Roozbeh Aliabadi
Roozbeh Aliabadi (Persian: روزبه علی‌آبادی) (born 1984 in Tehran, Iran) - is an advisor and commentator on geopolitical risk and geoeconomics, particularly the Middle East and Asia. He is a partner in the global advisory practice at GGA, a boutique international consultancy practice based in New York City since 2009. Mr. Aliabadi has served as a senior advisor in the Department of Strategic Initiatives of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran, advising on Eurasian economic connectivity. He has been taking part in re-mapping the Middle East economy at the Strategic Initiatives Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in  the wake of the emergence of China and the future of connectivity. He contributes regularly to Eurasia Review, BBC, China Daily, The Hill, Tehran Times, Post-Gazette, Wall Street Journal, The Australian Business Review, USA Today, NIKKEI Asian Review, Russia Today, CBC Canada, NTV (Russia), BBC Persian Television, Public Radio International, among others. Background. Roozbeh, was born in Tehran, Iran, of mixed Persian and Azeri roots and immigrated to Pittsburgh, United States at the age of fourteen with his family. He graduated from University of Pittsburgh with Masters in Political and International Affairs focusing on international political economy and Bachelors  in Finance and Economics. Roozbeh is fluent in English and Persian. Career. According to a report by CNN "Roozbeh Aliabadi can efficiently navigate you virtually blindfolded through the entire bazaar, including the stall where he worked in the summers." While at University of Pittsburgh, Roozbeh helped establish American Middle East Institute and served on the Planning Committee for Madeleine K. Albright visit to the Institute, a non-profit organization, focused on building business, educational and cultural ties between the United States and the Middle East. He also served as a President of Iranian-American Student Association at University of Pittsburgh  and Carnegie Mellon University. In 2010, after spending 6 years at Alpern Rosenthal, Roozbeh co-founded Global Growth Advisors, a specialty strategic advisory firm based in New York City and currently spends most of his time traveling between North America, Asia, and the Middle East. In the past, he also served on the board of World Affairs Council and served on the Advisory Board of Center for Iranian Music at the College of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University. He frequently advises Iranian political and economic establishments on matters of trade and economic policy. In 2013 he advised presidential campaigns in  Iran. Mr. Aliabadi was also instrumental in extending invitations to Senator Maria Cantwell and Kelly Ayotte, chairwoman and ranking member of Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security of United States Senate to visit Iran in November 2014 AirShow for Civil Aviation Operations, Safety and Security matters, and "the invitation will have nothing to do with the political atmosphere surrounding Tehran and Washington, as the two senators are solely expected to understand the environment in the Iranian aviation sector." In 2015 he was appointed as senior advisor to Director of Strategic Initiatives of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Institute of Political  and International Studies in Tehran - Iran. In recent years, Aliabadi has been focusing on: How can talent be developed and deployed to secure that more than 7 billion people can fulfill their potential? He believes that technology and globalization are vastly changing work. However, education and training practices, having remained mostly static and underinvested in for decades, are largely inadequate for these new markets. Additionally, a current gender bias is introducing further inefficiency and inequality. Aliabadi believes we must, therefore, rethink the way skill is developed and deployed. This will require breaking down old silos between education systems and labor  markets, more flexible approaches to management, new forms of public-private collaboration, and new norms and values. Aliabadi has been named by University of Pittsburgh as a Global Thinker, where he has been highlighted among powerful individuals who come together behind a common vision and set out to change the world and who have truly made a world of impact. Social Agenda. Roozbeh is committed to realist political thought and beliefs in building pragmatic ties between communities in business, educational and cultural spheres, whether in the United States or Iran. Roozbeh also publishes his personal blog known as rooznote.com In  an interview with AI Times Journal, Mr. Aliabadi discusses the issue of digital divide and the future of the workforce. He is passionate about bringing Artificial Intelligence Education for every child regardless of their geography. He has been the Co-founder of ReadyAI, an AI education company that promotes AI education around the world.