Ellen Wasylina is a Franco-American thought leader in international affairs, security, and sustainable development. A respected scholar-practitioner, she advises governments, boardrooms, and NGOs on the shifting nexus of geopolitics, energy, and ESG. Her insights draw on family roots across Europe and Eurasia and two decades spent working at the fault lines of peace and security.

In 2011, she founded the International Geostrategic Maritime Observatory in Paris and launched its flagship Geostrategic Maritime Review. Her 2014 bestseller on Ukraine seeded a series of bilingual books and monographs now held by more than 150 leading libraries worldwide, from the Library of Congress to the UN in Geneva, cementing her reputation as a best-selling author and trusted voice on regional flashpoints.

During the pandemic, she created the bilingual “Mediterranean Sustainability Partners” podcast, interviewing global decision-makers; today it reaches listeners in 88 countries across five continents. Her legacy project—the Trocadéro Forum Institute in southern France—trains the next generation of sustainable leaders, supported by the Sustainable Diplomacy Circle and its namesake review.

In 2025, Ellen delivered a keynote titled “Inspiring Sustainable Leaders” at the ESG & Friends Forum in Sofia, Bulgaria, and led a workshop on implementing alternative sustainable business models. She also served as an honorary chair at the 11th Green Energy & Environmental Engineering Conference in Hammamet, Tunisia, and spoke at the European Institute of Asian Studies in Brussels on strategic opportunities along the Middle Corridor.

Educated in California and Paris, Ellen holds a BA in International Relations and Master’s degrees in Strategic Studies and Policies in Defence, and Sociology of Conflict Resolution. Fluent in English, French, German, and Italian, she marries data-driven analysis with vivid storytelling, equipping audiences to navigate risk and seize opportunity in an era of accelerating change.