Meet the #EURESFO21 Organising Committee

Angelika Tamásová

Climate change adaptation expert, European Environment Agency

ANGELIKA TAMÁSOVÁ, CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION EXPERT, EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

Angelika Tamásová joined the European Environment Agency’s Climate Change Adaptation and LULUCF Group in 2021, after performing tasks as a policy advisor on climate change adaptation at the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic. In her current position Angelika is contributing to the European Environment Information and Observation Network’s (EIONET) work on climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation, and to the EEA’s developments of adaptation monitoring approaches, including adaptation indicators. She has extensive experience in national adaptation policy processes, stakeholder engagement, capacity-building and international climate negotiations. She is a graduate of Comenius University in Bratislava in environmental planning and management.’

Bettina Wilk

Senior Project Officer, Nature-Based Solutions and Biodiversity, ICLEI Europe

Bettina Wilk, senior project officer,  nature-based solutions and biodiversity, ICLEI Europe

Bettina Wilk is a senior project officer for nature-based solutions and biodiversity at ICLEI Europe. She is involved in several pertinent H2020 projects and coordinating NetworkNature, the one-stop-resource and exchange platform for nature-based solutions across science, policy and practice. She was a researcher at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University. Ms. Wilk holds a master in Environmental Governance from Utrecht University and in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Vienna.


Birgit Georgi

Independent Expert, Strong Cities in a Changing Climate

Birgit Georgi
Independent expert, Strong Cities in a Changing Climate

Birgit Georgi is an independent expert and aims to enable cities and smaller municipalities to develop and implement adaptation action and to exchange the knowledge across Europe. She builds on her long-term experience on urban sustainability in Europe and has a specific focus on urban adaptation to climate change. Having worked on this subject over 9 years at the European Environment Agency, she published several landmark reports, such as “Urban adaptation to climate change in Europe” (2012 and 2016), “Financing urban adaptation to climate change” (2017) and the interactive map book urban vulnerability (2015/2019). Birgit is one of the initiators and organisers of the annual European Urban Resilience Forum (former Open European Day at Resilient Cities) since its start in 2013.

Hear her speak in Session 2B

Eleanor Chapman

Officer, Sustainable Resources, Climate and Resilience, ICLEI Europe

Eleanor ChapmaN
Officer, Sustainable Resources, Climate and Resilience, ICLEI Europe

Eleanor Chapman joined ICLEI’s Sustainable Resources, Climate and Resilience team in 2017 after seven years as a practicing architect. In her current role she supports local government staff to develop and implement strategies to prepare for the effects of a changing climate. Eleanor has also pursued a concern for socially and environmentally just urban development, through involvement in civil society organisation Architects for Peace for over ten years. 

Hear her speak in Session 1B

Hanne van den Berg

Climate adaptation expert, European Environment Agency

HANNE VAN DEN BERG, CLIMATE ADAPTATION EXPERT, EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

Hanne van den Berg is a climate resilience and adaptation expert passionate about making cities more livable and equitable in the face of climate change. She has close to fifteen years of international experience analyzing and managing consultancy and applied research projects as well as policy development on climate change adaptation, flood risk management, nature-based solutions, international development, governance, (participatory) urban planning and decision-support tools from a multi-sectoral perspective. Hanne currently works at the European Environment Agency as a climate adaptation expert specialized in justice and equity in climate change adaptation.

Holger Robrecht

Deputy Regional Director - Sustainable Resources, Climate & Resilience, ICLEI European Secretariat

Holger Robrecht
Deputy Regional Director - Sustainable Resources, Climate & Resilience, ICLEI European Secretariat

