Bassma Kodmani (1959-2023) was a leading figure of the exiled Syrian opposition who devoted much of her career to the democratisation of the Arab world. A prominent expert in Middle Eastern affairs, she held a doctorate in political science from Sciences Po, France and was the founding executive director of the Paris-based Arab Reform Initiative. In 2011 she co-founded the Syrian National Council, the first coalition of opponents to President Bashar al-Assad's regime. She served as head of foreign relations and spokesperson for the body and was a leading member of the opposition High Negotiations Committee, participating in United Nations-hosted meetings in Geneva from 2016.