before joining ERIS in April 2010 she worked with project proposal development and implementation at the Centre for Social and Economic Research. She has also worked as an intern at UNDP and has been involved in a range of development projects.

Email: beata[at]eris.org.uk

Magnus joined ERIS in 2012 and is the Project Manager for Election Observation, Training and Events.

Magnus previously worked for the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies where he helped to set up an independent advisory service on electoral reform with particular emphasis on Africa. Prior to this he served as the Research Officer to the Electoral Reform Society, working on a comparative research project on European democracies and policy research. His main areas of expertise are electoral systems and processes.

He holds a degree in History and Politics, and a Masters in International Peace & Security from Kings College London.

Brenda is responsible for finance and administration at ERIS. She previously worked as an accounts and admin assistant with The Charities Advisory Trust and Inspired Dwellings Ltd (an audio installations company). Brenda has volunteered at Christian Aid's HQ and interned with Clic Sargent UK, and has recently begun started studying towards CIMA professional accreditation.

 
She holds an MSc in international finance and a Bsc in business and management from Aberystwyth University.

Eiman oversees ERIS's projects across the Middle East and North Africa.

Eiman previously worked as a Research Assistant & Coordinator with the Investment Promotion Technical Assistance Program (ITAP) of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She provided support in several high profile capacity building and country programs worldwide, focusing specifically in the field of investment promotion, trade and enterprise development.

She holds a joint BA degree in International Relations & Economics from the University of Reading and speaks Arabic fluently.

Meghan is a Programme Officer working on projects in the Middle East and Africa.

Meghan previously worked in several capacities for the Canada Border Services Agency and spent a year working at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.  She has also worked as a research intern with disarmament organisation VERTIC.

She holds and MSc in International Relations from LSE, a BA in International Studies (Security and Comparative Culture and Politics) from Simon Fraser University and a BSc in Chemistry from Queen’s University.

Meghan speaks English, French and Spanish.

Anne-Lise is a Programme Officer currently focusing on a five-country project seeking to ensure effective monitoring of political campaign finance.

She holds a PgDip from King’s College London in Environment, Politics and Globalisation and a BA in Politics and International Relations from the University of Kent. She has previously worked in a social enterprise helping young people in the UK improve their skills and employability, and within a citizen journalism newswire promoting freedom of speech and access to information.

She speaks French, English and Spanish.

George joined ERIS in September 2012. He holds an MA in Conflict, Security and Development from King’s College London as well as a BA in philosophy. He has previously worked as a researcher for consultancies specialising in political risk, public policy advisement and financial services. He has a keen interest in peace building and the Latin American region. He speaks English and Spanish.