Holger joined ICLEI in 1997. He holds a Diploma in spatial planning and is member of ICLEI’s Board of Directors, and leads ICLEI´s Sustainable Resources, Climate & Resilience team. Holger holds more than 25 years of experience in local environmental and sustainability management and planning, project development and co-ordination, team supervision as well as guidance and training. He developed, supervised and coordinated international and European projects including on urban resilience, climate adaptation, nature-based solutions and green infrastructures through various research projects and engaged with studies such as the European Environment Agency’s report on ‘Urban adaptation to climate change in Europe 2016’ and the ‘EKLIPSE Impact Evaluation Framework’. Holger has been member of several international and EU Expert Groups, incl. Working Group on Green Infrastructure (since 2014), the EU Adaptation Steering Group (2010-2013), and international and European standardisation bodies (ISO TC 268 ‘Sustainable Development of Communities’ (since 2012), CEN/CENELEC/ETSI Sector Forum Smart & Sustainable Cities and Communities (since 2015). Before joining ICLEI, Holger led the Research department Soil Contamination, Soil Protection and Land-use management at the University of Dortmund, Institute for Environmental Research (1990-97).

Lina Liakou

Head for Europe and the Middle East, Resilient Cities Network

Lina liakou, Global Director of City Engagement and Knowledge and Head for Europe and the Middle East, resilient cities network 

Lina Liakou leads the resilience practice in Europe and the Middle East for the Global Resilient Cities Network pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation (formerly 100RC), working with the 21 member cities across the region in developing their resilience thinking through long term City Resilience Strategies and actionable initiatives. Lina Liakou is an architect and urban designer from the Bartlett School of Architecture in London and a Marshall Memorial Fellow (2015) of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.


 

Luca Arbau

Junior Officer, Urban Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe

LUCA C. ARBAU, JUNIOR OFFICER, URBAN RESILIENCE AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION, ICLEI EUROPE

Luca C. Arbau is an architect and a sustainable urban development practitioner. He works as a Junior Officer at ICLEI Europe in the field of urban resilience and adaptation to climate change. Previously, he was Research and Communication Officer at Metropolis (Barcelona). Luca worked in the experimental centre for social housing in Cordoba (Argentina), and in the Recetas Urbanas architecture studio in Seville (Spain). He holds a master degree in architecture from the University of Ferrara (Italy) and a master degree in international cooperation and emergency architecture from UIC (Barcelona).

Magnus Qvant

Co-founder of the Nordic Urban Resilience Institute

Magnus Qvant, co-founder of Nordic Urban Resilience Institute

Magnus Qvant has ten years of working experience at executive level in the field of urban resilience and is co-founder of Nordic Urban Resilience Institute. He has also more than 20 years of experience in training and practice in civil security and emergency management, both nationally and internationally. Magnus Qvant is also the Secretary- General of Resilient Regions Association, a neutral and independent arena for collaboration on Urban Resilience, addressing societal challenges involving politicians, the industry, the private and public sector as well as the academia.

 

 

Margaretha Breil

Senior Researcher on urban sustainability and climate change adaptation, CMCC

Margaretha Breil
Senior Researcher on urban sustainability and climate change adaptation, CMCC

CMCC is a network of Italian climate change research. It supports, interalia, the EEA with scientific advice on climate change and adaptation. Within CMCC, Margaretha focusses on the assessment and design of sustainable urban adaptation policies. As a member of the European Topic Centre for Climate Change adaptation, she is supporting the EEA, providing input for activities with regards to urban adaptation, including the redaction of the EEA reports on urban adaptation, work on NBS and on sustainability of climate change adaptation in cities, further to support to the organization of the Urban Resilience forum. Between 2019 and 2021, she has coordinated the INTERREG Italy-Croatia Project ADRIADAPT – a Resilience Information Platform for Cities in the Adriatic area.

Oleksandr Sushchenko

Team Leader, Energy and Environmental Portfolio, UNDP Ukraine

Oleksandr Sushchenko, Team Leader, Energy and Environmental Portfolio, UNDP Ukraine

For over 10 years, Oleksandr has been providing top notch expertise and strategic planning advice on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues to the private-sector and governmental organizations, including the European Commission, the Office of the President of Ukraine and the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative Germany. His work often focuses on green and sustainable financing, ESG risk assessment, supply chain financing and non-financial reporting. In 2016, Oleksandr founded the Center for Blended Value Studies (CBVS) at Kyiv National Economic University. Oleksandr worked as an Associate Professor of Finance at Kyiv National Economic University, as well as a Research Associate at the Helmholtz-Center for Environmental Research (Leipzig, Germany).

