Partners and Managers

Vlad is a Partner and the International Director of Avisa Partners (Online Advocacy division) Before joining Avisa in 2014, Vlad worked for the German Marshall Fund (Bucharest office), the Center for Conflict Prevention and Early Warning, a leading Romanian think-tank, as well as in the online marketing division of Ipsos. He holds an MA in Conflict Analysis and Resolution as well as a second MA in European Affairs from Sciences Po Paris.

Antoine Basbous is a political scientist and specialist in the Arab-Islamic world and Islamic terrorism. In 1991, he founded the Observatoire des Pays Arabes (OPA) [Observatory of Arab Countries] in Paris, which he has managed ever since. It is a fully independent consultancy specialising in North Africa, the Middle East, the Gulf and the Islamic world in general.

Antoine Basbous studied law, French literature, and communication and obtained a doctorate in political science.

Antoine Basbous has published several essays translated into many languages, including Guerres secrètes au Liban [Secret Wars in Lebanon] (Gallimard, 1987); L'islamisme, une révolution avortée ? [Islamism, an aborted revolution?] (Hachette, 2000); L’Arabie saoudite en question, du wahhabisme à Bin Laden [Saudi Arabia in question, from Wahhabism to Bin Laden] (Perrin, 2002); L’Arabie saoudite en guerre [Saudi Arabia at war] (Tempus, 2004); and Le tsunami arabe [The Arab tsunami] (Fayard, 2011).

Eric Bovim is an American entrepreneur and international strategic communications consultant based in Washington D.C. He has advised dozens of corporate clients worldwide on crisis communications, public affairs, and international dispute resolution. After several years in Spain as a foreign correspondent for Reuters and Dow Jones Newswires, he returned to Washington D.C. where he served as Communications Director for a U.S. Senator before working for several different consulting firms. In particular, he led Signal Group from 2013 to 2019, when he joined Avisa Partners to manage its American branch.

Andrea joined Avisa Partners in July 2016, first as director, then as a partner. He specialises in EU competition and advises blue-chip clients on M&A, antitrust and cartel cases. Andrea spent six years in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP), where he worked on high-profile cases in the financial, transport, energy and raw materials sectors, both in M&A and cartels. While at DG COMP, he gained in particular an in-depth understanding of settlement proceedings. Andrea also worked as a business strategy consultant in Germany. He studied law at LIUC-Cattaneo University and holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) in Milan. Andrea speaks Italian, French and English and understands Spanish and German.

Matthieu CREUX is the founder and President of Avisa Partners since 2010. After his studies at Sciences Po Paris, he began his career as a public affairs consultant with Euro RSCG (Havas Worldwide) before moving to Ernst & Young. Matthieu was then an advisor to the French Minister for Higher Education between 2007 and 2009, where he was in charge of online strategies and special affairs. Over the course of his career, he has worked for a number of governments and large corporations, advising them on issues relating to activism, counter-activism and online advocacy. He is the author of the book Cyberdjihadisme : quand Internet repousse les frontières du champ de bataille, co-written with Antoine Violet-Surcouf (VA Éditions, 2020). He currently focuses on Avisa Partners’ strategy and development and is in charge in particular of the group’s acquisitions and organisation.

Paul leads the Territorial Development / Public Affairs activity at Avisa Partners. He has more than 15 years of experience in assisting public (large institutions, state, local authorities) and private players in economic and territorial development (strategy, economic intelligence, international, project engineering, investments, institutional relations...). Paul Cueva-Gamard is a teacher at Paris Tech and has a dual education in law (master’s degree in Private Business Law) and economics (ESCP Europe, specialising in corporate strategy).

Arnaud Dassier is a French entrepreneur with a particular focus on the digital sphere, the media landscape and communications. After working at the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry, in 1998 he founded one of the first web agencies in France. For more than twenty years, Arnaud has been advising a number of large companies, organizations and individuals on their influence strategies. He was a consultant and service provider for the online campaigns of Jacques Chirac (2002), the UMP political party (2005-2007), and Nicolas Sarkozy (2007) before selling his firm in 2008. Since then, in addition to his activity as an angel investor, he has managed Avisa Partners’ international development, particularly in Washington, London, Brussels, and Eastern Europe.

