Discover the speakers of the conference

Achitei Angela
President ADV Romania Foundation
The attractiveness of the social entrepreneurship for young people: innovative and inclusive way to do business
This session is fully dedicated to youth social entrepreneurship and its attractiveness. It also gathers relevant experts from the EU, international and local levels that will present opportunities of EU policies, the state of play of young social entrepreneurs but also challenges that still need to be tackled followed by concrete recommendations
Organiser: EUROPEAN NETWORK OF SOCIAL INTEGRATION ENTERPRISES (ENSIE)
Moderators:
- Pauline Bonino
- Aziza Yussupova
Speakers:
- Patrick Klein
- Julien de Beys
- Antonella Noya
- Angela Achitei
- Thomas Laleu
Achitei Angela
Angela has been managing for 19 years the ADV Foundation, one of the biggest NGO in RO specialized in social entrepreneurship addressing youths, especially with disabilities. She has developed the ADV Academy & 4 social innovation labs in MD and in UA for youth social entrepreneurs. She is a graduate in social care & has a master’s degree in the integrated education of people with disabilities.
Adriaenssens Philippe
Policy Director European Round Table (Moderator)
What can the Single Market do for Europe's recovery?
What can the Single Market do for Europe's recovery?
Adriaenssens Philippe
Policy Director at ERT, responsible for single market, energy policy, competition policy and finance and tax. Latest publication 'Renewing the Dynamic of European Integration - Single Market Stories by business leaders'. Previously worked for consultancies and the Belgian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Graduated from College of Europe. Former President of JEF-Europe.
Agiovlasitis Iraklis
Coordinator of Innovation Services, Enterprise Europe Network FFG Austrian Research Promotion Agency
Driving the sustainability transition for European SMEs: support to change and innovate
Driving the sustainability transition for European SMEs: support to change and innovate
This session will explore the main actions and instruments that should be deployed for the acceleration of the sustainability transition of SMEs. The discussion will inspire and give advice to authorities, business and civil society organisations on how to jointly develop and put in place adequate mechanisms that identify and support SMEs access to green and sustainable technologies, business solutions, R&D partners and facilities, skills, dedicated funding and markets and thus facilitate their innovation, growth, resilience and competitiveness.
Agiovlasitis Iraklis
Iraklis Agiovlasitis is coordinating the innovation services of Enterprise Europe Network in Austria. He has over 15 years of experience in international consulting as well as the Research & Development & Innovation scene across diverse range of organizations and cultures. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering with a focus on data analytics and algorithmic modelling.
Alonso Mercedes
Executive Vice President Neste
Transition for the EU chemicals industry
Transition for the EU chemicals industry
A new long-term vision for the EU's chemical policy is now defined by the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. It proposes a transformation of the EU chemicals industry becoming global leader in the production and consumption of safe and sustainable chemicals and materials, including through low-carbon, zero pollution and energy- and resource-efficient processes and technologies. It is now necessary to define the pathway to be followed by the chemicals industry and all main stakeholders for this transformation to happen. This session aims to identify the key elements - e.g. Safe and Sustainable by Design - as well as the challenges, opportunities and milestones of the transition pathway in a discussion with representatives from the EU institutions, the chemicals sector, civil society and the audience.
Alonso Mercedes
EVP Renewable Polymers and Chemicals and ExCo member at Neste. M.Sc. (Chem). Previously served as Marketing Director APS Europe, LYB (2019), MD Eng. Composites Europe (2016–2019), and Global Director Corporate Marketing in A.Schulman Inc.( 2013–2016), as well as Global Business Excellence Leader and several commercial roles at Dow Chemical (1991–2013). Member of the Board of Cefic (2020-).
Ananičienė Kristina
Cluster manager LITEK (Moderator)
Photonics and AgriFood: the synergy through cross-ecosystem collaboration
Photonics and AgriFood: the synergy through cross-ecosystem collaboration
Agri-food sector is identified as one of the 14 industrial ecosystems spanning across the EU, so cross-sectorial R&D collaboration and innovations are essential to ensure the ecosystem’s future sustainability, accelerate green and digital transition. On the other hand, photonics is a key enabling technology that plays an important role in building more circular EU economy, a climate-neutral and digital single market. Adapting light technologies to the Agri-food sector will enable new tools for twin transition. During this session we will discuss cross-sectorial collaboration towards twin transition, what kind of support schemes for demo projects already exists, what success stories do we already have, and what the future holds.
Organiser: AgriFood Lithuania DIH /LITEK
Ananičienė Kristina
Laser & Engineering Technologies Cluster (LITEK™) manager holding a physics master's degree and having a background in business management. For the last seven years promoting R&D and knowledge transfer, bringing together science and industry, actively working with innovative entrepreneurship. An experienced project manager, leader and a team-player, always looking for a way to improve.
Araújo Luís
President of Visit Portugal
Supporting the industry and destinations in view of the twin transition
Supporting the industry and destinations in view of the twin transition
Araújo Luís
Luís Araújo is the President of Turismo de Portugal (Portuguese National Tourism Authority) since February 2016. He was elected to lead the European Travel Commission in September 2020. He is also steering the work of NEST, a private non-profit association dedicated to innovation in the Portuguese tourism. Mr. Araújo previously was a Board Member at Group Pestana.
Arditi Stéphane
Director of Policy Integration and Circular Economy European Environmental Bureau
Transition Pathways for the EU industrial ecosystems – a co-creation process
Transition Pathways for the EU industrial ecosystems – a co-creation process
The ‘transition pathways’ will guide the industrial ecosystems along the green and digital transition through an actionable plan, with the ultimate goal of strengthening the resilience of our European industrial fabric. They are being co-created by a wide array of stakeholders, including EU institutions, industrial representations, Member States authorities, NGOs, research institutes and social partners. In this context, the Industrial Forum - set up by the Industrial Strategy – plays a very important role. One of the objectives of the Forum is to deepen the systematic analyses of industrial ecosystems and support the development of these transition pathways. In this session, the European Commission will present the results of this intense co-creation process and a high-level panel will discuss the practical implementation of such pathways.
Arditi Stéphane
Stéphane works as the Director for Policy Integration and Circular Economy at the European Environmental Bureau. Before joining EEB, Stéphane worked within the automotive and aeronautics industry. In his everyday work, Stéphane attempts to promote circular economy and how to bridge circular economy with other policy areas, such as Climate, Bio-economy, Industry & Chemicals.
Arjona Román
Head of Unit, DG GROW European Commission (Moderator)
The impact of supply chain disruptions on the European economy
The impact of supply chain disruptions on the European economy
Arjona Román
Román is Chief Economist at DG GROW, and Vice-Chair of the OECD’s Committee for Industry and Innovation. He was Chief Economist and Strategy & Foresight Head at DG R&I, and Vice-Chair of the OECD’s Science and Technology Committee. He served as Spain’s Secretary-General for Science and Innovation, and at EIB, IMF and OECD, and WEF groups. He has a College of Europe Master and a PhD from the EUI.
Athanasopoulou Anna
Head of Unit, DG GROW European Commission
Proximity & Social Economy ecosystem
Proximity & Social Economy ecosystem
The digital and green transitions open unprecedented opportunities for Europe, yet they also bring certain challenges. Inequalities across Europe caused by globalisation, technological change, previous economic crisis or current COVID-19 pandemic are hampering sustainable growth and can lead to social conflict, reduced participation in society, increased social exclusion, potentially undermining the future of our youth. Joint forces of industry and civil society can provide solutions to those societal challenges beyond the creation of jobs and growth and become a resilient provider of prosperity, by making production respect the boundaries of our planet and placing the wellbeing and participation of the industry worker at the centre of the production process. At the same time, the industrial transformation should serve to create new relationship with a wide set of stakeholders at the local level and in our “proximity economies”. At this level, citizens engagement models can cross-fertilise with business models. Those belong to the heart of social economy. Those business models are very attractive for young entrepreneurs, but also for young citizens to engage in a business process, such as for example a cooperative society or a volunteer association amongst other forms. Bringing those actors together with public authorities in a “local proximity and social economy ecosystem” is therefore a promising avenue for new or reinforced public private partnerships.
Moderator:
- Diana Dovgan
Speakers:
- Mohammed Ridouani
- Francesca Montalti
- Anna Athanasopoulou
- Henrik Barkman
- Maryline Filippi
Fostering breakthrough technologies for the CCIs ecosystem’s growth
Fostering breakthrough technologies for the CCIs ecosystem’s growth
Moderator:
- Jacki Davis
Speakers:
- Natasja Paulssen
- Volker Helzle
- Spiros Nikolopoulos
- Michela Magas
- Luca Morena
- Lisa Lang
- Anna Athanasopoulou
- Rehana Schwinninger-Ladak
Athanasopoulou Anna
Anna Athanasopoulou is Head of Unit, ‘Proximity, Social Economy and Creative Industries’, at the European Commission. An EU official since 2002, she has held different positions at services and Cabinet-level, relating to tourism and textiles, culture and creative industries, and external relations.
Audren Marie
Director General HOTREC
From co-creation to co-implementation