About - Karen Allen International

About Karen Allen International

Karen Allen International (KAI) is a global consultancy blending journalism-inspired investigations, open-source intelligence (OSINT), and evidence-based research to tackle complex global challenges, from cybersecurity and disinformation to information integrity, human rights, and international security.

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Our services

Karen Allen International specialises in five core areas:

Research,
Advisory,
Training,
Communication,
and Media Production.

Our work is grounded in a journalism-led approach, combining investigative rigour, OSINT, and real-world insight to unpack complex global challenges. We offer strategic advisory and scenario-based training to help organisations navigate issues such as cybersecurity, foreign interference, and global security. Our communications services shape credible narratives that influence decision-making, while our in-house production team creates high-quality videos, digital explainers, podcasts, and infographics that turn insight into impact.

Research, advisory and training

We draw on years of field experience in international journalism, research and policy analysis and advisory to provide:

Policy research and briefings
OSINT-led investigations
Strategic foresight and scenario planning
Influence and disinformation analysis
Communications strategy and media training

Our training services build real-world capacity through:

Crisis response simulations
Media literacy and digital hygiene
Executive communication coaching
OSINT skills for analysts and journalists

Communication and media production

Through our in-house content and production team, we bring ideas to life with compelling, high-quality storytelling. Our services include:

Corporate videos and public information campaigns
Animated motion infographics and explainer videos
Podcasts and audio storytelling
Editorial content, op-eds, and high-level speechwriting
Strategic communications planning and message development

We craft content designed to inform, not spin, bridging the gap between policy and public understanding.

Camera services Karen Allen International

Who is Karen Allen

The company’s founder Karen Allen is a former BBC Foreign Correspondent with more than two decades of industry experience in conflict, humanitarian and general political news reporting. Her assignments have seen her posted to Afghanistan, Iraq and much of East, Central and Southern Africa and the company maintains a global footprint operating out of Johannesburg and London.

Karen is involved in international public policy as a consultant to a number of International think tanks including the Institute for Security Studies. She is also a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London in the Department of War Studies and is a regular contributor to a number of publications. Karen holds a Masters Degree in International Relations and Contemporary War and a BA(Econ)Hons.

Our Vision:

“To bridge the divide between international policy and practical delivery by offering powerful communications tools to help our clients explain some of the most pressing global issues of our time.”

— Karen Allen, Founder and Director