Jean-François Seznec’s interest centers on the influence of the Arab-Persian Gulf political and social variables on the financial and oil markets in the region. He is focusing on the industrialization of the Gulf and in particular the growth of the energy based industries such as petrochemicals, aluminum or steel. He is Visiting Associate Professor at Georgetown University in Washington after twenty years being Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. He is Senior Advisor to PFC Energy in Washington, DC. He holds a MIA from Columbia University [1973], a MA and his Ph.D. from Yale University [1994]. He has published and lectured extensively and is interviewed regularly on TV, radio and newspapers worldwide.

JF Seznec has 25 years experience in international banking and finance of which ten years were spent in the Middle East, including six years in Bahrain as a banker. Dr. Seznec is a founding member and Managing Partner of the Lafayette Group LLC, a US based private investment company. He uses his knowledge of business in the Middle East and the United States to further his analysis of the Arab- Persian Gulf.