Vahan Zanoyan is a distinguished American-Armenian whose multifaceted career spans the fields of economics, national security, geopolitics of energy, enology, literature, advocacy, and thought leadership in Armenia’s political and social discourse.

Rooted in the proud heritage of Musaler, Mr. Zanoyan was born in Lebanon, and raised in Anjar and Beirut. Since relocating to the United States in 1975, he has called many places home, including Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Lausanne (Switzerland), Bahrain, Newport Beach (California), and Armenia. Today, he divides his time between Newport Beach, Yerevan, and Vayots Dzor—where he designed and built the home of his dreams.

Mr. Zanoyan’s early education began at Sister Hedwig’s Armenian Evangelical School in Anjar, followed by the Հայ Աւետարանական Գոլեճը in Beirut, where his late father Papken Zanoyan was an iconic educator. He earned a BA in Political Science in 1972 and an MA in Economics in 1975 from the American University of Beirut. He pursued further postgraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania (1975-1978).

Professionally, Mr. Zanoyan has advised governments—including the United States, Norway, the United Kingdom, Japan, Kazakhstan, and several Gulf states—on national security, geopolitical affairs, and global energy. He served as President and CEO of PFC Energy in Washington, D.C. PFC Energy International in Switzerland, and First Energy Bank in Bahrain.

A prolific writer, Zanoyan has published two volumes of poetry in Armenian—«Վերադարձ» (2010) and «ԵզրէնԴուրս» (2011)—and four English-language novels: A Place Far Away (2013), The Doves of Ohanavank (2014), The Sacred Sands (2016), and Waking Noah’s Vines (2019)—three of which have been translated into Armenian.

Beyond his professional and literary contributions, Mr. Zanoyan is deeply engaged in humanitarian work, particularly in the fight against human trafficking. In recent years, he has also championed the growth of Armenia’s wine industry and wine tourism.

Mr. Zanoyan’s greatest value lies in his visionary mindset and strategic thinking—a rare and increasingly vital quality in the Armenian context.