Oana Lungescu is Distinguished Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and Senior Adviser at the European Policy Centre (EPC).
The longest serving NATO Spokesperson (2010-2023) and the first woman to hold the post, she directed alliance communications during the most turbulent period in a generation, providing strategic advice to two Secretaries General – Jens Stoltenberg and Anders Fogh Rasmussen. She was responsible for NATO’s public messaging and chief speechwriter, playing a key role in NATO’s approach to Russia and China, the accession of Finland and Sweden, and operations from the Western Balkans to Afghanistan. She was awarded a NATO Meritorious Service Medal in 2023.
Born in Romania under communism, Oana joined NATO after 25 years at the BBC World Service, where she covered EU and NATO affairs.