MARI SAARTEINEN – COMMUNICATIONS AND SUSTAINABILITY

As communications professional and entrepreneur, Mari has over 20 years of experience in project management, corporate communications and public affairs strategies in consultancies, the European Parliament and in the third sector. Through strategic planning, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, media relations and crisis preparedness, she has helped organisations build their profile and messaging for a more sustainable future. In addition to her master’s degree in social sciences, she studied EU law at the University of Granada in Spain, and holds a diploma in strategic communications management. Recently she completed Business Sustainability Management studies at University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

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ANA AGUILAR – MEDIA RELATIONS & PR

Ana is a media expert and former journalist. She has worked in Brussels for over 15 years, specialising in communicating EU policies to external audiences, both for several Brussels-based consultancies, as well as for EU institutions. She has also provided advice and implemented media relations for private companies and European associations on a wide range of fields, such as culture, education, environment, urban transport and precision farming. Since the start of her career in Brussels, she has been involved in the development of communication strategies and outreach action plans. She has excellent knowledge of the EU media landscape and media trends which allows her to develop tailored media strategies and communication materials (print, AV, web, social media, etc.), counsel on media events and manage international project teams. Ana is a graduate of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish and Catalan.
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MARIANNE FERNAGUT – SUSTAINABILITY COMMUNICATIONS

Marianne is a respected communications professional with a solid background in environmental and sustainability issues. She has a successful track record working with EU, government agencies, international organisations, NGOs, trade associations, and private companies in manufacturing sector, food and drink industry and financial institutions among others, helping them to define and deploy sustainability strategies and communicating and disseminating them effectively. She excels in aligning core organisational goals with sustainability aspirations to develop and enhance consistent communications with various audiences. She has a history of success in facilitating materiality assessments, internal and external engagement strategies, and building stakeholder relations, including at an executive level. She’s Belgian and speaks Dutch, English and French.

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KARLA GUTIERREZ – MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Karla is the founder of Cielo Team. Her mission is to make the invisible visible through marketing communications, because meaningful projects deserve to be known to ensure a better future of younger and new generations. She has worked for over 20 years in advertising and marketing field for B2C: FMCG, PG, and the last two years for B2B. She has developed her skills on account management, strategic development, 360 integrated marketing campaigns, creative direction and production, areas with great depth of knowledge and expertise. She has worked in Mexico, New York, the US, and in Europe based in Luxembourg, always in an international environment, with diverse and inclusive teams and collaborators worldwide. She is committed to using her experience and knowledge to help companies create a disruptive and successful marketing communications strategy.

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MARIA KRISTIN GYLFADOTTIR – EU FINANCING

Maria, CEO of North Consulting, has worked for over 15 years on the European funding programmes. She has worked in the European Commission on innovation, education, skills, and research policies, and helped design Erasmus+, EU’s education funding programme. Maria helps companies develop their ideas into projects and match these with the EU funding opportunities ranging from grants to seed financing. With a successful track record she has delivered proposals for Horizon 2020, Erasmus+ and other funding mechanisms, as well as managed grants. She has worked as a senior expert at The National Centre for Research, managed the Erasmus+ national agency and an MBA programme at Reykjavik University, led women’s entrepreneurship programme and lectured on EU affairs. Maria has a master of arts degree from Georgetown University and a MBA from the University of Iceland.

JOHANNA KOHVAKKA – CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Johanna is a circular economy expert, MEconSc, who after working for years in accountancy and finances in Germany and Luxembourg, returned to Finland and founded a sustainability consultancy Rhea Solutions. Her first food waste project From Waste to Taste gave rise to the first food waste restaurant in Finland, Loop. Johanna has advised companies and citizens on how to turn circular economy into reality. She has initiated projects related to microplastics, life cycle analysis and recycling of materials. She has also created “Waste Trainer” concept, organised circular economy festivals, launched plogging in Finland and innovated products like Wasted, Jätelö and Froodly Go that was awarded in 2017 by the Baltic Sea Project.

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LIISA LEHTINEN – CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Liisa is an expert on plastics and fibre-based materials, packaging technology and circular economy. Her background is in chemical and paper industry, where she has worked among others in UPM as a mill manager and a R&D director. She has also been responsible for several research projects related to plastics and other packaging materials, as well as recycling of inorganic and organic side and waste streams. Currently, she works as a principal lecturer in materials technology at Turku University of Applied Science where she both teaches and leads research in the fields of materials technology and circular economy. She is a licentiate of technology and has studied food packaging technology, futures studies and entrepreneurship. She owns a consulting company Futumeter Oy that focuses on product development and materials technology.

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CARITA PETTERSSON – MEDIA RELATIONS

Carita has dedicated a large portion of her career to international broadcast journalism. For 20 years she worked in the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE as a correspondent in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and as the head of YLE’s international newsdesk. She has also acted as the head of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ office in Tallinn, Estonia, and worked as a press officer and media advisor for Swedish MEPs in the European Parliament. Carita contributes to Faktabaari, awarded journalistic fact-checking service and is a member of the Finnish association of science journalists and editors. She has a master’s degree in development communication from Malmö University in Sweden, and she speaks English, Russian, Swedish, and Finnish.

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CELIA SZYMANSKI – STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA RELATIONS

Celia, a founding partner in Tascomm she is an expert in brand positioning and PR strategies. Throughout her 30-year career, she has worked in public relations, media production, advertising, communication and marketing for national and international companies and projects. She has held positions as marketing director of Estafeta Mexicana and Autrey Editorial Group, director of communications and public relations of the Canadian Tourism Commission in Mexico, VP for Hill & Knowlton, senior associate in Burson-Marsteller (P&G) and an independent consultant in communications and PR focused on luxury jewelry, Digital Insights and wine & spirit industry. Celia is based in Mexico City and holds a BA in communication from the ITESM-CEM.

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ANTHONY VALCKE – EU LAW

Anthony is the manager of the European law company Valcke & Associates focusing in particular in helping British citizens with Brexit. In addition, he supervises the EU Rights Clinic he has founded, lectures at the University of Kent in Brussels and teaches EU law and advocacy at Vesalius College. He has worked in various law reform projects in Africa, Asia and Europe and is a regular speaker in expert panels and conferences. In addition to being admitted to practise law as a solicitor in England and Wales, he is registered as an “avocat communautaire” with the Brussels Bar and an “avvocato stabilito” with the Palermo Bar in Italy.

KAJSA STENSTRÖM – EU TRAINING

Kajsa, managing partner of Stenström Consulting, has more than 20 years of experience in providing strategic advice to clients in the area of EU affairs. She first came to Brussels to work at the European Commission. Since then she has set up and managed a unique public affairs department within an international law firm and established a successful independent public affairs consultancy in Brussels. Kajsa has served as a managing partner of several public affairs agencies in Brussels. She is an experienced lecturer on EU affairs. She teaches EU lobbying at Lille University in France and regularly contributes to books and publications on the theme. She is a board member of the Society of European Affairs Professionals, which acts for transparent and ethical lobbying. Kajsa is educated at the Sorbonne University in France.

MARCELA SZYMANSKI – COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Marcela came to Brussels 20 years ago to work as EU correspondent for the CNN en Español and the Mexican leading newspaper Reforma. She then worked in international agencies and DG Communications of the European Commission, consulting on media relations and communications strategies. Her expertise lies in environment, industrial policy, fair trade, fundamental rights and social issues. Client projects have led her work with international institutions, the Council of Europe, the UN, the WTO, and international political groups. She has degrees in economics and international politics from Georgia State University, Atlanta.