Speakers List

Mr. Maurizio Casasco

President of European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME

Maurizio Casasco, a distinguished leader, serves as the President and CEO of companies specializing in medical analytics, healthcare services, and medical-technical devices. As President of Confapi since 2012 and European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME since 2021, he advocates for small and medium-sized industries. He is a member of the European Economic and Social Committee, Vice President of INSME, and actively involved in sports medicine as President of the Italian and European Federation. Maurizio Casasco’s contributions extend to the Aspen Institute, the Italian Institute for International Politics (ISPI), and the board of Foro Italico University in Rome.

Mr. Markus Jerger

Co-President European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME and Chairman of Der Mittelstand.BVMW e.V. (D)

Markus Jerger is a prominent Swiss-German entrepreneur and Chairman of the Executive Board at Der Mittelstand.BVMW e.V. He leads the German Mittelstand.BVMW, the largest economic interest group for small and medium enterprises in Germany. Markus Jerger oversees a global network with over 960,000 members in Germany and international alliances. He holds positions on various boards, contributing his expertise to diverse sectors and organizations.

Mr. Othmar Karas

First Vice-President of the European Parliament (Video-message)

Othmar Karas, an Austrian politician (ÖVP), has been serving as the First Vice-President of the European Parliament since January 2022. He has been an MEP since 1999 and held the position of EP Vice-President from 2019 to 2021 and from 2012 to 2014. Karas is actively involved in various committees and is a member of the EPP Group. He has a Doctorate Degree in Political Science from the University of Vienna. Karas is also engaged in initiatives such as the Austrian “Hilfswerk” and the non-partisan association “Citizens’ Forum Europe,” which he founded in 2010 and still represents today.

James Waterworth
Director of EU Public Policy at Amazon

James Waterworth is Director of EU Public Policy at Amazon where he is responsible for the company’s interactions with the European Union institutions. James has been active in policy for more than twenty years in London and Brussels, initially in the telecoms sector for Cable & Wireless, Telefonica and Nokia before joining Amazon.

Mrs. Outi Slotboom

Director Strategy & Economic Analysis of the Directorate General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission

Mrs. Outi Slotboom is Director for Strategy and Economic Analysis in the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission. Her Directorate is in charge of the strategy for EU industry policy and the Single Market, small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurship, the international aspects of industry policy, as well as economic analysis underpinning these policies.She previously worked on policy coordination and country analysis in the DG for Economic and Financial Affairs and on competitiveness analysis in the DG for Enterprise and Industry.Prior to joining the European Commission, she worked on economic forecasts and policy in the Finnish Ministry of Finance. She studied economics in Turku and in Bruges.

Mr. Paul Rübig

Member of the Governing Board of the European Institute for Innovation
and Technology, Member of the Employers Group at the EESC, former long-time MEP

Paul Rübig is a highly accomplished individual with a remarkable career. As a former long-time Member of the European Parliament, he made significant contributions to various committees and groups, including serving as Chair and Vice-Chair of STOA. He also held roles in committees related to SMEs, climate change, biodiversity, and the Korean Peninsula. He has served as a Member of the Governing Board of the European Institute for Innovation and Technology and as a Member of the Employers Group at the EESC. Prior to his political career, he excelled in executive positions at Rübig Group and made valuable contributions to several foundations. With a strong academic background in business administration and a doctorate in licensing marketing, Paul has published numerous works. His outstanding achievements have earned him prestigious awards, including the Silver Medal of Honour of the European Parliament and the Gold Medal of Honour of the Upper Austrian SME-Union.

Mr. Michał Boni

Senior Research Associate Martens Centre for European Studies, former Polish Minister of Labour and Social Policy (1991), and Minister of Public Administration and Digitalisation (2011-2013), former MEP in 2014-2019

Michał Boni, a member of Poland’s Platforma Obywatelska Party and the European People’s Party (EPP), has been serving as an MEP since May 2014. He is a substitute member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Additionally, he holds the position of vice-chair of the Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee. Boni’s political career began in 1980 as part of the Solidarity movement, and he has held various significant roles in Polish politics. From 2011 to 2013, he served as the Minister of Administration and Digitisation of Poland, pioneering digitalization efforts in Central and Eastern Europe. He also served as the Head of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Strategic Advisers from 2008 onwards. With a PhD from the University of Warsaw, Boni has lectured on Polish Culture and has a strong academic background.