Andrew Deerin has spent 2 decades creating award winning video content for chart-topping artists and presidential candidates, combining beautiful imagery with pinpoint messaging. Mr. Deerin spent ten years creating music videos for Sony Music and Epic Records in New York and Los Angeles before returning to Washington DC where he began producing winning political advertising. Andrew then transitioned to corporate communications, putting his experience to work on global campaigns for pharmaceutical giants, CEOs, and Heads of State.

Guillaume DOANE, Senior Consultant, 38, graduated from the University of Kansas in journalism. Guillaume has worked at the crossroads of multimedia, communication and investment promotion in several emerging markets. He was CEO of the communications agency Africa Branding Corporation and co-founder and CEO of Africa Oil & Power. He has advised governments and businesses on their communications and investment outreach strategies. He was also CEO of The Oil & Gas Year, a provider of business intelligence and strategic networking.

Samuel Dralet has more than 20 years of experience working on cybersecurity issues. He is the former technical director of the cybersecurity subsidiary of Atheos, a pioneer in information systems security in France, today known as “Orange Cyberdefense”. He created Lexfo, the cybersecurity subsidiary of Avisa Partners, in 2011. With a team of around 60 cybersecurity engineers, LEXFO has quickly established itself as a major player on issues of security assessments and incident response.

Axel began his career as an officer in the French Army. He was then a strategic consultant from 1995 to 1997, before becoming a Senior Partner at DATOPS (now LexisNexis Business Information Solutions), a firm developing information systems, from 1997 to 2005. While at DATOPS, Axel devised and put in place monitoring and intelligence solutions for government agencies and large corporations. Axel was involved in CEIS since its inception in 1997, and joined it operationally in 2006, opening its European office in Brussels and developing its Strategic Intelligence practice. Axel is a graduate of the management administration programme at the Ecole supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP). He became a partner at Avisa Partners following the merger between Avisa and CEIS at the beginning of 2020.

After having graduated in Politics and Development in Africa and the Global South (at Sciences Po Bordeaux), Elodie gained first hand exposure to international cooperation by working at the French Guiana chamber of commerce on trade facilitation. In Côte d’Ivoire from 2018, Elodie further deepened her competences in Public Affairs and Lobbying for the private sector at Eurocham. Consultant at 35° Ouest, Elodie will be responsible for the management of the agency rollout

Nick Fitzgerald is a strategic communications advisor whose clients include multinational corporations, foreign governments, and international private-equity and law firms. His specialties include global issues, risk, and reputation management; litigation communications; international public affairs; and special situations. He is a problem-solver and natural relationship-builder skilled at developing and executing strategies that secure critical business, policy, and reputational outcomes for clients. Nick holds an MBA from Indiana University and a bachelor’s in business administration from the College of William & Mary.

Daniel Flesch is an international communications and policy advisor. He was a Director at Purple Strategies, a corporate reputation and communications firm. From 2018-2021, he served as the Spokesman and Senior Advisor to Israel’s Mission to the United Nations, where he developed strategic communications plans, pursued diplomatic relations, and advised on policy issues for two successive ambassadors. A veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, Daniel holds an M.A. from Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. from the University of Illinois.

Umberto Gambini joined Avisa Partners as a Senior Director in January 2022 and was promoted to Partner in January 2023. Umberto joins Avisa after over 15 years in the European Parliament and with 18 years of professional experience in Brussels, both in the EU Institutions and a public affairs consultancy prior to that. During the last 11 years, Umberto has been following the Economic, trade and transport committees. In particular, he has covered closely the digital antitrust cases and various competition cases from the ECON Committee perspective and its Competition Working Group. From 2012 he has been actively following the EU Google Antitrust cases. Recently he worked on the Digital Market Act and the Digital Services Act files. During his years at the European Parliament, Umberto was following the work of the EP delegation with Israel, China and the EP-USA Delegations. His experience in the EU institutions and the corridors of Brussels has enabled him to build a solid network with decision makers, industry stakeholders and journalists. Umberto is fluent in Italian, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan.

Noe Garcia III is a veteran advocacy and communications executive in Washington, D.C. He has over 24 years of experience, including tenure at the White House and the U.S. Department of Treasury and served as counsel to two Treasury Secretaries and the U.S. Senate Majority Leader. Noe oversees multi-national economic matters for global clients on trade, immigration, and finance. For two consecutive years, he has been named one of Washington’s top lobbyists.

After several successful entrepreneurial experiences in Africa and in the media, Romain Grandjean founded 35°Nord in 2012 to improve his clients’ press relations and editorial influence. He believes that Africa’s emergence, embodied by its economic success and new governance, should gain better visibility via strong relations between the media and economic operators. Romain Grandjean combines expertise in both the media industry and the African continent. Romain Grandjean is a graduate in media management from ESCP Europe.

Anaïs is in charge of the Artistic Direction. She manages all the creative work of the Avisa Partners group (digital UI/UX, print, dataviz, etc.) and ensures graphic consistency throughout the various projects. She had several artistic experiences, first in e-commerce (LeGuide.com), then in a publishing house specializing in the health sector for which she managed the different collections (from design to publication). After having been the artistic director of a magazine specializing in the defence and security sector, she progressively specialized in the publishing of online media and enriched content (infographics, dataviz...). Anaïs is a graduate of the 'École Européenne de Graphisme Publicitaire' (European School of Advertising Design). She holds a HND in Visual Communication and a Higher Diploma in Creative Design and Media.

Carsten joined Avisa as a Partner in March 2021. He trained as a Lawyer, specialising in European law.
He has over the past 25 years, accrued a very strong experience in EU affairs and legislation having held important positions within top-tier corporations in Brussels and Hong Kong. Until joining Avisa in March 2021, Carsten was Head of Digital Policy for Banco Santander Group in Brussels. In that capacity, Carsten has developed public policy and regulatory positions in close coordination with the digital business team, innovation leaders and global board members in regard with the digital transformation journey of the bank. He established new industry alliances (e.g., with telecoms, publishers, platforms) and communication channels outside of the traditional financial services associations. Advocacy with EU institutions, Ministries of Finance and Economic Affairs in key markets (UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Poland), National banks, ECB and supervisory authorities, OECD, IIF, Eurofi, EBF, EFR, and AFME. Prior to his work at Banco Santander, Carsten held positions at Deutsche Post DHL Group, as Head of AP & EEMEA Corporate Policy in Hong Kong and Brussels and Vice President and Head of Corporate Representation in Brussels; Director of European Affairs for MCI Worldcom in Brussels; and Counsel European Affairs at GE International European Affairs Office in Brussels.

As Senior Manager of the Compliance & Investigation department at Avisa Partners, she now helps the firm's clients to clarify their decisions and reduce their risks of non-compliance with French and international laws and regulations (Sapin 2 Law, UKBA, FCPA, duty of care, 5th AML/TF Directive...). She has more than 15 years of experience in the field of compliance, due diligence and investigations, having been in charge of the Economic Intelligence department of the firm Risk&Co before developing her own consulting activities. She has carried out and supervised missions for large industrial groups, public groups, banks, investment funds and law firms, in France and abroad. Ling HO is a graduate of Sciences Po Bordeaux and of the 'École de Guerre Économique (Economic War School). She also has a Compliance Officer degree from the University of Paris 2 – Panthéon Assas.

Xavier Kreutzer has worked for 20 years at the crossroads of digital, content, media and communication both in the private (Microsoft, T-Online, Lagardère) and the public sectors (Government Communication and Information service, France Télévisions). He worked as digital and content director for media and technology companies. At the french government, he set up the content factory and conducted several 360° communication plans. He also launched the public digital media platform for Franceinfo and actively participated in transformation projects. Xavier holds both a BA in Political Science and Communication and a Master of Digital Media and Communication. Xavier has a large experience in digital media, marketing and influence as well as in content production and distribution. He has also developed skills in 360° communication, crisis communication and digital transformation.

