New York, 15 February 2023
- Eurasia Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Catherine Ashton as a senior advisor. She served as the EU's first high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and first vice president of the European Commission from 2009-2014. In advising Eurasia Group on global geopolitics as well as EU and UK issues, Ashton will draw on her years of experience in politics, diplomacy, and negotiation.
Ashton created the European External Action Service and oversaw its diplomatic missions and military operations as chair of the EU councils on foreign affairs, defense, and development. On behalf of the UN Security Council, she coordinated the negotiations that eventually led to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran. She also worked with the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo on the first Brussels agreement for which they were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Previously, she was the first female EU commissioner for trade, concluding the EU's free trade agreement with South Korea, resolving long-standing trade issues with the US, and opening negotiations with Canada.
Before her European work, Ashton served as a minister in the departments of education and justice as a member of the UK House of Lords. She was promoted to the cabinet as leader of the House of Lords and president of the Privy Council. Her previous roles included chair of Hertfordshire Health Authority and director of Business in the Community, focusing on corporate social responsibility.
“Catherine brings unique insights from her time tackling some of the world's most pressing problems, all with a masterful sense of diplomacy and keen understanding of the value of collaboration, and a down to earth human touch rare in this arena,” said Maziar Minovi, CEO of Eurasia Group. “We're delighted to have her on board and look forward to offering our clients targeted advice to help them excel in the region.”
“We are extremely excited to have Cathy join us as a senior advisor,” said Mujtaba Rahman, Eurasia Group's managing director for Europe. “Cathy will bring a wealth of experience and insight to our research team and clients; she is uniquely placed to speak to the world's current geopolitical turbulence brought about by Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine.”
Ashton's awards include Georgetown University Trailblazer, Channel 4 Peer of the Year, House Magazine Minister of the Year, Atlantic Council Freedom Award, Black Sea-Caspian Sea International Fund Grand Prize, and the first Stonewall Politician of the Year. She holds diplomatic honors and honorary degrees from a number of countries and universities and is the first woman chancellor of the University of Warwick. Queen Elizabeth II awarded Ashton the GCMG in 2015 and in 2019 appointed her the first woman King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George. In 2022, Ashton became the first woman Chancellor of the Order.
As a senior advisor for Eurasia Group, Ashton will help inform the firm's work on EU/UK political risk and global geopolitics, participate in events, and share her views with the company's clients. She is based in London.
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About Eurasia Group
Eurasia Group is the world's leading global political risk company. Its expertise includes developed and developing countries in every region of the world, specific economic sectors, and the business and investment playing fields of the future. With best-in-class advisory and consulting offerings, and GZERO Media, the Eurasia Group umbrella provides the marketplace with a complete political risk solution. "Politics first” grounds the firm's work: It is the lens through which Eurasia Group views the world, and it is committed to analysis that is free of political bias and the influence of private interests.