ABOUT US
Mission: Shedding a new light on the region through the eyes of geoeconomics to help shape political and business decisions, and academic thought.
cross-section of three approaches
of countries which use businesses for political aims
geopolitical strategy analysis
regulatory analysis
the micro-economic analysis
of companies to understand their position and strategy in a competitive landscape
CROSS-SECTION OF THREE APPROACHES
- the micro-economic analysisof companies to understand their position and strategy in a competitive landscape
- regulatory analysis
- geopolitical strategy analysisof countries which use businesses for political aims
Industries in focus
security
defense
energy
INDUSTRIES IN FOCUS
- energy
- defense
- security
GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE: 15 FORMER SOVIET UNION REPUBLICS
OUR TEAM
- Anastasiya ShapochkinaDirectorFounder and president of Eastern Circles, she has 11 years of experience in consulting and energy industry, where she worked on companies, technologies and market analysis in the renewable energy, utilities, nuclear energy, and e-mobility. She led development of international cross-industry partnership research projects on these subjects and represented business in European industrial and research associations. Anastasiya is a lecturer on geopolitics in Sciences Po Paris since 2012, focusing on the role of business in the EU-Russia relations. Author of articles on the geopolitics and geoeconomics in the Former Soviet Union, she has regular TV and radio appearances. Anastasiya graduated from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, German and European Studies Program.
- Charlotte SouyrisAnalystCharlotte Souyris is currently a master student at the Paris School of International Affairs in Sciences Po Paris, focusing on international relations in the post-Soviet space.
Having travelled in the Caucasus and Central Asia, she has experienced working in both the cultural and business sectors, at the French institute and the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Georgia. Being specialized in economics since her bachelor, she has been a visiting student at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow in 2020-2021. - Alexandre FoskettAnalystAlexandre Foskett is a master's degree student at the Sciences Po School of Public Affairs, specializing in security and defense issues as well as economics.
He has experience in both the public and private sectors having worked for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Kyiv and for an M&A boutique in London.
His languages are English, French and Russian. - Sebastian LinkeAnalystSebastian Linke is a graduate student pursuing a master’s in European Affairs at the Sciences Po School of Public Affairs and a master’s in international Affairs and Governance at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Sebastian is particularly interested in the geopolitics of the European Union as well as security and defense issues. Besides his studies, Sebastian has gained professional experience working for a public affairs firm in Switzerland. He speaks German, English and French.
ADVISORY BOARD
- Florent ParmentierFlorent PARMENTIER (@florentparmenti) enseigne la prospective stratégique à Sciences-Po et est Secrétaire général du CEVIPOF. Docteur en science politique, chercheur-associé au Centre HEC de géopolitique, il intervient régulièrement dans ses domaines d’expertise dans les médias nationaux et internationaux, radio ou télévision.
- Dominique MenuDominique MENU is Supervisory Board member of UKREXIMBANK since June 2019. He worked for almost thirty years for BNP Paribas based in Moscow, Zagreb, Belgrade and Kiev. Before leaving for Moscow in 1991, he had been responsible for project finance, maritime and aviation sectors at Crédit Lyonnais, Indosuez, Worms and BNP. Mr. Menu holds diplomas from ICN and Languages’O, is a 1980 DEA USSR & Eastern Europe Fellow in Sciences Po, and a holds a master’s in International Relations from Yale University.
EXPERTS
- Alexander Malyarenko
Master of Economic Sciences. Graduated from BNTU (Belarus,2010), The Academy of Public Administration (Belarus,2015), VDU (Lithuania, 2022). Alumni: School of Young Managers of Public Administration, East-European School of Political Studies, International School of Eurasian Integration, WEASA. Researcher in the scientific organization, data analyst at NGOs, lecturer. Participated in the development of investment programs, programs for the development of foreign economic activities, sectoral development programs and structural reforms programs, feasibility studies for the establishment of integrated structures (holdings). Participated in international projects on the development of social accountability. Author and co-author of more than sixty publications in collections of reports, articles in scientific and specialized publications of Belarus, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, France, Lithuania. Research interests: foreign economic activity, transformation processes in the economy, structural reforms. Languages: Russian, Belarusian, English.
