Elena Leontjeva

Founder and President of LFMI

Elena Leontjeva co-founded the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LMFI) in 1990 and acted as its President from 1993 until 2001. Currently she is the President of the LMFI again, and serves as the chairwomen of the Board of the Lithuanian Free Market Institute.

She has directed research and policy advocacy at the Institute, whilst playing a key role in her country’s transition. Elena has contributed to the reforms in the Banking system, introduction of the Currency Board and the Litas Credibility Law, building the legal foundations for the Securities Market and the Stock Exchange, Deregulation, Tax and budget reform as well as the introduction of Private Pension Insurance. She has also served as a State Councilor on economic reform in six consecutive administrations, and in 1998-9 has been chief economic advisor to Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus.

Elena holds degrees in economics, mathematics and programming, and having retired from the presidency of the LMFI in 2001, has dedicated herself to writing fiction. Since 2007 she studies the phenomena of lack, has pioneered and led multidisciplinary research on scarcity and lack, uniting philosophy, theology, anthropology, sociology, psychology and economics.

@

Alexander Albrecht

Senior Fellow at Prometheus

Alexander Albrecht is a Senior Fellow at Prometheus – Das Freiheitsinstitut. His main expertise is in the area of migration economics and economic growth.

He has a Bachelor’s degree in international Relations and Economics from the University of Erfurt, a Master’s degree from King’s College London in Political Economy. He is currently also undertaking postgraduate studies in economics at the University of Cambridge.

@alex__albrecht

Radovan Ďurana

Head of Research at INESS

Radovan Durana is the Co-founder and Head of Research of INESS, where he is responsible for coordinating the public policy research of the institute. His field of expertise are taxation, pensions, economic and social policy, regulatory barriers, and labor market. His most recent publications have focused on climate policy issues and carbon taxation. He Radovan also oversees the Price of the State project, which provides clear information on the price of public services based on an analysis of public finance.
Radovan is one of the most frequently cited economists in national broadcast and print media in Slovakia.
Before he started his work at INESS in 2006, he worked as a risk analyst in commercial bank.

@RadovanDurana

Matthew Lesh

Head of Public Policy at the IEA

Matthew Lesh is the Director of Public Policy and Communications at the Institute of Economic Affairs. He has written about the role of the business and the state, barriers to innovation, digital regulation and free speech, political divides, housing, and market environmentalism.

He regularly appears across television and radio, including the BBC, Sky News and GB News, and has been published in the Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Spectator, The Wall Street Journal, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian.

Matthew is also a Fellow of the Adam Smith Institute and an Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs. He has also worked for Australian politicians, in digital communications, and founded a mobile application development start-up.

@matthewlesh

Otto Brøns-Petersen

Director of Analysis at CEPOS

Otto Brøns-Petersen is the Director of Analysis at Center for Political Studies (CEPOS), a Copenhagen based public policy research institution and member of EPICENTER. His main areas of public policy expertise are economic policy, climate and energy economics, tax policy, economic growth, and financial regulation. Otto has published on a wide number of subjects in economics, public policy, political science, and political philosophy. He is a regulator columnist for two of Denmark’s major newspapers, Berlingske Tidende and Jyllands-Posten.

He is a former Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Danish Ministry of Taxation, in charge of tax and general economic policy. Previously, he has been a Director for Economic Analysis at the Ministry of Taxation and a Director of Structural Economic Policies and Public Finances at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. He has also taught at the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Business School.

Otto holds an MA in economics from the University of Copenhagen.

@ottobrons

Andreas Johansson Heinö

Publishing Director of Timbro

Andreas Johansson Heinö is the Publishing Director of Timbro, EPICENTER’s Swedish member think tank.

He is an expert on populism and nationalism and author of the Timbro Authoritarian Populism Index. Andreas is a columnist for Dagens Nyheter and has written several books on nationalism, populism and migration in Sweden. His latest book ‘Anteckningar från kulturkriget’ (Notes from the Culture Wars) will be published in June 2021.

Andreas holds a PhD in political science from the University of Gothenburg.

@JohanssonHeino

Cecile Philippe

President of Institut économique Molinari

Cécile Philippe is the Founder and President of Institut économique Molinari, EPICENTER’s French member think tank. Cecile is an author and regular contributor to several French and English language newspapers. Her first book titled ‘C’est trop tard pour la terre’ (It’s too late for the Earth) deals with environmental matters and seeks to put an end to various myths, including the notion that regulation and taxation go hand in hand with environmental improvement. Her second book, titled ‘Trop tard pour la France? Osons remettre l’État à sa place’ (Too late for France? Let us dare to put the state back in its place) deals with the financial crisis and the role the state plays in our lives. Cécile is a regular guest on several TV and radio shows, including BFM, RFI, France 3 and LCI.

Cecile holds a doctorate in economics from Paris-IX Dauphine University and a Diploma in Advanced Studies in business management in developing countries.

