Arne Elias Corneliussen – Founder and CEO, NRCI – Geopolitical Advisor & Keynote Speaker

Arne Elias Corneliussen is a keynote speaker and geopolitical advisor who supports businesses, governments, and international institutions. He is a political scientist and he studied in the US, Egypt, and Chile. He traveled worldwide from a young age, and possesses a broad and deep global understanding of geopolitical and strategic events and dynamics. He is the founder and chief executive officer of NRCI – a geopolitical advisory firm he established in Oslo, Norway, in 2010.

Arne traveled to 130 countries, and he conducted more than 20 expeditions alone by public bus and train across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, where he mapped and examined the geopolitical, strategic and economic landscape. He crossed vast geographical regions, often operating in highly challenging and high-risk conditions. These expeditions gave him extraordinary geopolitical insights, and a unique global and strategic perspective.

He conducted 12 expeditions to 42 countries on the African continent, and he traveled alone by public bus across 28 countries in western, southern, and eastern Africa. Furthermore, he also traveled 16,000 km on a major expedition by train and bus from Shanghai to Istanbul across China, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Türkiye to Istanbul to map infrastructure developments, logistics clusters, and the geopolitical landscape along One Belt One Road, also called the New Silk Road, which China develops.

In the fall of 2022, he traveled by bus and train across 19 countries in eastern, southern, and western Europe and assessed geopolitical and strategic dynamics, and more broadly he assessed the future of Europe. From November 2024 until March 2025, he conducted two major expeditions across Africa and the Middle East. In his expedition across the Middle East, he traveled 12,000 km alone by public bus from Amman across Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Türkiye to Istanbul. The longest expedition ever conducted across the Middle East.

His global on the ground experience assessing geopolitical, strategic, and economic dynamics, combined with managing NRCI for 15 years, make him uniquely experienced and knowledgeable about geopolitical events and global affairs. Arne maintains dialogue with informed contacts worldwide on all levels in academia, business, diplomacy, and governments.

Arne delivers transformative and captivating performances at conferences, corporate events, and leadership and board meetings worldwide. He also provides lectures at leading universities, and he lectured at University of Oxford and Peking University in Beijing. Arne is a highly insightful, inspiring, and captivating keynote speaker, who leaves audiences energised and moved with new perspectives and deep insights.

Notable Achievements & Stories 

1. Global Strategic Thinker & Geopolitical Expert

   • Founder and CEO of Norwegian Risk Consulting International (NRCI), a leading geopolitical risk advisory firm.

   • Renowned for his expertise in geopolitics, international trade, and global security, providing strategic insights for multinational corporations and governments.

2. Explorer & Researcher

   • Conducted extensive on-the-ground research in over 120 countries, analyzing political, economic, and security landscapes.

   • Led field expeditions across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, meeting with government officials, business leaders, and local communities.

3. International Speaker & Thought Leader

   • Featured speaker at major global conferences on geopolitics, international security, and economic development.

   • Regularly consulted by organizations on supply chain resilience, infrastructure investments, and emerging markets.

4. Expert in Energy, Infrastructure & Global Trade

   • Provides strategic risk analysis for companies investing in energy, transportation, and critical infrastructure worldwide.

   • Advises corporations on navigating political instability, market volatility, and regulatory challenges in emerging economies.

5. Advisory Roles

   • Serves as an advisor to governments and multinational corporations on policy development and geopolitical risk management.