Elena Athwal is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ICELIS Global, a Qatar-based strategic advisory firm operating at the intersection of energy, ESG, and regulatory governance. She advises governments, financial institutions, and multinational companies across the GCC and internationally on complex legal, policy, and sustainability challenges, with a focus on energy transition, climate-aligned investment, and risk management in volatile markets.

She serves as Chair of the Energy Transition Working Group at ICC Qatar’s Environment & Energy Commission and is a Research Fellow with the UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development. Elena is also an S.J.D. candidate at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (2027), where her research focuses on embedding human rights within energy governance frameworks. She holds a J.D. from HBKU College of Law and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School.

Her work is recognized for bridging legal expertise with strategic advisory, supporting institutions and businesses in navigating geopolitical uncertainty, regulatory complexity, and the evolving demands of sustainable development. She also engages with critical resource security challenges, including the energy–water nexus and the governance of water resilience systems in arid and climate-exposed regions.