Adrian Karatnycky
Adrian Karatnycky is a strategic business relations and policy advocate with an extensive history of leading advisory work across diplomacy, international affairs, business consulting, and NGO sectors. Adrian is the founder and current Managing Partner of Myrmidon Group LLC, a New York City-based consulting company with a focus on Ukraine, Poland, and the Balkans. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, where he acts as Co-Director of the Ukraine in Europe program and leads major research and advocacy initiatives with expertise on supporting Ukraine’s democratic transition, aspirations for European aspirations, and Ukrainian efforts to resist Russian aggression.
Prior to his current roles, Adrian has worked across fields of research, diplomacy, and international advocacy. He was the 2018 Co-Organizer of Ukraine Week in London that helped pave the way for the November 2020 signing of a comprehensive bi-lateral U.K.–Ukraine Political, Free Trade, and Strategic Partnership Agreement. Previously, he served as the Founder and Executive Director (2005-2007) of Orange Circle, where he created and managed an international network that supported Ukraine’s transition and economic reform efforts after its democratic Orange Revolution. He also led Freedom House – the U.S.’s oldest international and democracy and human rights monitor – as President and CEO from 1997 to 2005 and Executive Director for the three years prior to that.
In addition to his long-standing background in international business and diplomatic advocacy leadership, Adrian has a compendium of research and published works. This includes co-authoring three books, editing over 25 volumes of studies on state democracy and governance worldwide, and many more. He has researched and written across topics of international relations, organizing high-level research with a specialization on eastern European relations through time.
Adrian serves on the Board of Directors for the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter, the Advisory Board of the Ukrainian Institute of America, and the International Policy Advisory Board of the Ukrainian World Congress. He is also a member of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations.