Elena Tosana has more than 15 years’ international experience leading projects at the intersection of public and private sectors, a background in Asian studies and economics with a focus on bilateral trade and commercial issues across Asia, the U.S. and Europe, and she brings consolidated experience in events and program management.
Before joining BWC, Elena served as Executive Liaison and Administrative Affairs Director at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C., where she analyzed and investigated the geo-economics trends shaping the transatlantic trade relations, and orchestrated the end-to-end planning and execution of economic and commercial diplomacy outreach events and programs.
Prior to that, Elena worked as Economic Analyst and Protocol Director at the U.S. Consulate General in Naples, Italy, where she directed a variety of commercial diplomacy events and projects, supporting U.S. investments in Italy and Europe.
As a sinologist, Elena spent 13 years’ living and working in China before moving to the U.S.: during her tenure as Executive Director of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce in China, she engaged local government officials and the business community, and led impactful policy making initiatives and programs, also in co-ordination with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. At the beginning of her career in China, she supported leading Italian businesses such as Ferrari and Artemide develop their manufacturing facilities and sales networks in China.
Elena has a bachelor’s and Master's Degree in Oriental Languages and Literatures from the Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, Italy, and a Master in Business Administration from Central European University (CEU) Business School in Budapest, Hungary. She is fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, Italian, and French.
She serves as member of the Advisory Board at CEU Business School, and she volunteers as member of the Scholarship Committee at Calvary United Methodist Church in Arlington, VA.
A native of Italy, she moved to the U.S. in 2015 and became a U.S. citizen in 2019. She lives with her husband and daughter in Arlington, Virginia.