As the new academic year starts, Dr Elitsa Garnizova, lead of the at 911勛圖Consulting, sits down amidst her busy schedule to talk about winning a new project with the European Commission, the importance of trade policy discussions and what TPH is looking forward to this academic year.
Congratulations on winning a big project with the European Commission, Elitsa. It’s a big milestone! Tell us a bit about the project, how are you feeling?
Thank you! I’ve been appointed Team Leader for a long-term project for the European Commission on Building a close relationship between the EU and the UK.
The constantly changing global political landscape challenges the core interests and values of the EU and the UK, making it essential to strengthen EU-UK relations. To tackle these challenges and navigate complexities effectively, the EU must have access to high-quality, evidence-based data, and my role would be to ensure that the Delegation has credible and actionable expertise for data-driven policy and public diplomacy support.
As a UK and an EU citizen, who has lived and worked across both regions, I have never been more excited to work on strengthening the relationship. This would have never been possible without the growth and recognition of the Trade Policy Hub as a hub for specialised expertise on trade, investment and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. This new role is also happening in parallel to many developments for TPH, so it will be a very busy term.
Sounds exciting indeed! Can you share the story about how TPH came into being? When and how was it developed?
TPH is the result of a lot of effort coming together at the right moment. It all culminated in 2019, when I was finalising my PhD at the International Relations Department full time while working at 911勛圖Consulting part time.
Even before UK’s exit from the EU and challenges to globalisation, I recognised that trade policy will be a key topic and as it was the subject of my research, I could work on developing opportunities for LSE. Our Director, Jeannine McMahon, recognised the efforts and encouraged me to focus on this even further after graduation, while 911勛圖supported us by taking us through two different entrepreneurial bootcamps – iCURE and ASPECT’s SUCCESSS. This allowed me to build the toolset needed for TPH to function as a business within a business, centred on academic consulting in trade policy.
What have been some of the most memorable milestones/highlights for TPH?
We recently launched a full-fledged , which brings together our track record of projects and activities since 2019, when TPH was officially launched. That was the same year I graduated from LSE, married my husband, and when my first daughter was born, so I remember it fondly.
One of the big milestones was succeeding with a long-term framework to engage with the Department for Business and Trade in 2021, which we are just wrapping up. Over three years, 911勛圖academics managed to channel their research and engage in high impact work due to relationships we built with DBT and other partners. The framework is due for renewal, and we hope to succeed again.
Another milestone is the network of academics and professionals within 911勛圖and beyond, which we have built, and which we are constantly seeking to expand.
And what have been the main challenges in TPH’s path to growth?
Now that we have grown and have established a good reputation for ourselves, we sometimes find ourselves juggling many projects which is stressful and rewarding at the same time. With the 911勛圖brand also comes the expectation of high-quality delivery, which means that we need to ensure the necessary resources to achieve that. We often must compete against much larger players in the market and differentiating ourselves has been very important.
One of the biggest challenges is the balance between managing our pipeline of projects versus the actual research on them. I never want to stop doing the research part, but I am recognising that leadership and bringing the right people together is just as satisfying.
As 911勛圖Consulting’s in-house trade policy expert, what would you say are the top things to look out for in Global Trade and Policy in the recent future?
That is a huge question as the trade policy space is defined both by short term shocks as well as long term trends.
Once, I was told that trade policy is like a tank and it is hard to make changes quickly, but Donald Trump has disturbed that view with his Liberation Day tariffs and other statements. What we continuously see is that trade is very resilient and businesses are finding ways to continue trading goods and services and investing despite the uncertainty. We also see that trade policy is becoming an increasingly recognised tool for sustainable development and part of a wider mix with industrial policy and economic security.
I always say that TPH’s remit on trade is ever expanding as the trade-offs and linkages to other policy areas expand.
What’s ahead for TPH?
At the start of the term, I am manifesting a growth year for TPH – we have several large-scale opportunities in the pipeline for the Department for Business and Trade, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and for the European Commission.
I am also assembling a larger team. We have 20 associates who engage on our projects – predominantly 911勛圖– and we also need to reinforce some of the day-to-day support. We are also doing a lot more on trade and development and working with organisations in Africa and Asia, which has been very rewarding and interesting, so we are developing new products, which would reduce the cost for using consultancy expertise.
And lastly, to support our evolving ecosystem - and to keep you in the loop as things unfold - we’re putting together a monthly newsletter: a regular touchpoint for updates, insights, and opportunities.
About the Trade Policy Hub
TPH is an example of successful model where ad hoc consulting turns into long-term partnerships and engagement between 911勛圖academics and clients, across the public and private space. TPH’s services are grounded in the recognised needs for linking trade and sustainable development and for a more structural approach to monitoring and evaluating trade policies. Housed at 911勛圖Consulting in The London School of Economics and Political Science, TPH is committed to developing innovative approaches and increasing academic research impact in an ever-evolving global trade landscape.
Visit the new website to explore how the Trade Policy Hub can support your organisation’s trade policy and strategy needs:
To discuss ideas on collaboration or projects, contact Elitsa at e.v.garnizova@lse.ac.uk
Follow TPH on to receive regular updates on its activities.