Team
We have a team of research specialists, complemented by a network of Associates, Senior and Distinguished Associates who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience.Governance
Nicolás Ibáñez
PresidentCommercial Engineer, Adolfo Ibáñez University (UAI). Alumni Harvard Business School and member of the Advisory Committee of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. He participates in the boards of several companies and foundations, such as UAI, Fundación Adolfo Ibáñez and Drake Enterprises A.G., among others.
Richard Kouyoumdjian
DirectorRichard has been the General Manager of Indumotora Companies since 2016. His previous professional career includes 20 years in executive positions in Chilean and international banking. Before that he was an officer of the Chilean Navy. Weapons Engineer with mention in Artillery and Missiles, Naval Polytechnic Academy. MBA from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and M.A.in War Studies of King´s College, London.
Carlos Russi
DirectorOur Team
John Griffiths
Interim Executive Director (Director of Studies)John is Director of Studies at AthenaLab and Interim Executive Director. Former Army Officer. Bachelor of Military Science. M.A. in International Security from Georgetown University. Doctor in American Studies with a mention in International Affairs of the USACH. He has worked as a teacher at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, ANEPE and the Adolfo Ibáñez University on issues related to Strategic Studies, Security and National Defense. Additional studies in these fields at Harvard University, King´s College and University of Antwerp (UFSIA).
María Fernanda Muñoz
Director of Operations and CommunicationsFor 7 years she worked at the Center for International Studies of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (CEIUC), as an Analyst and later as Project Manager, in charge of developing and managing academic, research and extension initiatives on issues of international relations and transparency. , among others. She is a Political Scientist from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and a graduate of the Master of Political Communication from the Adolfo Ibáñez University.
Ignacio Mardones
Director of International Affairs
Marcelo Masalleras
Head of Security and Defense
Diego Sazo
Head of Research in International RelationsPhD in Political Science from the London School of Economics. Master’s degree in Conflict Studies from LSE and Political Scientist from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He has worked at the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security and the Ministry of National Defense. He has taught at UC, DRCLAS Harvard University, and UAI.
Alejandro Amigo
Senior ResearcherFormer Army officer, holding a degree in Military Sciences. Master’s in International Security from Georgetown University, a Master’s in Political Science from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and PhD (c) in Political Science from the same institution. He teaches terrorism in the Master’s program in Global Studies at the University of Salamanca, Spain. He has also taught at the United States Army War College on strategic leadership and Latin American studies, as well as at the Instituto de Estudios Internacionales de la Universidad de Chile and Academia Nacional de Estudios Políticos y Estratégicos on international security.
Pedro Aracena
Advisor on Public SecurityFormer Prefect of the Chilean Investigative Police (PDI). Master’s degree in Public Security and Public Policy from Universidad IEXE, Puebla, Mexico. Diploma in Senior Management and Public Administration from Universidad del Desarrollo. Diploma in Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Drug Chemistry from the Universidad de Chile. Diploma in Special Tactics from the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), United States. Business Administration Engineer from the Universidad de Magallanes. He has worked at the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security, leading the Strategic Coordination Unit (UCEC).
Marcela Silva
Office ManagerBilingual Executive Secretary from Manpower Chile, with 20 years of experience supporting top-tier companies and international relationships. Throughout her professional career, she has worked as an assistant to the Vice President of Banco de Chile, as well as supporting family offices and real estate agencies.
Rosa Montecinos
HousekeeperDental paramedic assistant. Previously, she worked as a custodial assistant, cafeteria assistant, and administrative support assistant at CDM Smith.
Advisory Council
Julio Leiva
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Navy from 2017 to 2021. He holds a degree in Electronic Naval Engineering from the Naval Polytechnic Academy. He holds a Master's degree in Naval and Maritime Sciences from the Naval War Academy. He also holds a Diploma in Business Administration and Management from the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Admiral Carlos Condell Educational Foundation.
Vivianne Blanlot
She holds a degree in Economics from the University of Buenos Aires and a Master's degree in Applied Economics from American University. She is a business director and advisor to Comunidad Mujer and the Council for Transparency. She served as director of CONAMA, executive secretary of the National Energy Commission (CNE), and Minister of Defense. She has served on the boards of public and private companies and has advised Latin American governments, the IDB, the World Bank, and the IMF on energy-related matters.
David Gallagher
BA and MA in Modern Languages, University of Oxford. Oxford University Professor of Latin American Literature and Fellow of St. Antony's College. He founded ASSET-Chile and served as President of the British-Chilean Chamber of Commerce. He served on the CEP Board and Executive Committee, and was a member of the CCRI and Cencosud until 2018, when he was appointed Chilean Ambassador to the UK. He is Vice President of the Board of Directors of Teatro el Lago and writes for various national and international media outlets.
Marisol Peña
She holds a law degree from the University of Chile and a master's degree in International Studies from the University of Chile. She served as Secretary General of the University of Chile, as a lawyer for the General Secretariat of the Government (CGR), and as a lawyer for the Ministries of the General Secretariat of the Government and the General Secretariat of the Presidency. She is a professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Chile (UDD), where she is also the Director of the Center for Constitutional Justice. She served as a Justice of the Constitutional Court and was the first woman to preside over this body. She is one of the Latin American representatives on the Global Rule of Law Commission.
