Michael Cottakis is CEO of 89 Global, a public sector advisory firm which supplies strategic, policy, and operational advice to governments around the world. Michael is an economic historian of the Eastern Mediterranean. In 2023, he obtained a PhD from the LSE European Institute, concentrating on the business history of Thessaloniki and Izmir during the 19th and 20th centuries. His research interests include the business, trade, and investment patterns of the Late Ottoman Empire, with a specific focus on port cities.