Management & Board

Management & Board

Dr Ekaterine Metreveli is an Executive Director of Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies – Estonia since June 2024. She is also a president of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS) since 2016. Previously, she was a Senior Research Fellow (2002-2006) and the Director of the Centre for Human Security (2006-2015) also at GFSIS. In 2000-2001, she was the Information Analyst at the Center for International Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, US. Dr. Metreveli worked at the National Institute of Justice, Department of Justice as a Consultant on the Georgia anti-corruption project (2001-2002). During 2002-2004 she was the CEP Fellow at Tbilisi State University, teaching a course – Nationalism and ethnic relations in Georgia. Ekaterine Metreveli holds a Doctor of Science degree in Art History from Tbilisi State University (1999), and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Management (specialization International Security) from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (2001) where she was a Muskie fellow. Ekaterine Metreveli is also a Honorary Consul of Finland in Georgia since May 2016. 

Ekke Nõmm is Director of the Estonian School of Diplomacy (ESD) since 1993. Since 2021 he is also working as Project Leader in a trilateral Estonia-Sweden-Ukraine project “Ukraine’s European Way’ to support Ukraine’s European integration effors and institutional development of the Ukrainian Diplomatic Academy. Previously, Ekke Nõmm worked as an adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia as a member of the EU-high-level advisory group to Armenia, helping Armenia’s efforts in creating a diplomatic school. During 2006-2023 he worked in Georgia as an expert and advisor in many international CapacityBuilding and advisory projects focusing on institutional aand capacity building in the field of International Relations and Euoropean Integration. To support the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative Ekke Nõmm worked between 2011 and 2018 as Chair of the Advisory Board of the Estonian Center of Eastern Partnership.

Taavi Toom is a former journalist and diplomat of Estonia. After completing his studies on International Law at the University of Tartu, he worked as a Correspondent and Editor of Foreign News at the leading Estonian newspaper Postimees. In 1994 he joined the Estonian Foreign Ministry as the Head of the EU Division, responsible for coordination of Estonia’s preparations for accession to the European Union. In 1996-1999 he worked as the First Secretary, Head of Political Affairs and Press at the Estonian Mission to the EU in Brussels. Later he has served as the Spokesman of the MFA and as Ambassador of Estonia to Denmark and Poland. Ambassador Toom has also been Director of Security Policy, Director of the EU Department and Public Diplomacy Department at the Estonian MFA. Since 2019 he is working as an independent consultant making his knowledge and experience available to young diplomats and future leaders, public and private organisations in Estonia and abroad.

Dr Kristi Raik is the Director of International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) from 1 January 2025. She is also an Adjunct Professor of International Relations at the University of Turku. She has previously served as the Deputy Director of ICDS, Director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the ICDS, Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and official at the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union. Her main areas of expertise are European security, strategic competition in Eastern Europe, EU foreign and security policy, and foreign and security policies of the Baltic states and Finland. She has published in high-ranking academic journals (e.g. Geopolitics, European Security, Cooperation and Conflict) and media outlets (incl. Foreign Policy). She is a frequent commentator in the international media and has provided expert contributions to the Estonian, Finnish, EU and NATO institutions. Kristi has a PhD from the University of Turku.