Khristo Ayad is a strategic communications consultant and public diplomacy analyst based in Doha. His focus lies on the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as soft power diplomacy in wider contexts, including the European Union. He has held several senior positions at global consultancy firms in the Arabian Gulf region, where he provided strategic counsel to multiple key organizations in the government, semi-government, and private sectors. He holds an MA in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Leicester.