Ino-Despoina Afentouli is Senior Policy Advisor and Head of the Observatory of Geopolitics and Diplomacy at the Hellenic Foundation for Foreign and European Policy (ELIAMEP). She has a multiyear experience in international relations, defense and security as well as Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communications. She served as Executive Director at the Institute of International Relations (2022-2025) and during 2002-2022, she served as Program Manager at NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division. In this capacity, she was responsible for the design and implementation of the communication strategy of the Organization towards the member states of the Southern flank as well as towards the partner countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Prior to joining NATO, she was a journalist specialized in foreign and European affairs and she worked for Greek media outlets (Kathimerini daily, Sky Radio, Star Channel, Athens News Agency) as well as the Economist Intelligence Unit-Greek edition. For her work, she was awarded in 2001 with the Calligas prize attributed by the European Journalists Association. She studied Law at the University of Athens and holds a Master on Political Science and Political Communication at the University of Paris I – Sorbonne and Paris II. She is the author of five books and numerous articles on transatlantic relations, Greek foreign policy, European affairs and regional cooperation in SE Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, including: The world in 2035, Pedion Publications, 2025 Public Diplomacy, Eurasia Publications, 2023 A journey in Greek Foreign Policy, Potamos Publications, 2005 The Europe We Want, Sideris Publications, 1997 May ’68,Twenty years after, Ulysses Publications, 1988 She has a bi-weekly column on foreigns affairs at the Greek daily TA NEA (The News), and she is a frequent commentator on audiovisual media outlets.