Pursue Ltd
Cypriot research consultancy directed by Alistair Harris; recipient of FCO funding for Middle East programmes
| Pursue Ltd | |
|---|---|
| Type | Private limited company (Cyprus) |
| Logo | |
| Founded | 4 April 2007 |
| Founder(s) | Alistair Harris |
| Dissolved | |
| Registration ID | |
| Status | Liquidated / dissolved (historic) |
| Headquarters | Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Location | Cyprus |
| Area served | |
| Services | Conflict analysis, civil-society support, strategic communications |
| Registration | |
| Key people | Alistair Harris (director); Kristoforos Kristofi (secretary) |
| Website | |
| Remarks | Received £3.2 million in FCO payments 2012–2015; related-party transactions with ARK entities |
Pursue Ltd (Cyprus company number 196077) is a research consultancy registered in Nicosia on 4 April 2007. It was directed by Alistair Harris, who is also founder and CEO of ARK Group, and has received substantial funding from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office for programmes in the Middle East. Critical accounts link it to ARK’s strategic-communications work and to early Syrian opposition-support efforts.[1][2]
Registration and structure
Pursue Ltd was registered as company number 196077 on 4 April 2007 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The directors were Alistair Harris and Kristoforos Kristofi (as company secretary). A related Lebanese entity, Pursue A Local Perspective SAL, traded in Beirut. UK Companies House records show no active UK company of this name controlled by Harris; current UK entities named Pursue Ltd are unrelated.[1][3]
Funding and activities
FCO expenditure records show payments totalling £3.2 million to Pursue Ltd between 2012 and 2015. Programmes included “Lebanese Conflict Analysis for Strategic Change” and other conflict-pool activities. Harris has described the firm as a research consultancy. It received EU funding for projects including a €299,500 radicalisation-prevention initiative with Yemeni civil society (2011) and a €90,000 identification study on governance and human security in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon (2011).[1][3]
RUSI lists Harris as Director of the research consultancy Pursue Ltd and the stabilisation consultancy A.R.K. LinkedIn and professional profiles state that from 2008 to 2013 he worked as Director of Pursue Ltd on FCO Conflict Pool programmes covering Palestinian issues, support for Yemeni civil society, and evaluation/research services for the US Government International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.[2]
Links to ARK and Syrian work
Critical accounts state that Pursue Ltd and ARK were among the vehicles used by Harris for UK-funded strategic-communications and opposition-support work. ARK and Tsamota supported the establishment of the Syrian Commission for Justice and Accountability (later CIJA) in 2011. Pursue Ltd has been cited in connection with early Office of Syrian Opposition Support (OSOS) activities. Related-party transactions between Harris-controlled companies (including Pursue Ltd, ARK Group DMCC, The Stabilisation Network DMCC and Pursue A Local Perspective SAL) appear in ARK Group DMCC accounts for 2016–2018.[1][4]
Pursue Ltd
Also known as: Pursue Ltd (Cyprus, company no. 196077); Pursue A Local Perspective SAL (Lebanon)
| Period | Amount (£) | Notes / source |
|---|---|---|
| 2012–2015 | 3,200,000 | FCO programme spend; Lebanese Conflict Analysis for Strategic Change and related Conflict Pool activities |
| Total (known) | 3,200,000 | McKeigue briefing (2021), drawing on FCO expenditure data |
See also
- Alistair Harris
- ARK Group
- The Stabilisation Network
- Commission for International Justice and Accountability
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Paul McKeigue, ‘Entrepreneurial justice’ operations related to the Syrian conflict Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media, 25 March 2021 (updated 29 March 2021).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Royal United Services Institute, Alistair Harris OBE RUSI, accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 North Data, Pursue Ltd., Nikosia North Data, accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ Coastal Front, How Canada Helped Fund a Covert Propaganda Campaign in the Middle East Coastal Front, 15 March 2024.