Alexandra now leads the Investigations and Compliance practice at Avisa Partners. With more than ten years of experience in risk management, Alexandra has held senior management positions in Paris, Hong Kong, London, Brussels, and most recently Kyiv. She has specific expertise in the management of compliance programs, leading investigations, due diligence and strategic intelligence activities on all continents. Alexandra Kris holds a double master’s degree in International Security, Defence and Business Intelligence as well as in European and International Regulations.

Jacques Lafitte founded the Brussels office of Avisa in 2002. He has more than 25 years of experience with the European Commission, both as a member of a Commissioner’s office as well as a key expert on commercial or competition-related issues. A graduate of the École Polytechnique in Paris, he began his career in the French and German Departments of Defence, before joining the French Treasury where he managed the debt department. From 1995 to 1999, he was in charge of the creation of the Euro in the office of the European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs. He then worked at Microsoft as the EMEA Director of Public Affairs. In 2009, the Financial Times named him one of the “30 most influential figures in politics and legislation in Brussels”. Beyond the general supervision of all of Avisa Partners’ European projects, Jacques also works on all projects involving competition law.

Matthieu Lebeau joined Avisa Partners as a Partner in 2021.

With more than 20 years of experience, Matthieu is one of France’s principal experts of digital content strategy in the institutional and B2B worlds.

After beginning his career in journalism(L'Express, Le Nouvel Observateur), he joined the start-up Ecrito before moving to the communication agency Angie. In his role there he assisted large French and international companies and their managers with their outreach, leadership and communication with regards to key communities and business development via digital, social and editorial channels.

As an Associate Director, Matthieu managed the group's digital activities, opened its SEO subsidiary in Prague, and launched Angie BtoB in 2017, an agency dedicated to digital strategy and business-to-business content marketing.

Matthieu Lebeau has a degree in philosophy and literature.

Graduated from ESG Paris. After a first experience in economic intelligence, he joined Vae Solis, a communications strategic consulting firm, as consulting director. Adrien is specialized in crisis communications and press relations and has managed various clients in the health, wine, football and weapons sectors. He currently teaches at Sciences Po Lille, EFAP and ESG, and occasionally at ESSEC business school. Adrien is also a young auditor of the Institute of Higher National Defense Studies (IHEDN). He joined 35°Nord in 2019 with the mandate to manage different accounts and the development of the agency.

Pauline manages strategic intelligence activities, including research for EU institutions and NATO, and business development and funding for innovation projects for private sector clients. She brings 15+ years of experience in European security and defence and a large network of contacts to her work. Pauline was previously Head of the European Defence Agency’s Media & Communication Unit, after managing Friends of Europe’sSecurity & Defence Programme for eight years. She began her career in government relations at Thales Italia. Pauline studied at King’s College London, the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris and Leiden Universiteit in the Netherlands. She speaks fluent French, English, Italian and German. She is Vice President of the Brussels chapter of Women in International Security (WIIS) and a co-founder of the Brussels Binder (the open-source database of female EU policy experts).

Alexandre Mot is an expert in local policies, territorial projects, and economic development issues. For the past 15 years, he has been advising state departments, local authorities, and companies on the development of their territorial strategies and the implementation of projects. Before joining Avisa Partners, he was in charge of prospecting international companies and investors for the 'Choose Paris Region' attractiveness agency, after starting his career at the Paris Chamber of Commerce, where he was in charge of studies on the Greater Paris region. Alexandre Mot is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris and holds a Master's degree in territorial and urban strategies.

Philippe, 50 years old, holds degrees in law and journalism. After several African experiences in the media (creation of a radio station in Burundi, presenter at Radio France Internationale then deputy editor-in-chief at Jeune Afrique), he became convinced that the inseparable destiny of Africa, France and Europe demands the creation of a new narrative carried by a generation of African and European decision-makers with access to leading media. As a co-founder of 35°Nord, Philippe provides his clients with solid expertise in African political and economic contexts and supports them in the development and dissemination of their advocacy as well as in operational monitoring with their stakeholders.

