Lara Tcholakian, PhD, is a Canadian-Armenian executive and Founding Partner of Elevate, a social enterprise that advances leadership, systemic transformation, and peace-positive business, with operations in the UK, the Netherlands, and Armenia.

She is a visiting scholar at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Professor Matena’s School of Leadership and Professional Development (Armenia). Over more than twenty-five years, Tcholakian has held leadership roles in international NGOs and the corporate sector, primarily focusing on socio-economic project development, capacity building, gender rights, organizational development, and HR.

She has lived and worked in Canada, France, Peru, Sri Lanka, and Armenia. She earned a doctorate in organizational behavior from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam’s School of Business and Economics, a master’s in socio-economic development from Université Paris 1—Panthéon-Sorbonne, an executive master’s in consulting and coaching for change from INSEAD, and a bachelor’s degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.