The Board of European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME

Before his appointment as Executive Chairman of the Federal Management Board of Der Mittelstand.BVMW e.V. in July 2023, the trained banker and lawyer graduated from LMU Munich and was a member of the state parliament, state councillor, internal affairs senator and first mayor in Hamburg. As chairman of the Conference of Interior Ministers in 2010, Ahlhaus earned cross-party respect as a close advisor to the federal government in the field of internal security.

Since 2016, Jorge Portugal is the general manager of COTEC Portugal, a leading private business cross-industry network, focused on innovation foresight, management capability-building and advocating on industrial policy, work and skills, bio-resources and circularity, smart digitalisation, IP management, among many other topics.

Mrs Marina Kaas is the Vice-President of the national association of SMEs in Estonia – EVEA

Main areas of expertise: SME policy and SME support programmes, implementation of EU structural funds, preparation of funding applications.

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Theodor Grassos is Secretary General of the European Association of Institutes for Vocational Training. He has extensive experience both at EU level and in Greece, covering a period of over 17 years. He has contributed to the re‑engineering of OAED, focusing on apprenticeships and work‑based learning. He also has considerable experience of providing career counselling services within Greek active labour market policy (ALMP) schemes, including over 1 000 hours of individual and group counselling.

Stephan Blahut heads the operative unit of the Austrian Association of SME (Österreichischer Gewerbeverein) as Secretary General. After a career in event management and software development he joined the oldest business association in Austria, founded 1839, in 2006.

Tomasz Zjawiony is President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice, Vice President of the National Chamber of Commerce, and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Slovenia, entrepreneur, and manager.

Maurizio Casasco graduated in medicine and obtained a further specialization in sports medicine. He is since Sept. 2022 Member of the Italian Parliament, elected as independent in the list of Forza Italia, an Italian Party member of the EPP.

He is President and CEO of companies delivering medical analytics, health care services and producing medical-technical devices.