Dr Scilla Elworthy founded Peace Direct in 2002. Previously she founded the Oxford Research Group in 1982 to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics. She was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003 and has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. She helped found the Market Theatre in South Africa in 1976 and has since worked with playwrights and directors to engage the public in political theatre. She was highly instrumental in setting up The Elders initiative. In 2007 she was appointed a member of the World Future Council and the International Task Force on Preventive Diplomacy. She has designed the Leadership Course in Conflict Transformation for the Said Business School at the University of Oxford, and the ‘Bee School’ a 12-month course to equip participants with skills to serve the planet.