Economy

British journalist and author, renowned for his expertise in geopolitics and international affairs.
With over thirty years of experience, he served as diplomatic editor at Sky News and reported from more than 30 countries, including 12 war zones such as Iraq, Syria, Bosnia and Afghanistan.
He has been shot with birdshot in Cairo, detained by secret services in Damascus, bombed in Belgrade, and assaulted by police in Tehran, experiences that bring a first-hand, hard-won perspective to his global analyses.
He is the author of several books on world politics, most notably «Prisoners of Geography», a global bestseller translated into over 30 languages, which explores how geography continues to shape the fate of nations. His mission: to make the invisible forces that shape our world understandable to everyone.

Last updated: august 2025

Gonzalo Escribano heads the Energy and Climate Programme at the Elcano Royal Institute. He is also a full Professor of Applied Economics at the UNED.
He has a PhD in Economics from Madrid’s Complutense University, he has been a visiting researcher at Florida State University and the Autonomous University of Madrid and he is an associate researcher at the Centro Español de Relaciones Internacionales (Fundación Ortega y Gasset).

Last updated: july 2025

Fellow in the Energy and Climate Programme at the Elcano Royal Institute.
He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Navarra and a master’s degree from Sciences Po Paris.
Prior to joining Elcano, Ignacio worked in the energy sector and was affiliated with the Energy and Climate Centre at Institut Français des Relations Internationales (IFRI).

Last updated: july 2025

João Fachada currently works as a researcher and independent consultant for IN+ Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research focusing on policies for the climate and energy transitions.
He has worked on topics such as energy, the climate and public sector modernisation, both as a consultant at Deloitte and within the Economic Policies Unit of the European Parliamentary Research Service. He also served as an advisor to the Secretary of State for Energy and the Climate in Portugal.
João has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Coimbra and a master’s degree in Economics, with a focus on public policy, from Nova School of Business and Economics.

Last updated: july 2025

Psychologist and associate professor at the London School of Economics, where he teaches in the department of Psychological and Behavioural Science.
A world-leading expert on perfectionism, he is the author of the bestselling book «The Perfection Trap» (2023) and the presenter of a TED Talk that has been viewed over three million times.
His research and insights have been featured in TIME, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and many other outlets including New Scientist, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal. Among his accolades are the «APA Division 47 Dissertation Award» and the «University of Leeds Research Excellence Award».

Last updated: july 2025

Sociologist and Researcher at the Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto.  Her research interests include domestic violence, elder abuse, human trafficking and science communication. She is a guest collaborator with the Centre for Studies, Innovation and International Cooperation at Cuidadores Portugal.

Last updated: June  2025

Economist and vice president of the Insurance and Pension Funds Supervisory Authority (ASF). He was formerly Coordinator of the Technical Budget Support Unit (UTAO). He has also served as Professor of Economics at the University of Minho, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Regional Development and Executive Board Member on the Portuguese Public Finance Council.

Last updated: June 2025

Full professor at the department of Sociology at the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE) and senior researcher at the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES ISCTE). Since 2009, he has also served as scientific coordinator at the Emigration Observatory.
His research interests include sociological theory, international migration and development sociology.
He served on the Management Board of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) (2007–2010).
He is the author of several publications, including «Migration and Integration: Theory and Applications to Portuguese Society» (Celta, 2003) and the «Atlas of Portuguese Emigration» (Mundos Sociais, 2023).

Last updated: June  2025