International experience, public-policy expertise and a commitment to inclusion are some of the qualities Aliyyah Ahad believes helped her stand out among almost 2,000 participants at a recent conference on global policy.

Ms Ahad, the director and European Union representative at the Bermuda Government’s Brussels Office, was selected to join a cohort of 42 emerging leaders from 27 countries to participate in the Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders programme in Morocco last month.

The Bermuda representative was also elected by her peers to be one of four participants in the final panel of the Atlantic Dialogues.

Ms Ahad, who was born in the US and raised in Bermuda, said: “Having spent ten years working in the international policy sphere, I have developed a practical understanding of geopolitical dynamics and what our island needs to build relationships with foreign governments and international stakeholders.

“I engage with a wide range of actors from EU commissioners and officials to ministers, diplomats, private-sector leaders and policy thinkers.

“I’m also deeply committed to giving back and to expanding access to leadership opportunities. Most recently, I have served as an outreach ambassador for the Bermuda Rhodes Scholarship, increasing the volume and diversity of applications.

“I have been part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers, delivering projects in Brussels related to youth empowerment, and was selected for the 2023 Unleash Innovation Lab in Kigali, Rwanda — a weeklong, human-centred design-thinking workshop to craft solutions to the UN sustainable development goals. I was also a founding board member of Empower-EU, a network for public affairs professionals from minority backgrounds.”

The Atlantic Dialogues programme is organised by the Policy Centre for the New South, a think-tank under the patronage of King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

It brought together young professionals with leadership potential in the public, private and civil society sectors from around the Atlantic basin for a fully funded weeklong session in Rabat.

Ms Ahad is now part of a network of 400 Atlantic basin leaders, spanning government, business, academia and civil society. She said she planned to continue engaging with these contacts about Bermuda and finding opportunities for common growth.

She will also have opportunities to contribute research, analysis and commentary through the policy centre, as well as to participate in annual Atlantic Dialogues conferences.

“I’m particularly excited to bring the voice of Bermudians and small islands into these conversations and to help broaden representation for overseas territories and smaller jurisdictions that are often under-represented in global forums,” she said.

The programme in Morocco combined intensive workshops with expert speakers on topics such as leadership, community-building, strategic communications, future thinking and policy entrepreneurship. Participants worked in small groups and applied these tools to real-world challenges.

Conversations revolved around geopolitics, economics, climate change, security and sustainable development.

Ms Ahad was chosen to speak during the closing panel discussion titled Wider Atlantic Challenges Viewed By Emerging Leaders.

She spoke from the perspective of her work in international affairs and her experience living and working on both sides of the Atlantic, with nearly a decade in Brussels.

She explained: “One of my key points was the need for deeper connection and exchange across the Atlantic basin — grounded in better understanding of each other’s histories, cultures and languages.

“Growing up in Bermuda, I learnt far more about European and North American history than about Africa, South America or even the Caribbean.

“Expanding those connections has revealed how many common values, challenges and opportunities we share and how much we can learn from each other.

“I also advocated for more flexible and inclusive ‘coalitions of the willing’ that go beyond nation states to include subnational governments, overseas territories, cities, the private sector and civil society.

“Our international institutions were largely designed in the post-Second World War era and built around nation-states but today overseas territories and other non-traditional actors have a role to play in addressing global challenges.

“Climate change offers a clear example. As the home of leading natural catastrophe insurance and reinsurance firms and as an island vulnerable to climate impacts, Bermuda has both globally relevant expertise and lived experience to contribute to these discussions.”

Ms Ahad said that she hoped to continue work “rooted in service”, while connecting people and ideas.

She said: “It is an honour representing Bermuda in the EU and I would love to continue helping the island connect to the world.”

She said Bermuda already “punches above its weight” in international relations and through its overseas offices in London, Brussels and Washington DC, it maintained strong connections with key partners.

Ms Ahad added: “In Brussels, for example, we engage not only with EU institutions but also with representatives from countries, regions and cities across the world. We also have deep ties within the Caribbean and are increasing outreach in Africa.

“The Atlantic — and the world more broadly — may look very different in 50 years’ time in light of demographic and geopolitical shifts. That makes it essential to build relationships early and strategically, which can be done through the Atlantic Dialogues and other forums.

“We are already well positioned but we must continue to look outward and adapt.”