Róbert Vass

Róbert Vass is a founder and President of GLOBSEC, an action-oriented policy institution born in Central Europe. GLOBSEC is an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental organization dedicated to enhancing security, prosperity, and sustainability in Europe and the world. Róbert currently manages an international team of more than 80 people composed of 12 different nationalities with the headquarters in Bratislava and offices in Brussels, Prague, Vienna, Kyiv and Washington.

Contributing to this goal is the annual GLOBSEC Forum, one of the leading global security conferences. GLOBSEC also organizes the annual GLOBSEC Tatra Summit, a conference that provides experts with the opportunity to discuss the economic future of Europe. The Forum regularly welcomes more than 1300 guests, including heads of state, senior level politicians and C-suite business executives, international media, as well as respected thought leaders from the non-governmental and think-tank sectors. GLOBSEC events have been attended by high-level guests such as Pope Francis, Volodymir Zelenskyy, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Christine Lagarde, David Cameron, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Brad Smith and many other distinguished guests. GLOBSEC also organizes the annual GLOBSEC Tatra Summit, a conference that provides opportunity for experts to have intimate and constructive public-private discussions on the future of Europe.

GLOBSEC’s analysis and recommendations have been featured by international media outlets such as CNN, BBC, and the New York Times, GLOBSEC’s experts have delivered briefings for various governments, EU institutions, NATO, French Senate, US Senate, and additional representatives of international institutions.

Róbert works with a widely respected global network of leaders from both the public and private sector, namely GLOBSEC’s International Advisory Council and GLOBSEC Board members that counts titans from the fields of politics, business and academia like: Carl Bildt, Kersti Kaljulaid, General John Allen, Arancha González Laya, Alexandre Adam, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Thierry Déau, Mark Esper and many more. Róbert is also an active Advisor of the Schmidt Futures’ International Strategy Forum Network.

In 2020, Róbert received the Golden Plaque of the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, on behalf of GLOBSEC for their significant contribution to the shaping of foreign and European policy, social discussion on foreign, security and European issues and a positive presentation of the Slovak Republic abroad. In 2017, he received a special Award of Governor of the National Bank of Romania in recognition of his efforts to create a safer transatlantic community. In 2014, the Mayor of Nové Zámky Otokar Klein recognized Róbert for his distinguished promotion of the city within the Slovak Republic and abroad and was the nominee for „Manager of the Year“ that same year.

Before establishing GLOBSEC, Róbert was elected the president of Euro-Atlantic Centre (EAC) in 2002, a nongovernmental student organisation and held the position until 2006. EAC strives to connect young professionals passionate about international relations, foreign policy and security policy. Róbert also represented the Slovak Republic and EAC in the international association Youth Atlantic Treaty Association. Róbert holds his master’s degree from the Faculty of International Relations and Political Sciences at Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica.