Jonathan Shillington is a senior strategic communications and corporate affairs leader with over 20 years' experience advising boards, CEOs, governments, and multinational organisations operating in complex, high-risk environments. Most recently, Jonathan served as Senior Managing Director and Country Head of Qatar at Teneo, where he held full P&L accountability and regional leadership responsibilities, advising clients through moments of intense international scrutiny. Prior to Teneo, he was Managing Director for the Middle East at Grayling, overseeing operations across Dubai, Muscat, and Doha, and led the embedded communications team for Qatar Foundation — one of the region's most high-profile institutional mandates. His earlier career in London saw him lead Grayling's UK Corporate & Financial practice and hold senior roles in global corporate and investor relations consultancy. Jonathan's expertise spans reputation management, crisis and issues leadership, stakeholder engagement, corporate affairs, executive communications, and media training.
Mark Jackson is a strategic communications specialist with over 30 years of experience advising global organisations on reputation, crisis communications, and brand positioning across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe. Over the course of his career, he has held senior roles at Hill & Knowlton, Memac Ogilvy, Racepoint Global, and BCW Global (now Burson), working with brands including Google, IBM, Huawei, Microsoft, American Express, and Coca-Cola. At Memac Ogilvy in Bahrain, he directed communications across a 16-market MENA portfolio and led global media engagement for the launch of the New Suez Canal. He subsequently served as Managing Director of Racepoint Global's Greater China operations, before joining BCW Global (now Burson) as Regional Managing Director overseeing eight of the firm's largest client relationships across APAC. At NorthStar, Mark advises clients on the evolving GCC-Asia trade corridor supporting complex briefs.
Christoph is a seasoned Government and Public Affairs advisor, entrepreneur, and investor with over two decades of experience at the intersection of business, policy, and capital markets in Europe. Based in Brussels, he brings a rare combination of deep EU institutional knowledge and hands-on market experience across the Technology, Aerospace, Defence, Travel, Tourism, Lifestyle, and Real Estate sectors. His work spans some of the most critical policy challenges shaping Europe's economic and geopolitical future, from digital transformation and sustainable mobility to trade and investment flows. Christoph has cultivated an extensive network across European institutions, national governments, and the private sector, built over a career spanning senior roles in public affairs consultancy, co-founding ventures, and advising international organisations.
Alex Malouf is a communications and reputation specialist with over 25 years of experience leading some of Saudi Arabia's most prominent corporate narratives. He served as Senior Director of Public Relations and Media at ROSHN, the Kingdom's national real estate developer, and as founding Executive Director of Corporate Communications at Ceer, Saudi Arabia's first electric vehicle brand, where he designed the company's communications strategy from the ground up and delivered one of the region's most high-profile brand launches. Prior to that, he led corporate communications for MEA at Schneider Electric, spent over seven years at Procter & Gamble covering the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, and Africa, and earlier headed Weber Shandwick's KSA operations. Recognised by the Holmes Report as the first communications innovator in the MEA region, Alex is also a Board Director of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and brings rare depth across corporate affairs, crisis communications, and brand building in the Kingdom.
As the Founder of NorthStar, Arth Malani sets the strategic direction for the firm, leveraging his deep expertise in emerging markets and political risk. Having advised on $325mn worth of deals, Arth has become a trusted partner for Fortune 500s and UK private equity firms seeking to mitigate risk and sharpen their communications. His main areas of expertise include political, policy and regulatory due diligence as well as financial communications. While he takes a rigorous approach to market analysis, he balances his professional life with a love for ABBA and an unsung enthusiasm for a karaoke night.
Sadeq Alfardan is a Partner at NorthStar Insights, where he spearheads the firm's strategic communications offering. With over 18 years of experience spanning top-tier agency and in-house roles, Sadeq brings deep expertise in strategic communications, public affairs, and stakeholder engagement across the GCC and beyond. His career spans leadership positions at Ogilvy, Grayling, Hill+Knowlton, and PwC, complemented by a distinguished stint with the EU Delegation to the State of Qatar giving him a rare combination of corporate, government, and multilateral communications experience. A recognised voice on EU-Gulf relations, Sadeq has advised governments, diplomatic missions, international organisations, and major corporates across the region.
Meghna is a Senior Account Executive at NorthStar Insights, specialising in geopolitical and security risk analysis with a regional focus on South Asia and the Asia-Pacific. She brings experience in corporate security and threat intelligence from her work at MitKat Advisory and Horizon Intelligence, where she supported clients through bespoke risk assessments and crisis communications. Previously, Meghna worked in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s South Asia department, gaining first-hand exposure to the region’s business environment and the regulatory challenges facing international stakeholders. She is bilingual in Hindi and English, with professional proficiency in French.
As a Senior Account Executive (MENA) at NorthStar Insights, Tala Karkanawi generates policy and regulatory intelligence across the Middle East and North Africa. Prior to NorthStar, she directed regional research at the MEA Institute, publishing analyses on nuclear escalation dynamics, Syrian post-war economic realignment, and Lebanon’s political economy through the MEA Institute and Dialogue Journal, with earlier work on legal and governance issues. She brings a legal foundation from NBCUniversal in corporate and competition law as well as extensive experience working with Public Policy Exchange - one of UK’s leading public policy events service.
Soojin Jang is a Senior Analyst within the East Asia Team at NorthStar. Her work focuses on the evolving role of South Korea, China and Japan in the world especially with regards to the emerging technologies sector. She has recently completed her MA in Korean–Chinese conference interpreting at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and hold a second MA from King’s College London. Prior to joining NorthStar, Soojin worked for Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London on evolving role of cyberwarfare in geopolitics.
As Lead Asia Pacific Analyst at NorthStar Insights, Juliana R Montano oversees the firm's APAC research and manages client engagements across the region. She provides political risk analysis and strategic intelligence on markets spanning Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific, supporting businesses and investors as they navigate regulatory shifts and evolving trade dynamics. Complementing her academic foundation with hands-on experience in research, strategic communications, and consulting.
Mary-Jo Sajjad is a Gulf Cooperation Council Analyst at NorthStar Insights, where she provides political risk analysis and strategic intelligence on the Gulf region. She holds an MA in International Peace and Security from King's College London and a Bachelor of Laws from Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, bringing a distinctive blend of legal expertise and regional insight to her work. Previously, Mary-Jo served as a Research Assistant at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut and UAE’s leading think tank Fiker Institute.
Nesrine Halima is an advisor with deep expertise at the intersection of government advisory, policy foresight, and institutional transformation. With a career spanning senior roles across the UAE public sector, global professional services, and high-profile international initiatives, she brings rare credibility across both the public and private spheres. Nesrine has held advisory and leadership positions with the UAE Prime Minister's Office, PwC EMEA, and Expo 2020 Dubai — one of the most complex multi-stakeholder environments in the region's recent history. She was also the founding director of the World Government Summit. At NorthStar, her work has consistently focused on translating institutional strategy into actionable policy outcomes, building the cross-sector partnerships that define how governments and organisations navigate change.
