Executive Committee

Professor Peter Wilson - Senior Member

Prof Peter Wilson, BA (Hons), PhD, FRHistS has served as senior member of OSSG since 2017 . His research focuses on military history, particularly War in seventeenth to nineteenth century world history, the social, cultural, political or military history of German-speaking Europe and European history from 1500-1800. He has a long and distinguished history of lecturing in History and is currently the Chichele Professor of the History of War and has been a fellow of All Souls since 2015.

Zhi Xuan Wong - President

Zhi Xuan reads Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Lincoln College. He brings work experience at Singapore’s foreign ministry, Asia’s top think tank and a multinational consultancy where he wrote advisories for global tech firms and associations at the intersection of technology and geopolitics. He sees himself working as a career diplomat in future, having found his calling in facing up to the defining challenge of our time to global security. He watches the carving of the world into spheres of influence with grave concern and wonders how small and middle powers can survive this unforgiving geopolitical climate. As President, Zhi Xuan is determined to renew the society’s focus to reflect this sobering reality and the changing character of war.

Shiori Nakatani - Vice President

Shiori Nakatani reads PPE at Pembroke College. Prior to Oxford, Shiori completed a year at Sciences Po Paris, an undergraduate course with a minor in Asia-Pacific studies. Her interests include contemporary energy and resource security, inspired by a historical focus on Japan’s modern state-building period and its strategic decision-making. As Vice President, Shiori aims to strengthen the OSSG community and uphold the society’s tradition of high-quality war games.

William Disbrey - Secretary

William Disbrey is reading for an MPhil in Russian and Eastern Studies at Lincoln College. Prior to this he completed his undergraduate degree in War Studies and History at King’s College London. As someone of Polish heritage he combined his personal family history and academic interest and now focusses his research on Polish defence policy. Looking beyond its simple explanation to deter Russia. In the role of Secretary he will manage the society’s communications with its members and the wider community.

Oscar Rakity - Treasurer

Oscar Rakity reads History & Politics at St John’s College. Centring on the security impacts of food, water, and resource insecurity, his interest in strategic studies developed out of a longtime focus on the ways climate change will alter our planet. In his role as Treasurer, Oscar aims to responsibly manage the society’s finances, ensure the society has the headroom to embark on new corporate partnerships, and reach out to speakers in his field of interest.

Jeremy Azzopardi - Development Director

Jeremy Azzopardi reads History and Politics at St. Edmund Hall. As a Maltese national born and raised in Beijing, he has gained professional experience with Malta’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Parliament, and the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. His interests include the grand strategy of small states, European strategic autonomy, and Chinese foreign policy. He aims to strengthen partnerships with external organisations and advance OSSG’s position at the forefront of security studies.

Vacant - Publicity Director

We are currently looking for a Publicity Director to complete our committee. Please let the President or Vice President know if you are interested in filling this position.

If you have a matter you’d like to reach out to the committee about, you can contact either President Zhi Xuan Wong at zhixuan.wong@lincoln.ox.ac.uk or Vice President Shiori Nakatani at shiori.nakatani@pmb.ox.ac.uk.