- Stanislas de BourmontStanislas de Bourmont holds a degree in History and Geography from the Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP). He is currently studying for a Master's degree in Geopolitics at the Institut Français de Géopolitique (Université Paris VIII). Passionate about energy, he wrote his master’s thesis on the geopolitics of oil in Kazakhstan. Since 2021, he is also a junior expert associated with Eastern Circles, for which he continues to focus on regional energy issues (Central Asia, Caspian Sea and Caucasus).
ALUMNI
- Gabrielle ValliFormer co-founder and vice-president of Eastern Circles, Gabrielle has spent several years in the post-Soviet region where she has worked for the French Ministry of Armed Forces and the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. Enjoying a strong understanding of the relationship between the public and private sectors, her fields of interest include security issues on the region, defense economics, frozen conflicts, energy and digitalisation.
With a strong academic background in social sciences and methodology of research, she has been a visiting student at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) before graduating from Sciences Po Paris – Master in Public Affairs, with a major in Security and Defense Policies - Dylan van de VenFormer Secretary, Dylan has five years of experience as a strategy consultant for international financial institutions, international organizations, and the private sector. He is a Fellow at the Caucasus-Asia Center, focusing on the Greater Caucasus economic region. His expertise includes strategy development, project management, financial modelling, and economics in the energy, mobility, infrastructure, digital, and tourism sectors. Editor and author of articles on the post-Soviet space and geoeconomics, Dylan has degrees in applied economics, corporate finance, and international management from the University of Ghent, Vienna WU University, and the Graduate School of Management in St. Petersburg.
- Zhasmin AvetisyanHaving worked in the field of Research and Communication of Eastern Circles, Zhasmin Avetisyan is currently a postgraduate student in European Affairs with a policy stream “Europe in the World” at Sciences Po Paris. She has worked as a research assistant at the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD), where she built experience on corruption practices in Eastern Europe. Her interest in the post-Soviet region is based on both personal experience and the focus of her undergraduate degree at University College London (UCL), which combined training in politics, international relations, and sociology with specialist modules on Russia and Eastern Europe.
- Dimitar DermendzhievFormer expert, he is an international professional with experience in EU civilian crisis management, government, NGO focusing on diplomacy (conflict prevention, dialogue, mediation), programme management, governance, and engaging with conflict-affected population. Trak II peacebuilding experience in international NGO focusing on exploring entry points for dialogue through trust and relationship building activities to prevent and resolve conflicts. Managed conflict prevention and mediation projects supporting European peace-making in the Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Turkey), Eastern Europe (Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia).
Dimitar graduated from Sciences Po Paris and the College of Europe in Bruges. In addition to English and French, he speaks Russian, Spanish, and Bulgarian. - Eléonore GarnierFormer expert, Eleonore has worked as a consultant to the French government. She has experience working for the French diplomatic mission to the South-Caucasus, where she built expertise on Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Her work expertise includes human capital development, European technical assistance to public administrations, and military-industrial cooperation in the Black Sea region. European Neighborhood Policy expert, Eleonore graduated from the College of Europe and the University of Geneva in European affairs.
- Irene SciurpaIrene has worked as an expert for Eastern Circles. After a three-year degree in Philosophy at the University of Perugia, Irene participated in several international experiences in the field of human rights protection. During her master’s degree in International Cooperation and Human Rights Protection (unibo), she spent about two years in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she studied and researched at Tbilisi State University.
In the latest years, she has studied politics and conflicts of the South Caucasus, with a focus on the integration of the ethnic minorities in Georgia, the main subject of her thesis work.
Since September 2020 she has been working at Civil Forum which deals with peace building and post conflict reconstruction.
She has a strong interest in the issues related to post-Soviet politics, which she tries to enrich as much as possible. For Eastern Circles, she is also graphic designer.
