Dr. Irina Ghaplanyan is the former Deputy Minister of Environment of the Republic of Armenia. Prior to joining the Armenian government, following the Velvet Revolution of the spring of 2018, Dr. Ghaplanyan worked in a number of international organizations and think tanks around the world to include UNDP, Georgetown University, Eurasia Foundation and Chatham House. She has also been a catalyst for change in the field of sustainable business and social entrepreneurship in Armenia.

Dr. Ghaplanyan holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge, has a number of academic and media publications, as well as a recently published book titled “Post-Soviet Armenia: The New National Elite and the New National Narrative”.