Navigating complexity from the street to the boardroom.

Nicolas has two decades’ experience living and working across the Middle East, South Asia, and Eastern Europe, studying Arabic in Sana’a and Persian in Tehran, consulting for state-owned and private enterprises in Afghanistan and Sudan, and advising governments across the Arabian Peninsula. He speaks French natively, is fluent in English and Greek, and has working Arabic and conversational Persian. Nicolas founded Azal Advisors on a conviction that the most valuable insight comes from the combination of true subject matter expertise, trusted relationships, and the discipline to structure if for decision-makers. Before Azal Advisors, Nicolas was Regional Director at the Tony Blair Institute, building government advisory programmes across the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Prior to that, he was a Principal at Oliver Wyman, leading public sector projects for senior government clients across the Gulf. Nicolas leads every mandate personally, and draws on a vetted network of subject matter experts — because he is the first to acknowledge that no single individual sees the full picture alone.

Azal draws on a network of several dozen subject matter experts, consultants, and on-the-ground analysts across its geographic footprint. Our experts span geopolitics, energy, economics and security, and include faculty from leading international universities and think tanks, former senior officials, and regional practitioners with decades of direct engagement in the countries we cover. Our network is deliberately built to include perspectives that mainstream advisory tends to overlook. Alongside Western-trained analysts, we draw on experts who can articulate how a policy decision looks from the perspective of Beijing, Erbil, Mogadiscio, Riyadh, or Tehran, not just from Washington or Brussels. For clients navigating a multipolar world, understanding how the other side thinks is not optional. It is the starting point for sound judgement. This expert network is complemented by local analysts and key relationships deployed in the countries we operate in, providing critical perspective on political dynamics and socio-economic affairs that published sources cannot capture.