About Us

BICOM, the Britain Israel Communications & Research Centre, is an independent organisation devoted to creating a more supportive environment for Israel in the UK. To achieve this objective BICOM performs the following activities:

• Operating a fully functioning media centre.
• Providing real-time briefings and high quality in-depth research.
• Publishing daily briefings, which give coverage to all Israel-related news as reported in the British and Israeli print and online media, as well as analysis of the main stories of the day.
• Organising and delivering visitor programmes for key politicians, academics and journalists.

BICOM CEO LORNA FITZSIMONS

Lorna took up the post of CEO at the Britain Israel Communications & Research Centre (BICOM) in October 2006.  BICOM is an independent, professional not-for-profit organisation devoted to helping create a more supportive environment for Israel in the UK.

In 2005, Lorna set up her own consultancy business and became a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Defence Academy, an organisation responsible for post-graduate education and training for members of the UK Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence Civil Servants.

Lorna spent eight years in Parliament as Labour MP for Rochdale during Tony Blair's premiership.  Lorna was one of the youngest MP's elected in 1997 at the age of 29.  Whilst in Parliament, she was a member of Labour Friends of Israel and undertook the roles of Parliamentary Aide to Robin Cook, and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir.  Lorna was a member of the Hansard Society Board (2001-2003) and Chair of the Historic Parliamentary Labour Party Women's Committee (1997-2001) representing 101 female MP's.

Lorna was Associate Director of Rowland Sallingbury Casey, a PR subsidiary of Saatchi & Saatchi PR.  Amongst her numerous international clients were Proctor & Gamble, Brown & Route, BT and many other UK energy groups.  In 1996, Lorna received the inaugural IPPR Young Communicator of the Year Award.

Lorna was Director of Endsleigh Insurance between 1992-1994.

Lorna was elected President of the National Union of Students between 1992 and 1994.  It was whilst on the NUS Executive that she first visited Israel in 1989.

Lorna Fitzsimons grew up in Rochdale and is also patron of Progress, a New Labour network.