Mr. David Osimo

Research director at The Lisbon Council, co-author of “Green, Digital
and Competitive”

David Osimo leads the Lisbon Council research on areas as diverse as the data economy, digital government and the future of work as well as pioneering novel collaborative methods for policy research. He previously served as scientific officer in the European Commission Joint Research Centre and as co-founder of two independent startups. He holds degrees from the universities of Milan and Cardiff.

Mrs. Annalisa Guidotti           

Director Public Affairs, CONFAPI        

Mrs. Annalisa Guidotti is Director of External Relations and Communications CONFAPI Annalisa Guidotti has a consolidated experience in planning and managing activities in the various sectors of corporate communication and institutional relations, both in the public and private sectors. Journalist, with a master’s degree in corporate communication, she has been External Relations Director of the Marchini Group (finance and real estate), of Roma Duemila (infrastructure coordination for the Jubilee) before moving on to the role of central communications director of INPS and subsequently of Enasarco, focusing and specialising on the issues of work and industry. Annalisa is currently Director of Communications, Institutional Relations and Internationalisation of Confapi.

Mr. Alexandre Montay

Executive Delegate of the Movement of Middle-sized Enterprises M-ETI

Alexandre Montay has an extensive professional background in the French government and public sector. He has held positions in budget reform, state modernization, education, youth, and communication. Alexandre has served in various roles, including Head of Mission, Project Manager, Technical Advisor, Chief of Staff, and Deputy Director. He has also been involved in spokesperson offices and has been actively engaged in supporting intermediate-sized enterprises and heritage companies. Currently, he is the Executive Delegate of the Asmep-ETI/METI, supporting intermediate-sized enterprises.

Mr. Stefan Moritz       

Secretary General of European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME          

Stefan Moritz is a highly skilled professional with expertise in regional economic development, European network promotion and management, workshop facilitation, project management training, and strategic business development advisory. He has held diverse roles such as Project Manager, European Network Promoter and Manager, Workshop Facilitator, Trainer, and Strategic Business Development Advisor. Since October 2013, he has been associated with European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME, initially as the Head of the Brussels Liaison Office of Der Mittelstand.BVMW e.V. and later as the Managing Director. In July 2022, he assumed the position of Secretary General, representing the confederation in various European institutional working groups, advisory boards, and international networks. Mr. Moritz’s extensive experience and leadership contribute significantly to the confederation’s activities.

Dr. Horst Heitz

Secretary General of SME Europe

In 2019 Horst Heitz was appointed Deputy Secretary-General and Special Representative for SMEs for the Taxpayers Association of Europe (TAE). Since Jan 2022 he is the new TAE Head of Office in Brussels. He continues to exercise complementary functions in Brussels. Since 2012 Horst Heitz is Executive Director of SME Europe of the EPP (SMEE). In this function, he joined the Steering Committee of SME Connect (SMEC) (2017) and was elected chair in the same year. In 2015 he became a senator of the European Economic Senate and he is the official representative in Brussels since 2022.

Mrs. Marina Kaas       

Vice-President of European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME & EVEA          

Marina Kaas is the Vice-President of EVEA, the national association of SMEs in Estonia. With extensive expertise in SME policy and support programs, she has been involved in business development projects since 1986. Marina has played a vital role in economic reforms and the establishment of SME-support institutions in Estonia. She has conducted assessments of SME policies in several countries and gained valuable experience at the US Small Business Administration. Marina has worked in both the public and NGO sectors and has been an independent entrepreneur since 1996. In her role as Vice-President, she represents SMEs in ministerial advisory and supervisory boards, focusing on EU structural funds implementation.

Mrs. Svitlana Mikhaylovska

Deputy Director General of European Business Association Ukraine

Svitlana Mykhailovska is the Deputy Director of the European Business Association. She has been working in the Association since 2005. Svitlana graduated from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of International Relations with a degree in International Economics, obtained an MBA degree at the Kyiv School of Economics and Master Degree in banking management. Svitlana has profound professional experience in advocacy, government relations, and business strategies.

Mrs. Wincate Muthini

Programme Director of the Pan-African Chamber of Commerce and Industry        

Wincate M. Muthini, Senior Program Manager at the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is a dynamic leader passionate about bridging local and global approaches for sustainable development. With a background in Mechatronic Engineering, she has empowered youth through experiential learning and advised African businesses on brand development. Wincate’s strategic partnerships and program implementations have facilitated economic integration in Africa, elevating the chamber’s value proposition. Her multifaceted expertise and dedication drive positive change across the continent.

Mrs. Anette Galskjøt

CEO of Danish Export Association

Annette Galskijot is the head of the Danish Export Association and serves as the external representative of the association. In her role, she provides strategic direction for Danish Export and plays a crucial role in fostering collaboration with other organizations and authorities. Annette has a strong background in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she has held positions such as consul general and trade attache. Her experience in these roles has provided her with extensive knowledge of global markets and Danish exports. With her expertise and deep understanding of international markets, Annette Galskijot contributes significantly to the promotion and advancement of Danish exports through her leadership at the Danish Export Association.

Mr. Jürgen Tiedje

Head of Unit Industrial Transformation of the Directorate-General
Research and Innovation

Jürgen Tiedje has been the Head of the Advanced Manufacturing Systems
and Biotechnologies Unit at the European Commission since January 2017. This Unit is managing and funding around 260 research projects focusing on advanced manufacturing processes under the Horizon 2020 programme and coordinates the work around contractual Public Private Partnerships within the Commission. A trained lawyer, Jürgen joined the European Commission in 1992 and has occupied different positions in European policy making since then, including within industry, services and financial services.

Mrs. Algara Castle      

eFuel Alliance Head of EU Affairs      

Algara Castle is head of EU affairs of the eFuel Alliance e.V. based in Brussels and London. With more than seven years of experience as a spokesperson in the European Parliament, she provides expertise on EU policy and regulation, communications and outreach to European decision-makers across a range of sectors. Algara studied at the Otto Suhr Institute of political science in Berlin and started her career in the German parliament before moving to Brussels to work for the social democrats in the European Parliament. In 2015 she won an Alfa Fellowship in Moscow. Algara Castle is an Executive Consultant at von Beust & Coll. Beratungsgesellschaft.

Mr. Walter Hueber
Chief Operating Officer at Kitepower, Investor / Venture Advisor / Mentor

Walter Hueber is a Dutch-Austrian venture builder with extensive international experience scaling businesses across Europe, Asia and North America. He joined Kitepower as COO in early 2023 to drive corporate and business development as the company is preparing commercialization of its first kite powered energy storage product. Next to his role at Kitepower, Walter is an investor, mentor for start-ups in the APX and Scaler8 networks, and venture advisor at impact investment fund LUMO Labs. His core expertise is building teams around a core product vision with clear go-to-market execution.

Mr. Wouter IJzermans

Executive Director of BEPA, BATT4EU Partnership

Wouter IJzermans is leading as executive director the development of the Battery European Platform Association (BEPA), the representing association for the battery industry in the Batt4EU Horizon Europe Partnership dedicated to creating a competitive European industrial battery value chain for stationary applications and e-mobility. He combines a background in international relations with nearly ten years of working experience in the energy sector, with a focus on energy storage and (smart) grid development. Wouter holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Internal Organisation from the University of Groningen. He is Dutch and speaks English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Norwegian.

Dr. Arthur ten Wolde

Executive Director of Ecopreneur.eu, European Sustainable Business Federation

Arthur ten Wolde is the Executive Director of Ecopreneur.eu, the European Sustainable Business Federation. Ecopreneur represents about 3000 businesses in five Member States, mostly SMEs, which strive to deliver sustainable products and services. Arthur is internationally recognised as a circular economy expert, motivational speaker and (co-)author of several reports and many articles in magazines. In addition, he is Trainer Circular Design for CIRCO and Head and Owner of Circular Future. Arthur worked earlier for De Groene Zaak, IMSA and the Dutch Industry Confederation VNO-NCW.

Mr. John Hugo Freddy Braeckeveldt

President of the European Business Association

Came to Georgia in 2004 and from then had been the Country and regional coordinator of the Caucasus at Gosselin Group, a Belgian International moving, warehousing, and logistics company.  John has been a partner of DBR-group Ltd (Belgian construction materials in Georgia) since 2008 and became the Honorary Consul of Belgium to Georgia in 2018. Since 2021 he is also an advisor and board member of belinus solar.

Mrs. Anna Klissouras

Principal EU Public Policy – SME Ambassador @ Amazon

Anna Klissouras is Amazon Europe’s SME Ambassador and has been working in Public Policy as well as the Amazon Marketplace business for 8 years. Previous experiences include her own e-commerce company and roles in marketing and communications in tech companies and the United Nations. She holds an MBA as well as master’s degrees in philosophy and art history.

