Pilar Ruiz Huélamo

Eurochambres Delegate and Head of Delegation to the European Union, Spanish Chamber of Commerce.

Pilar Ruiz Huélamo is Delegate of Eurochambres and Head of the Office of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce before the European Union in Brussels. From this position she represents the interests of the Spanish business community before the European institutions and actively participates in the development of initiatives aimed at strengthening the competitiveness, internationalisation and sustainability of companies.

He has an extensive background in European affairs, institutional relations and economic policy, promoting collaboration between chambers of commerce, the private sector and the EU institutions. His work focuses on facilitating business involvement in European strategic priorities, including green transition, innovation, digitalisation and strengthening the single market.

Leon van Middegaal

Leon van Middegaal is Purchasing Director at Kim's Chocolates, one of Belgium's leading chocolate companies with an international presence. He leads the areas of sourcing, production planning, inventory management and cost control, playing a key role in integrating sustainability and efficiency criteria into the company's supply chain. He has extensive experience in purchasing, operations and value chain management in the food industry.

John Fitzgibbon

General Manager, NECSTouR (Belgium)

John Fitzgibbon is Director General of NECSTouR, the European network of regions committed to developing competitive and sustainable tourism. Based in Brussels, he leads the organisation's cooperation, innovation and policy-making activities, promoting collaboration between European regions to foster more sustainable and resilient tourism models. It has a strong track record in European partnership management, EU affairs and international project coordination.

Federica Leonetti

Chair of the Enterprise Europe Network Textile Expert Group and International Business Advisor, Unioncamere Piemonte (Italy)

Federica Leonetti is an international business consultant and project manager at Unioncamere Piemonte, where she supports SMEs and entrepreneurs in internationalisation, innovation and access to new markets. She chairs the Textile and Fashion Expert Group of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), a network promoted by the European Commission to strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises. A specialist in textiles, fashion, women's entrepreneurship and innovation, she coordinates international initiatives aimed at sustainable growth and business cooperation.

Evgenia Sokolova

Director of the Investment Development Programme, IDH (The Netherlands)

Evgenia Sokolova is Director of the Investment Development Programme at IDH, an international organisation that promotes sustainable value chains through partnerships between the private sector, governments and financial actors. In her position, she works on the design and mobilisation of investment mechanisms aimed at accelerating sustainability, climate resilience and inclusive development in strategic sectors, promoting business models that generate economic, social and environmental impact.

Alexander Charalambous

Team Leader, Circular Economy Facility

Alexander Charalambous is Team Leader of the Circular Economy Facility, an initiative dedicated to promoting the transition towards circular economy models through technical assistance, knowledge generation and capacity building. He has extensive experience in sustainability, economic development and international cooperation, supporting public and private institutions in the design and implementation of strategies that favour a more efficient use of resources, innovation and sustainable competitiveness.

Bernard Crabbé

Team Leader, DG INTPA, European Commission

Bernard Crabbé is Team Leader for Environment and Circular Economy at the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) of the European Commission. An agronomist specialised in tropical agronomy and environment, he has an extensive background in international cooperation and sustainable development, particularly in emerging economies. At the European Commission, he leads initiatives aimed at integrating environmental sustainability and the circular economy into the European Union's international cooperation policies and programmes.

Nicoletta Favaretto

Project Manager, EU Circular Economy Resource Centre (EU CERC), Enabel

Nicoletta Favaretto leads the Business Lab of the EU Circular Economy Resource Centre (EU CERC), an initiative implemented by Enabel to accelerate the global transition to the circular economy. She previously worked at Eurochambres, where she was involved in the implementation of EU-funded economic cooperation programmes in Latin America and West Africa, supporting business organisations and SMEs. His expertise focuses on circular economy, international cooperation and private sector development.

Joan Marc Simon

Executive Director, Global Deposit and Return Systems Platform

Joan Marc Simon is Executive Director of the Global Deposit and Return Systems Platform and one of the most recognised voices in Europe on circular economy and waste prevention. Based in Brussels, he has been driving initiatives related to deposit, return and packaging return models, as well as circular economy and zero waste strategies for more than a decade. He is the founder of Zero Waste Europe and author of several publications on sustainability, resource management and the transition to more circular economic models.

Livia Marcantonio

Head of International Projects, European Business & Innovation Centre Network (EBN)

Livia Marcantonio is Head of International Projects at the European Business & Innovation Centre Network (EBN), a European organisation that brings together innovation centres, incubators and business accelerators. In her position she coordinates international initiatives aimed at entrepreneurship, sustainable innovation, regional development and strengthening innovative business ecosystems. His work focuses on promoting collaboration between European and international institutions to boost the competitiveness and sustainable transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Laura Velasco

Project Development Manager, Eurochambres

Laura Velasco is Project Development Officer at Eurochambres, the association representing European chambers of commerce and industry. She has extensive experience in international cooperation, business development and management of programmes funded by the European Union. From Eurochambres she promotes initiatives that strengthen collaboration between Europe and other regions, promoting sustainability, innovation and competitiveness of SMEs through business networks and international cooperation projects.