Team
Our Team
Meet our dedicated team of geopolitics specialists, each bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise in global affairs. With diverse backgrounds and a passion for understanding the complexities of international relations, we are committed to providing insightful analysis and strategic guidance. Together, we navigate the ever-changing global landscape to inform and empower our clients.
CEO and Founder
Christian Le Miere
Christian is the CEO and founder of Arcipel, where he leads the firm’s strategic direction and advises senior government and industry clients on geopolitical risk, defence strategy, and emerging security challenges. He brings more than two decades of experience across policy, analysis, and advisory roles, including positions with the Abu Dhabi government, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and Janes. Christian has particular expertise in China and East Asia, maritime security, and great‑power competition, and has authored several books and numerous articles on international relations and security. His work continues to shape Arcipel’s global outlook and its ability to support decision‑makers operating in complex strategic environments.
Nuclear Security and Defence Associate
Nima Gerami
Nima leads Arcipel’s work on nuclear security and defence strategy across Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo‑Pacific. He plays a central role in the design and delivery of Arcipel’s high‑level wargames and strategic exercises, including serving as a lead architect of the UK Ministry of Defence’s recent deterrence wargame. His background includes faculty service at the National Defense University and policy roles at the U.S. Department of State, where he worked on WMD, deterrence, and emerging security challenges. His analysis has appeared in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Foreign Policy, Janes, The Guardian, The New Republic, and War on the Rocks.
Middle East and Eurasia Analyst
Nicole Dimitrova
Nicole is a Middle East and Eurasia analyst whose work spans strategic research, defence consulting, and high‑level wargame design. She leads projects for government and industry clients, delivering procurement‑grade technical analysis, scenario development, and geopolitical assessments across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. She specialises in Iraq, Syria, and Russia, with a current personal focus on the Popular Mobilisation Forces and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. She has also conducted policy analysis on Iraq’s security landscape, contributing insights on militia dynamics, state institutions, and regional influence.
Advisory Board
Arcipel is supported by an advisory board of distinguished leaders whose experience spans defence, diplomacy, technology, and global operations. They shape our strategic direction and contribute their insight to some of our most complex projects. Their backgrounds, from senior military command to policy planning, advanced analytics, and intelligence innovation, ensure Arcipel remains connected to the highest levels of expertise across multiple domains.
Vice Admiral John ‘Fozzie’ Miller
Fozzie is the former commander of the US’ 5th Fleet, NAVCENT and Combined Maritime Forces, having served nearly four decades with the US military. He is a leading expert on US foreign policy and the Gulf and currently serves as an associate fellow at the Atlantic Council.
Urmila Venugopalan
Urmila is an executive vice-president of Strategy and Global Operations at the Motion Picture Association. A former senior advisor to Secretary of State John Kerry’s Policy Planning Staff, Urmila has wide-ranging experience and knowledge of South Asia, the Middle East and US policy issues.
Peter Gronlund
Peter has spent the past 10 years in the tech industry as a consultant, analyst and entrepreneur. He recently completed his masters at Columbia University and is responsible for Arcipel’s digital solutions initiatives implementing sentiment analysis and real-time analytics using open source material.
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Terry Pattar
Terry is Director of Customer Solutions at Atreides, a start-up creating innovative data applications. He has spent the past 15 years delivering OSINT projects to clients around the world. His focus is on improving the intelligence capabilities of organisations and analyst teams to better support strategic decision-making.
Arcipel & Associates
At Arcipel & Associates, we partner with leading global companies and government institutions to tackle complex, high‑impact challenges. Our multidisciplinary team delivers rigorous analysis, strategic insight, and tailored solutions across diverse sectors, ensuring every client receives exceptional, world‑class support.