Kristin Schreiber
Director in charge of SME policy, Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission
Kristin Schreiber is responsible for the current COSME Programme (fostering the competitiveness of European SMEs). She also acts as one of the two Commission Board members of the European Investment Fund and serves as Deputy EU SME Envoy.
Kristin Schreiber joined the European Commission in 1990 and was appointed to her current position in 2015 after serving as Director for Governance of the Single Market and International Affairs in DG Internal Market. Previously in the European Commission, Kristin Schreiber was Head of Cabinet of Employment Commissioner Vladimir Špidla, Deputy Head of Cabinet of Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier and member of the Cabinets of Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen and Competition Commissioner Karel Van Miert. She also served as Head of Unit for International Affairs in the DG for Employment and Social Affairs and was a member of the Merger Task Force of DG Competition.
David Caro
President of the European Small Business Alliance
For the last eight years, David has been the President of the European Small Business Alliance which represents approx. 1million small and micro businesses from across Europe and is based in Brussels. He previously sat on the UK Federation of Small Businesses English and National Policy Committees chairing the Environment and Energy Policy Unit and then the EU and International Affairs Policy Unit, he also has been a member of the Executive Board of the Flock Association of Europe since 2005. David is a member of West Midlands Business Forum, a group representing all the major business organisations in central England.
Eva Merloni
WEgate Project Manager
Eva Merloni is the President and chief project officer of Area Europa, with 10 years of experience in the management of European projects. With a background in Applied Ecology (Biological Sciences), an international master's degree in Sustainable Local Development and a PhD in Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences and Technologies, she’s a senior expert in coordinating projects (LIFE, Horizon 2020, Erasmus+, Interreg) at international level. She is currently the Project manager of WEgate on behalf of ESBA.
Gabriela Kostovska Bogoeska
Executive Director of the Foundation for Management and Industrial Research, North Macedonia
Gabriela has more than 16 years of experience in business and innovation support activities for increased competitiveness of the business sectors and overall sustainable development. With background in mechanical engineering, managing an IT business incubator, and acting as the president of the Macedonian national council for women entrepreneurship. Vice-chair of the Women entrepreneurship group within the largest European business support network, the EnterpriseEuropeNetwork, and WEgate community coordinator.
Lisa Lang
Founder & CEO, The PowerHouse
Lisa is a European entrepreneur, technologist and international keynote speaker. She has gained recognition as one of Forbes Europe’s Top 50 Women in Tech, top 100 most influential people in wearable tech worldwide, one of 25 leaders in fashion and technology worldwide, and has been listed as one of the 50 most important women for innovation & startups in the EU. Lisa is a direct adviser for fashion, technology and entrepreneurship for the European Commission, focusing on creative industries and Artificial Intelligence strategies on several high-level advisory boards. She regularly teaches business and innovation strategies at the Porto Business School and has been given guest lectures at TEDx Athens, KryptoLabs Abu Dhabi and Oxford University.
Paloma Lozano
Co-founder and Managing Director at Innogate to Europe
Expert in European Programmes supporting Innovation, Research and Development, Paloma has more than 12 years’ experience in the promotion, development, management and implementation of collaborative transnational projects involving business, academia and public authorities. She has coordinated and participated as partner in numerous EU projects supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. She is local contact point of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme since 2014, managing transnational business exchanges between novel and experienced entrepreneurs and providing support and assistance to candidates and participants.
Anne Ravanona
Founder & CEO of Global Invest Her
Anne Ravanona is Founder & CEO of Global Invest Her, the go-to platform for early-stage women entrepreneurs that demystifies funding & helps them get investor-ready. Her mission is to help 1 Million Women Entrepreneurs Get Funded by 2030 through her 1M InvestHers Movement presented to President Macron of France. A dynamic and passionate women’s advocate with over 25 years experience in global business, she is a TEDx speaker about the challenges women entrepreneurs face when looking for funding and advises Fortune 500 companies on Gender Diversity as a Consultant.
Thomas Cooney
Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Technological University Dublin
Tom is Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Technological University Dublin, Academic Director of the Institute for Minority Entrepreneurship and Adjunct Professor at the University of Turku (Finland). He is a former President of the International Council for Small Business (2012-13) and of the European Council for Small Business (2009-11), and was Chair of the ICSB 2014 World Entrepreneurship Conference. He is a policy advisor to Governments, European Commission, OECD and other international organisations. He is a Director of four enterprises and works in various capacities with a range of businesses. He has published 9 books and presented widely on the topic, particularly in the area of minority entrepreneurship.
Helle Neergaard
Professor of Entrepreneurship and Head of Section, Department of Management, Aarhus University
Helle currently works at the Department of Management, Aarhus University where she is currently Head of Section. Helle does research in Entrepreneurship with a special focus on female entrepreneurs, Higher Education (in entrepreneurship) with a focus on transformational learning and Qualitative Social Research. She is widely published also in some of the top-tier journals in entrepreneurship and was the PI of the 'PACE - Promoting A Culture of Entrepreneurship' project from 2012-2016.
Aida Bakri
WEgate Summit 2020 moderator
Aida Bakri is a global citizen and social entrepreneur ardently working for better regulation. She is the founder and managing director of ADS Insight, a boutique consultancy recognised as one of the Best in Brussels. Driven by the UN SDGs, Aida and her team support innovation-oriented clients from around the world navigate the EU’s politics, policies and funding mechanisms, specifically in sustainable transport, climate resilience, agri-food systems, health and circular economy. She is co-founder of the LadyAgri Impact Investment Hub and is a strong advocate for women’s financial inclusion. Her TEDxULB talk and her Power to Empower Sustainability blog aim to inspire social entrepreneurship and purpose-driven missions. Aida is a Vital Voices Global Partnership mentee and SDG communications trainer.
