Marjan Horst Ehsassi is the Senior Director, Governance & Global Health at Global Communities at Meridian International Centre.

Marjan is the Founder and President of BlackFish Advocates, an organization dedicated to engagement with civil society in complex and closed environments. She was Senior Policy Fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace, and Security and worked with the Gender Equality Group in the Office of the Chief Economist at the World Bank.

Marjan began her legal career with Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP in Toronto before joining Sherman & Sterling in New York. She earned a BA in International Relations from the University of Toronto and an LL.M from McGill University. Marjan has been a regular contributor to various news channels, including BBC and Voice of America.