@CecPhil

Constantinos Saravakos

Research Project Coordinator at KEFiM

Constantinos Saravakos is a political scientist and Research Project Coordinator of KEFiM, EPICENTER’s Greek member think tank.

Constantinos is a member of the Greek Political Science Association and a member of the Economic Chamber of Greece.  His main research interests include regulation, political economy (poverty, inequality and prosperity) and political parties (democracy, populism and political behaviour).

He holds an MA in Political Science and Sociology (Hons) and a BSc in Philosophy and History of Science from University of Athens. He has also received his MSc in Applied Economics and Administration from Panteion University.

@Constan99757629

Alexander C. R. Hammond

Director of IATP

Alexander C. R. Hammond is the Director of the Initiative for African Trade and Prosperity, an IEA Free Trade Fellow, and Senior Fellow at African Liberty.

Formerly, Alexander worked in Washington D.C. as a Research Associate in the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, a Foreign Policy Fellow at Young Voices.

Alexander often writes about economic freedom, African development, British politics, and global wellbeing. He is also the author of HumanProgress.org’s Heroes of Progress column. Alexander’s works have been translated into multiple languages and have been featured in The Washington Times, Reason, The National Interest, The Washington Examiner, CityAM, Newsweek, CapX, Business Insider SSA, News24, FEE, the Cato Institute website, the HumanProgress blog, and various other outlets both in the United Kingdom and overseas.

@AlexanderHammo

Carlo Stagnaro

Research & Studies Director of Istituto Bruno Leoni

Carlo Stagnaro is the Research & Studies Director of Istituto Bruno Leoni, Italy’s leading free market think tank.

Prior to his role at IBL, Carlo was chief of the Minister’s Technical Staff at Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development. His research interests are in the fields of energy economics and competition policy. Carlo is also a member of the Institute of Economic Affairs’ Academic Advisory Council, a fellow of the Italian Energy Poverty Observatory at the University of Padua’s Levi-Cases Center as well as a member of the editorial board of the quarterly journal “Energia”. He is a regular columnist for the daily magazines “Il Foglio” and “Il Secolo XIX”. His latest book is “Contro il sovranismo economico”, written together with Alberto Saravalle (Rizzoli, 2020).

Carlo has an MSc in Environmental Engineering from the University of Genoa and a PhD in Economics, Markets, Institutions from IMT Alti Studi – Lucca.

@CarloStagnaro

Christopher Snowdon

Head of Lifestyle Economics at the IEA

Christopher Snowdon is the Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London – EPICENTER’s British member think tank.

He is the author of The Art of Suppression, The Spirit Level Delusion and Velvet Glove; Iron Fist. Christopher is also the editor of the Nanny State Index, a league table of the best and worst places in the European Union to eat, drink, smoke and vape. His work focuses on pleasure, prohibition and dodgy statistics. He has authored a number of publications including Sock Puppets, Euro Puppets, The Proof of the Pudding, The Crack Cocaine of Gambling and Free Market Solutions in Health. Chris

@cjsnowdon

Sanjana Sethi

EPICENTER intern

Sanjana is a final year undergraduate student studying Law at King’s College London. Her areas of interest revolve around the legal, economic, and political impacts of European Economic (Monetary and Fiscal) and International Trade policy decisions.

She is fluent in three languages, including French. Prior to EPICENTER, she has interned at the Supreme Court and London’s Court of Appeal in the Royal Courts of Justice. She has also represented the UK in a United Nations CSW Conference. Outside her academic interests, she has founded 2 nationally recognized social mobility charities.

She aspires to leverage her legal background to reach comprehensive conclusions about how financial policy decisions can be improved for social welfare.

Benjamin Schmale

EPICENTER intern

Benjamin is an undergraduate student reading History with Economics at Northeastern University London. Before his internship, Benjamin was a TEDx speaker on political disagreements and how to solve them. Benjamin is particularly interested in trade policy and EU constitutional affairs. He is fluent English and French and has a professional level of German language skills.

Guy Mulders

EPICENTER intern

Guy is a Master’s student studying Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs at the University of Milan, after having completed an undergraduate degree in European Studies at the University of Maastricht. His interests lie in European policy-making, with a special focus on how migration policies shape today’s societies in the EU. Before joining Epicenter, Guy has been working as a part-time research assistant, where he gained experience in the field of EU social policies. He is fluent in Dutch and English, intermediate in German and French.

Mariana Restrepo Carvajal

EPICENTER intern

Mariana is an undergraduate student studying Economics and Politics at ESADE in Barcelona. She recently completed a course at Science Po in Paris, where she further expanded her knowledge and understanding of international public law. Mariana is interested in exploring the economic reforms of the CEE region. During her internship at EPICENTER, Mariana is eager to deepen her understanding of European policy-making and reforms. She is fluent in English and Spanish.