Siamak Namazi is a Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Earlier in his career, he advised multinational companies on strategy, market entry, and political risk across the Middle East, while also engaging in track-2 diplomacy. In 2015, he was detained by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and held for eight years in Evin Prison—becoming the longest-held American hostage in Iran.

Today, he draws on both his professional and personal experience to speak about decision-making, strategy, and leverage under extreme constraint. He also serves on the advisory boards of Hostage Aid Worldwide and the McCain Institute's Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative.