As Head of External Affairs, Katya Palazzolo is responsible for all external stakeholder engagement and overseeing Board relations. Katya has more than 15 years of international experience in managing relations with senior representatives of governments, international organisations, academic institutions, the private sector and the media. She has been involved in the implementation of numerous diplomatic training programmes on international security policy issues and high-level events across the Caucasus, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Russia. Before joining GCERF in 2015, Katya worked at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. She is a former Chevening Scholar and holds an MA in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Westminster. She is fluent in English, French and Russian.