People who understand policy, markets and stakeholder access.
European Diplomats brings together former diplomats, public affairs specialists, policy researchers, education experts and international associates across Europe.
Experience across European policy, public-private engagement and international markets.
Commercial diplomacy and government relations expertise for public-sector markets.
Support for public institutions and governments engaging business and innovation ecosystems.
Digital tools and AI used to support research, monitoring and strategic execution.
Senior people leading the work.
The leadership team combines former diplomatic service, public affairs, operations, migration expertise, government affairs and international strategy.
Alistair Starling
Co-Founder and Managing DirectorFormer UK diplomat with ten years in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office helping companies trade and invest internationally. Alistair combines more than twenty years of private-sector experience with deep government-sector knowledge, spanning business development, design, innovation, export strategy and commercial diplomacy.
He has worked in founding teams across recruitment and digital design, led complex government sales development across Europe and Africa, and holds two Master’s degrees, including one from the University of Cambridge. He works in English, Italian and German, with intermediate French.
Melisa Baykut
Head of Government AffairsMelisa is a political scientist specialising in EU affairs, diplomacy and international relations. Since late 2024, she has supported policy research, strategic communication and B2G engagement at European Diplomats, with a focus on EdTech, AI governance and education policy.
She combines academic work in political science with studies in psychology, English and American literature and linguistics. Her experience across youth mobility organisations, international summits and advisory work gives her practical insight into European institutional processes and public-sector strategy.
Dirk Bornschein
Future of Migration LeaderDirk is a political scientist, author, editor and communication expert with long-standing expertise in migration and development. After completing his doctorate, he worked in Guatemala at the Latin American Faculty for Social Sciences, an inter-governmental institute operating across the region.
For more than ten years, Dirk researched migration and development while facilitating relationship-building between academic institutes, government institutions and civil society organisations, particularly in Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, the United States and the wider Latin American region.
Daniela Abentung
Co-FounderDaniela is a trained journalist, political scientist and communication specialist with a strong focus on international communication, EU affairs and stakeholder relations. Over two decades, she has worked across political, institutional and corporate environments, building networks in Brussels, Germany, Italy and the Middle East.
Her experience includes government and stakeholder communication roles connected to ifo Institute, Allianz SE Europe, the Bavarian State Parliament and the European Commission. She brings expertise in outreach, regulatory monitoring, international change communication and real-life policy-making procedures.
Kai Takkis
Operations ManagerKai is a project manager with experience in both the public and private sectors. Her background in English philology, teacher training and translation gives her strong linguistic, organisational and operational skills, developed through years of managing her own translation business.
Her former government-sector work in education gives her a practical understanding of public institutions, pedagogy and project delivery. At European Diplomats, Kai brings structure, precision and operational follow-through to complex, multi-stakeholder work.
Michal Gawryl
Co-FounderMichal is qualified in business administration with a focus on marketing, planning and innovation management. His early career in headhunting gave him deep practical experience in personal outreach, cold calling, negotiation, network-building and the care of existing client relationships.
He has also worked as a recruiter in both private and public-sector environments, giving him insight into organisational complexity and the internal workings of institutions. Michal speaks German and Polish as native languages, is fluent in English, and is developing his French.
Specialist associates across policy, education, technology and international engagement.
Our associates bring sector-specific depth and regional experience, supporting client work in the UK, EU, United States and wider European public-private markets.
David Sorrentino
Associate – Brussels, Rome, Washington DCDavid is a strategic leader at the intersection of policy, business and education, with two decades of experience delivering innovative digital solutions to global markets. He has advised ministries of education, multilateral organisations and EdTech institutions on scalable language learning, teacher development and digital assessment solutions.
He played a pivotal role in the development and global rollout of Aptis, the British Council’s flagship digital English assessment tool. His current consultancy work supports organisations designing scalable, tech-enabled solutions, from AI-driven education tools to cross-border sustainability initiatives.
Harrison Stallman
Project SupervisorHarrison studies political science and governance at Tallinn University, with a focus on international relations, cross-sector management and public-private cooperation. His work has also explored cross-border cooperation in Europe.
At European Diplomats, Harrison supervises projects supporting our work as a growth partner for B2G cooperation and international expansion.
Carol Scandolara
Education & Educational Technology Policy AssociateCarol is an education and educational technology policy associate with a strong focus on facilitation, collaboration and consortium development. She supports collaborative work by bringing structure, communication discipline and clear coordination to complex multi-party settings.
Her work is especially relevant where education providers, technology firms, policymakers and institutional partners need to align around shared outcomes. She helps turn discussion into usable process, which is less glamorous than strategy theatre, but usually more useful.
Eliza Raduca
Education & Educational Technology Policy AssociateEliza has a strong background in teaching and assessing English as a second language, alongside experience as an international speaker and teacher trainer. Her educational background includes philology, political science, CELTA training and further professional development through Oxford-linked teacher education.
She brings practical teaching insight, assessment experience and a strong interest in educational technology. Her work supports education innovation, teacher development and the practical integration of technology into learning environments.
Research capacity behind the scenes.
European Diplomats is also supported by a strong team of Policy Researchers. They support associates and leadership with research, monitoring, stakeholder mapping, policy analysis, outreach preparation and project support.
You may meet them during client engagements, particularly where work requires rapid desk research, tender tracking, policy monitoring, event research or market intelligence.
Need the right team around a public-private challenge?
European Diplomats can assemble the right mix of diplomatic, policy, commercial, research and sector expertise for your market or stakeholder problem.