Teodoro Ribera
Doctor iuris utriusque with magna cum laude from the Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg, Germany. Lawyer and professor of Public International Law at the Institute of Political Science of the University of Chile. He was a professor of Public International Law at the University of Chile and of Constitutional Law at the University of Chile. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2019-2020), Minister of Justice (2011-2012), a member of the Constitutional Court (2006-2009), and a member of the Republic of Chile (1990-1998).
José Rodríguez Elizondo
Lawyer from the University of Chile, journalist, writer, diplomat, cartoonist, and film critic. Full professor in the Department of International Law at the University of Chile and editor of the journal Realidad y Perspectivas (RyP). He is a columnist, member of the Editorial Board of the journal Anales del Instituto de Chile, member of the Chilean Academy of Social, Political, and Moral Sciences, and serves on the Foreign Policy Advisory Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development. He holds a 2021 National Prize for Humanities and Social Sciences.
Alejandro Jara
Lawyer at the University of Chile with a postgraduate degree from Berkeley. Former Deputy Director General of the WTO, Director of International Relations and Ambassador to the WTO in Geneva. Professor at the IEI and Master's degree from the University of Chile, in Heidelberg, as well as in Mexico and Beijing. Co-President of LEDECO, Switzerland. Founding member of the Punta del Este Group and the Friends of Multilateralism Group. Arbitrator, Multi-Party Interim Arrangement. He was senior counsel at King & Spalding and is currently a partner at Vásquez Urra Abogados.
Mario Waissbluth
Chemical Engineer from the Universidad de Chile and PhD in Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. He is an Associate Consultant at the Public Systems Center of the Universidad de Chile and Chairman of the Board of MORPET S.A., as well as a board member of TSG Environmental and Fundación KIRI. He has held senior positions in the public and academic sectors in Chile and Mexico, and is the author of more than 80 publications on public policy, innovation, and management.
Sergio Muñoz Riveros
Writer and political analyst. Doctorandus in Literature from the University of Amsterdam, with postgraduate studies at the Complutense University of Madrid. He was a lecturer at Utrecht University. Recipient of the 2005 Alejandro Silva de la Fuente Prize from the Chilean Academy of Language. Author of several books and columnist for the digital newspaper Ex-Ante.
María Alicia Ruiz-Tagle
Simultaneous interpreter with over 20 years of international experience, member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), based in Geneva. She lived and worked for 15 years in the United States and Latin America, combining her professional work with a strong commitment to social causes. She has actively promoted dialogue, reconciliation, and the overcoming of polarization in Chile.
Claudio Hohmann
Industrial Civil Engineer from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and former Minister of Transport and Telecommunications. He has built a distinguished career across the public and private sectors, with roles at SOFOFA, ICARE, Walmart Chile, and the Chilean Supermarkets Association. He has also served on the International Advisory Council of Abertis and chaired Celmedia. He is currently a board member of companies including Puerto Ventanas, Fepasa, Arrayán Asset, Celmedia, and ANDA; chairs the National Advisory Council of Clapes UC; leads Hohmann & Asociados; and is a columnist for El Líbero.
Senior Fellows
Evan Ellis
Evan Ellis is a research professor of Latin American Studies at the U.S. Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, focusing on the region's relations with China and other non-Western Hemisphere actors, as well as transnational organized crime and populism. He previously served as a member of the Secretary of State's policy planning team for Latin America and the Caribbean and is a senior associate in the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic Studies (CSIS).
Kenneth Pugh
Kenneth Pugh is a retired Vice Admiral of the Chilean Navy and former Senator of the Republic (2018–2026), where he chaired the Defence Committee. He holds a degree in Electronic Engineering and a Master’s in Naval and Maritime Sciences, with a specialization in Strategy. He has led key initiatives in cybersecurity, intelligence, digital transformation and critical infrastructure. His work focuses on digital sovereignty, state capacity and technology governance, contributing to the international debate on how states build, defend and exercise power in the digital age.
Juan Pablo Toro
Juan Pablo is the Executive Director of AthenaLab. For 22 years he worked as a journalist becoming the International Editor of El Mercurio, director of El Mercurio de Valparaíso, editor and correspondent of The Associated Press in Mexico and Colombia. Its coverage in America, Asia-Pacific and other regions, includes elections, conflict zones, summits and interviews with important leaders. He has a Master's degree in Political Science and journalist from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He also has formal studies in security and defense at CHDS and ITAM.
James Holmes
James R. Holmes holds the J. C. Wylie Professorship of Maritime Strategy at the U.S. Naval War College. He previously served at the University of Georgia's School of Public and International Affairs. He is a retired U.S. Navy officer. In 1994, he received the Naval War College Foundation Award. His books include "A Brief Guide to Maritime Strategy" and "Red Star over the Pacific" (co-authored).
Michael Noonan
VA (Ret.) Noonan was Chief of Navy in the Royal Australian Navy. He holds degrees in Business Administration, Maritime Policy, Marketing Communications, and International Relations from the Universities of Queensland, Wollogong, and Canberra in Australia, and Salve Regina in the United States, respectively. Prior to serving as Chief of Navy, he served as Commander of Border Protection and Deputy Chief of Navy.
