About
AT A GLANCE:
Founder & CEO, VALOP Group
RESEARCH AREAS:
- Exposing methods of soft-power building and impact
- State capture and the “red–green” alliance influence in Western countries
- Illicit finance and hidden funding channels that sustain extremist and radicalizing organizations
- Network mapping and ecosystem analysis of violent and non-violent extremist movements
- Post-conflict stabilization, resilience building, and restoration of civic infrastructure in communities damaged by extremist activity
BIOGRAPHY:
Emily Neilson Winkler is the Founder and CEO of VALOP Group, a network of international
companies that leads private-sector efforts to expose and dismantle extremist networks
while restoring stability and order to communities damaged by radicalization and violence.
Under Emily’s leadership, VALOP manages a portfolio of 12 specialist firms that combine
investigative journalism, financial forensics, open-source intelligence (OSINT), and
operational resilience programs to turn opaque extremist ecosystems into actionable
intelligence for governments, regulators, and civil society.
Over a 15+ year career at the intersection of national security, impact entrepreneurship, and sustainability, Emily has built mission-driven teams and platforms that translate complex investigative evidence into policy change, legal referrals, and on-the-ground stabilization programs. Prior to VALOP she founded and led LINK Impact Labs, a venture studio that scaled profit-with-purpose technologies and social enterprises across Africa and the Middle East. Emily holds a BA in Studies of Islam and International Relations from Hebrew University, an MBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology. A sought-after speaker and consultant, she regularly advises U.S. institutions and partner governments across the Middle East and Africa, helping design programs that make communities more resilient and secure in the face of extremist threats.
CONNECT / FOLLOW:
Linkedin: @emily-neilson-winkler/