Stéphanie Pochon has been a partner at Avisa Partners since the beginning of 2020. Before joining the group, she led advocacy campaigns in Brussels and other major European capitals for 15 years. A former partner at GPLUS for 10 years, for years she has managed a diverse portfolio of clients, with specialized knowledge of issues related to the digital sphere, technology and intellectual property. She has also represented numerous companies and professional organisations in Brussels in a number of sectors, including transport, environmental issues and trade. She is also one of the most renowned experts on copyright issues and digital sovereignty. Stéphanie is a graduate of the College of Europe in Bruges, after having studied at Sciences Po Strasbourg and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She gave courses in European lobbying at Sciences Po Paris (for the Master in European Affairs) for five years.

Olga Popova joined Avisa Partners as International Director in 2014, following a stint at the World Bank in Washington D.C. British citizen and based in London and Paris, Olga advises numerous international corporate clients on their online advocacy and public relations strategies and manages Avisa’s business development in Europe. She holds a Master’s degree in European Affairs from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) and an undergraduate degree in politics from the University of Nottingham (UK).

John Procter is a communications executive in Washington, D.C. specializing in international brand and crisis communications. He has 20 years of experience in advising clients on reputation management, litigation communications, transnational disputes, and other special circumstances. He has lived and worked in multiple countries, including in Iraq as a Department of Defense spokesperson. John holds an international relations degree from The George Washington University and an Executive Education Certificate in Corporate Diplomacy from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mélodie manages the Events activity of the Avisa Partners group, including the coordination of the International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC), a trade show bringing together more than 12,500 visitors and 500 partner companies. A consultant since 2006, Mélodie has held several positions in the Public Affairs and Communications department, including the management of high value-added events. Mélodie holds a double degree in European business management (South Bank University London / Sorbonne Paris IV).

Following 11 years of experience in project management in the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA), where he was in charge of cyberwarfare and intelligence programmes, Vincent Riou joined the Steria group, where he managed the Defence and Security department for 5 years. Vincent joined CEIS in 2012, where he oversaw the firm’s business development before taking over the company’s cybersecurity department in 2017. He has been a partner at Avisa Partners since the merger between CEIS and Avisa Partners in January 2020. He holds an engineering degree from the École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées Bretagne (ENSTA Bretagne) and a Master’s degree in business management from the Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (IAE). He also attended the 47th national session of the Institut supérieur d'études de défense nationale (IHEDN).

Clément Rossi is Director of Development and Public Affairs for cybersecurity and events. Since 2013, Clément has been involved throughout the year as Director of Strategy, Partnerships and External Relations for the International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC), a leading event in Europe. Clément also leads strategy consulting missions in public affairs, business diplomacy, international development and influence for cybersecurity and digital actors as well as for States and administrations to help them develop national strategies or implement capacity building measures. Clément holds a master’s degree in Strategic Information Management and Risk Management from ISC Paris, in a double degree with the 'École Européenne d’Intelligence Économique' (European School of Economic Intelligence).

Quentin holds a double degree in Letters and Political Philosophy from the Sorbonne and a Master’s in Political Science from the University of East Anglia. After a first experience at the European Parliament, Quentin joined the communications agency Havas Paris. He thus specialized in public affairs, press relations and crisis communications, supporting various clients – private and institutional – particularly in telecommunications, finance, diplomacy and aeronautics sectors. As Consulting Director, Quentin oversees the consulting assignments of 35°Nord. He is also in charge of EurAfrica.

Alexis is Avisa Partners’ Chief Financial Officer, in addition to serving as one of the Group’s legal representatives. After starting his career at KPMG, where he spent five years in auditing and two years in Transaction Services (conducting due diligence for acquisitions and divestments), he served as Chief Financial Officer for several small- and mid-sized companies. He subsequently spent 10 years working for the DCC Group (FTSE 100), as Finance & Development Director (Continental Europe) for the Group’s IT division, Exertis, and as Finance & Operations Director for Exertis France & Iberia. With over 20 years of experience in corporate finance, Alexis joined Avisa Partners in April 2020 to oversee financial, legal, and HR issues at Group level and support the Group’s President in securing and integrating new acquisitions. Alexis is a graduate of the Normandy School of Management and holds a B.A. with Honours in International Business and Finance from Leeds Metropolitan University. He also graduated in 2015 from the Executive Accelerated Development Program (Transition to Management) at the London Business School (LBS).