Olena Tarasova-Krasiieva

Project Manager on Nature-based Solution for Sustainable Cities, UNDP Ukraine

Olena Tarasova-Krasiieva, Project Manager on Nature-based Solution for Sustainable Cities, UNDP Ukraine

Olena Tarasova-Krasiieva has over 15 years of experience of working with biodiversity conservation as an expert and as a manager. She used to work at WWF Ukraine for seven years, four years of which as a Managing Director. Olena has extensive experience conducting analyses and reviews commissioned by the governments of USA, Ukraine, as a Biodiversity Conservation and Policy Consultant. Mrs Tarasova-Krasiieva has two Master’s degrees in Conservation Biology and  Environmental Studies from Imperial College London and National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Currently, Mrs. Olena Tarasova-Krasiieva is a Project Manager on Nature-based Solution for Sustainable Cities at UNDP Ukraine.

Nea Pakarinen

Communinications Officer, ICLEI Europe

NEA PAKARINEN, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, ICLEI EUROPE

Nea Pakarinen is interested in exploring how behavioural change for sustainability transitions can be fostered, through inclusive communication. She holds a M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences majoring in Sustainable Development from Uppsala University. Nea has worked at the Ethical Fashion Initiative and as a Communications Officer at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control before starting as an Officer, Communications and Member Relations at ICLEI Europe.

Petya Pishmisheva

Project Manager at Climate Alliance

Petya Pishmisheva, Project Manager at Climate Alliance

Petya Pishmisheva has more than ten years of experience working on climate change at the international and local level. In her current role as Project Manager at Climate Alliance, she coordinates the work related to the reporting, monitoring and evaluation framework of the European Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and supports the organization-wide adaptation activities. In the past, Petya was part of the Adaptation team at the UN Climate Change Secretariat, supporting the intergovernmental process on loss and damage.   

 

Priscila Jordão

Communications Officer, ICLEI Europe

PRISCILA JORDÃO, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, ICLEI EUROPE

Priscila Jordão is a Communications Officer at ICLEI Europe, where she plays a central role in communicating ICLEI's work on biodiversity and nature-based solutions. Previously, she worked as a Communication Specialist for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and as a journalist for the global news agency Reuters. She believes that helping people regain their understanding of nature and fascination with wildlife holds the key to a more sustainable world.

Priscilla Castro

Communications Officer, ICLEI Europe

Priscilla Castro, Communications Officer, ICLEI Europe

Priscilla Castro has over 10 years of experience in communications and media work, especially in Television Journalism and environmental projects. She has worked previously as a Communications Assistant with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and as producer and reporter in print and television newsrooms in Brazil. Currently, Priscilla works as a Communications Officer at ICLEI Europe on urban resilience, decarbonisation and circular economy projects. Priscilla holds a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and a Double Master's Degree in Global Communications and International Journalism.

Silvia Olsson

Co-founder of the Nordic Urban Resilience Institute

Silvia Haslinger Olsson, co-founder of Nordic Urban Resilience Institute

Silvia has several years of experience in the field of urban resilience and is co-founder of Nordic Urban Resilience Institute. Since 2013 she has been working as COO for Resilient Regions Association, a neutral and independent arena for collaboration on urban resilience, addressing societal challenges involving politicians, the industry, the private and public sector as well as the academia. Previously she has been working with cluster strategy and innovation at the Regional Development Agency is Southern Sweden.

 

 

Vasileios Latinos

Coordinator, Sustainable Resources, Climate and Resilience, ICLEI Europe

Vasileios Latinos, Coordinator, Sustainable Resources, Climate and Resilience, ICLEI Europe

Vasileios Latinos is responsible for implementing projects and services in the topical areas of climate change adaptation, urban resilience and green infrastructure, as well as supporting the strategic and programmatic development of ICLEI Europe in this field. Vasileios has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement, co-creation, capacity building, climate assessment methodologies and urban resilience planning and monitoring. He is also involved in standardization activities at EU and ISO level.