Ambasciatore Stefano Pontecorvo

Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo has been for about forty years an Italian diplomat and European and international official. He served as Italian Ambassador to Pakistan and at the Italian Embassies in Moscow and London (both as Deputy Head of Mission) and in the Italian Representations to the European Union (where he dealt with the Balkans and the Common Foreign and Defence Policy) and at NATO, as well as being Director of the Stability Pact for the Balkans. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs he was, among other things, Head of the Financial Office for Development Cooperation, Head of the Secretariat of three Undersecretaries and/or Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs and subsequently Deputy Director General for Africa, following particularly sensitive dossiers. He also served in the Ministry of Defence where he served as Diplomatic Adviser to Ministers Di Paola, Mauro and Pinotti.

Ambassador Pontecorvo was the last NATO Civil High Representative for Afghanistan since June 2020, representing the Alliance in the Doha peace process. In the last period in Kabul he ensured the operation of the international airport, ensuring the flow of up to 18000 evacuations per day and coordinated the air bridge through which more than 124,000 Afghan NATO employees were transferred abroad, of Allies and Partner Countries.

Ambassador Pontecorvo has established an international strategic consultancy, SPConsulting International Strategic Advisory. He collaborates as Principal Expert Business Developer with the European House - Ambrosetti, with the Italian Export Forum and with Italian and foreign companies and is Honorary President of the International World APS. He is the author of the book "L'Ultimo Aereo da Kabul" (editions Piemme - Mondadori), columnist on La Repubblica and has published articles in numerous other magazines including Eastwest, Prima Comunicazione, Mondo Operaio and is an Italian and international television commentator (BBC, Sky Arabia, TRT World). Finally, he is a professor of University Courses and Master.