Mr. Brando Benifei

Member of EP-Committees on Internal Market and Consumer Protection, and on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Rapporteur of the AI-Act

Brando Benifei is the youngest Italian MEP, a member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D). He was elected to the European Parliament in 2014 and is a member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and vice-chair of the Youth Intergroup and of the Disability Intergroup. Benifei has been chair of European affairs for the Young Democrats and Vice-President of ECOSY (youth organization of PES) for four years. He joined the PES working group which originally drafted the European Youth Guarantee. Benifei studied at the University of Bologna, the London School of Economics and the Ispi Milano.

Mr. Lukas Mandl

Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for the relations with the Korean peninsula

Lukas Mandl is an Austrian politician of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and member of the European Parliament. From 2008 to 2017, Mr Mandl was a Member of the regional parliament of Lower Austria and Chair of its Committee on European affairs. He was Secretary-General of the Employees’ Organisation of the Austrian People’s Party from 2010 to 2012. From 2015 to 2017, he was also Deputy Mayor of his hometown Gerasdorf. In 2017 he became a member of the European Parliament. During his first term, he served on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety as well as the Committee on Petitions. Following his re-election in 2019, he currently serves on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and is Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence. In 2020, he joined the Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union. Since 2020, Lukas Mandl is chair of the parliament’s delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula.

Mr. Stephan Blahut

Secretary General of the Austrian Business Association

Stephan Blahut is the Secretary General of the Austrian Association of SME (Österreichischer Gewerbeverein), leading its operative unit. With a background in event management and software development, he joined the oldest business association in Austria, established in 1839, in 2006. In his role, Stephan is primarily responsible for driving ÖGV’s internationalization efforts and managing government relations at both national and European levels. Additionally, he holds a degree in knowledge management, which further enhances his expertise in fostering organizational growth and development.

Mr. Frank Riemann

CEO Fairdoy Ltd.

After studying molecular biology, theoretical physics, philosophy of science and business administration at the universities of Heidelberg, Gothenburg and Harvard, Frank Riemann worked for a major computer company for many years. Since 2020, he has been doing the things he enjoys. He founds, accompanies and curates start-ups in the deep tech sector. He is chair of the german ai association zuse3 and is currently designing Europe’s fastest AI computing centre THEA (THe European Answer) together with top-class talents and an experienced management team. By combining neuromorphic computing clusters with quantum computers, THEA will be 10-100x faster than classical HPC with 90% less energy consumption. The first phase of THEA will be operational in Q3/2024 and will be a beacon on the road to European technological sovereignty.

Mr. Tomas van der Heijden

Co-Founder & CEO at Briink

Tomas van der Heijden is a GreenTech entrepreneur based in Berlin. His vision to use AI to simplify sustainable finance reporting led to him co-founding Briink in 2021 together with Samuel King. They are now on a mission to use AI, including large language model applications like GPT-4, to help European investors and SMEs understand and implement new sustainability regimes like the EU taxonomy and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and accelerate the allocation of green capital to truly green projects and businesses.

Prof. Marcello Colledani

Professor Polytechnic University Milan, Coordinator of Digiprime

Prof. Marcello Colledani is an Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano, specializing in manufacturing systems and circular economy. With research experience at MIT’s Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity, he has made significant contributions to stochastic modeling, control, and reconfiguration of manufacturing systems. His work also focuses on advanced mechanical de-and remanufacturing technologies for circular economy principles. As the coordinator of the EU H2020 project FiberEUse, Prof. Colledani leads efforts in composite recovery and re-use, promoting sustainable practices in the manufacturing industry. He also coordinates the Regional working group on “De-and Remanufacturing for Circular Economy,” driving collaboration within AFIL, Lombardy’s intelligent factories cluster. Prof. Colledani’s expertise extends to inter-regional cooperation for circular economy through the H2020 Screen project. His research and leadership contribute to the development of methodologies fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among regions.

Mrs. Iris Brokamp

Secretary General Eurojuris International

Iris Brokamp is a business consultant specialized on the legal market. She provides advice and guidance to law firms in areas such as marketing, business development, and communication, while also offering coaching services. Iris is a qualified lawyer as well as business and management coach. She began her career as practicing lawyer and soon specialized in marketing and business development, with notable positions at Howrey and Linklaters in Brussels, Dentons in Frankfurt, and Watson Farley & Williams in Hamburg. Today, Iris focuses on the consultancy for medium-sized law firms and legal networks.