Speakers

Viktorija Starych-Samuolienė is Co-founder at the Council on Geostrategy where she is responsible for the organisation’s strategy and growth. She is also a Fellow of the Durham Institute of Research, Development, and Invention (DIRDI). Her areas of research expertise and interests include Euro-Atlantic geopolitics, defence and maritime affairs. 

Viktorija leads the organisation and delivery of the flagship Royal Navy conference, the Sea Power Laboratory and other programmes. She has developed senior closed-door forums focusing on key geopolitical issues - Geostrategy Forum, Whitehall Briefings and Sea Power Series. Viktorija is also a host of the Defence Talks: Securing the UK Advantage podcast. She has appeared multiple times in the national and international media and on broadcast television, including Times Radio, Sky News, Al Jazeera, The Sun and LBC Radio.
Her previous experience includes research and external affairs roles at the Henry Jackson Society. She is also a regular attendee and speaker at British and international conferences on foreign policy and security issues. She holds an MA in Intelligence and International Security from King’s College, London, and a BA in Political Science from Vilnius University.