Jean Tillinac has been a partner at Avisa Partners since 2017. After a master of advanced study in philosophy and a Master’s degree in market finance, Jean launched his career in economic intelligence at ESL & Network, now a subsidiary of ADIT, before taking up roles in French political cabinets. He notably served as a technical advisor to the Minister for Parliamentary Relations. He subsequently founded and directed a number of firms specialising in public affairs, lobbying, and digital communications, including Tendances Institut (2005-2010) et Antidox (2010-2017). He is associated with a number of think tanks and is the founder of the Institut des Transitions.

Following studies in international relations, Guillaume Tissier started his career as a journalist specialising in economic and legal affairs, before becoming a consultant at DATOPS, a firm specialised in data mining solutions. He joined CEIS when it was created in 1997 to develop its economic intelligence and risk management business units. Since 2013, he also manages the International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC), co-organised by CEIS and the National Gendarmerie. CEO of CEIS since 2018, he became a partner at Avisa Partners when the two firms merged in January 2020.

Nicolas is graduated from Pantheon-Assas University and Paris-Sorbonne University in International Relations. He began his career at the economic and commercial department of the Belgian Embassy in Paris. After that, he joined Rivington consulting firm as a public affairs consultant and then as head of development and partnerships. He joined the European Parliament in 2019 and took part in the European election campaign for the presidential majority within the PR Department. At the same time, he also supported Doctor Denis Mukwege, Nobel Peace Prize 2018, for his institutional relations. Based in Brussels, Nicolas represents 35°Nord and its branches with institutional and European stakeholders.

Antoine Violet-Surcouf joined Avisa Partners as Managing Director and Partner after spending 11 years as the director of digital strategy of ADIT. He is one of the leading European experts in online advocacy campaigns, with more than 15 years under his belt dedicated to researching, analyzing and devising online influence strategies. He also has a wealth of expertise in open source intelligence (OSINT) and in the fight against economic crime, including counterfeiting and fraud.

Associate Professor at the Ecole de Guerre Economique (School of Economic Warfare), he is the author of numerous books. Antoine is President of AEGE, the network of economic intelligence experts, and regularly participates in conferences on influence and digital public affairs.

Aline VornDick is a Washington DC-based communications, international relations, and media expert with two decades of experience in both the private and public sectors across various continents. She specializes in Middle Eastern affairs and partnerships. Aline holds a Master in Liberal Arts in International Relations (Middle East) from Harvard University (HES), and Master in Business Administration from Lebanese American University (LAU).

John Watts joined Avisa Partners in 2021 and heads the London office. John advises governments, corporations, NGOs and high-profile individuals on campaigns, communications and digital engagement. He works closely with world leaders, public figures and businesses throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and South America. John was a Special Advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street as well as Director of Conferences and Events for the British Labour Party. John has managed communication and public affairs consultancies in the United Kingdom, Middle East and East Asia for 15 years working on elections and campaigns, country branding, crisis communications, litigation communications, cultural dialogue and public diplomacy. He studied International Public Administration in the UK as well as Arabic and Middle East Politics at Birzeit University in Palestine.

Jérôme Yomtov served as Secretary General of Numericable-SFR from 2009 to 2016. He was previously Director of Operations for markets and competition at the French regulatory authority for electronic communications, post and press distribution (ARCEP), technical advisor at the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry, and an investment banker at HSBC. He is currently the Director of Operations for France of the startup Nfinite, an e-merchandising SaaS platform. At Avisa Partners, he mainly deals with complex financial transactions, as well as issues related to competition and regulated markets. He assists some of our clients with defining their strategic positioning and with implementing their regional development projects, in partnership with local authorities. Jérôme is a graduate of the École Polytechnique engineering school and the École nationale supérieure des télécommunications (Telecom ParisTech).