Alison De Luise, Adaptation Manager, Climate Alliance

Alison is an urban climate change adaptation specialist, applying policy, partnership & program management experience towards support city resiliency. As Manager, Adaptation to Climate Change at Climate Alliance, Alison contributes to the Covenant of Mayors for Europe's adaptation and energy poverty work, building adaptation capacity across European cities. She also manages the EEA European Topic Center on Climate Change Just Resilience Task. Prior to this, Alison led strategic initiatives aimed at supporting case-making for Green Infrastructure across US cities. As Senior Advisor at the Water Center at Penn, she co-developed integrated solutions to complex urban water resource challenges. As head of Strategic Partnerships at Bioversity International, she focused her partnership development efforts on achieving development impact and securing funding. This work built on her years working for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in food security and in rural development policy. The foundation of all this experience was her three years establishing social enterprise initiatives in Swaziland.

Bernd Hezel, CEO, Climate Media Factory

Bernd Hezel researches, designs and realises audio-visual climate communication and decision support formats at the Climate Media Factory. As a visiting professor at the Film University Babelsberg, he dealt with stories about / images of the future and operative media forms that can motivate people to imagine, negotiate and create alternative futures. Previously, he worked at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research on a decarbonisation model for Europe and made it interactively accessible for decision support. He contributed to award-winning theatre productions and wrote and directed many animated short films, several of which won international festivals. He received a doctoral degree from Heidelberg University for work in quantum theory.

Expert, NBS and Biodiversity, ICLEI Europe

Carme Machí Castaner works as an Expert on NbS and biodiversity at ICLEI Europe. Carme holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences, where she carried out an evaluation of the performance of NbS and green and blue interventions in degraded watersheds of humid su-tropical urbanised regions (Brazil). She works at ICLEI on de-centralised water-treatment NbS, green and blue infrastructure for watershed restoration, and sea-level rise adaptation.

Expert, Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe

Elena Petsani is an Urban Resilience & Sustainability Planner (MSc & MEng.). She has a strong professional background with seven years of experience in inclusive and climate-resilient urban development, sustainability strategies, policymaking, and academic research at the national and local government level. She has supported strategic urban planning and territorial development, climate adaptation policies, and spatial tools for multi-stakeholder engagement in the decision-making process. Elena is involved in EU funded projects focused on adaptation to climate change and Nature Based Solutions such as REGREEN, CARDIMED, RECREATE, MULTISOURCE, Pathways to Resilience and UP2030.

Erica Manuelli, Junior Expert, Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe

Erica is a Junior Officer at ICLEI Europe. As part of the Resilience and Climate Adaptation team, she is currently involved in diverse European projects, supporting regions in their climate resilience-building process (Regions4Climate, Pathways2Resilience) and focusing on citizen engagement for adaptation solutions (AGORA). She holds a Bachelor in International Studies (University of Milan, Italy) and a MSc in Environmental Governance (University of Freiburg, Germany). Her mother tongue is Italian and she speaks fluent English and French, as well as good German and beginner Spanish.

Erika Palmieri, Junior Expert, Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe

Erika Palmieri is a Junior Expert in Resilience and Climate Adaptation at ICLEI Europe. With over 6 years of experience ranging from architecture and urban planning to humanitarian work, with organisations like the Red Cross and UNHCR, her expertise spans between climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Along her career, she has provided strategic territorial and infrastructure planning, recovery responses and monitoring and assessment tools to enhance resilience of local and regional governments. In parallel to her professional endeavours, Erika is actively engaged in academic research activities and she is currently pursuing a PhD in Regional Planning and Public Policy.

Currently she is supporting several EU funded projects on regional climate resilience, such as Regions4Climate and REGILIENCE, as well as multi-hazard built environment resilience (MULTICLIMACT).

Grace Sly, Expert, Sustainable and Innovation Procurement, ICLEI Europe

Grace is an Expert in Sustainable and Innovation Procurement at ICLEI European Secretariat. In focus on City-to-Business Collaboration, Grace supports the strategic cooperation between public buyers and innovative suppliers to build a shared understanding of how to identify solutions that address the complex sustainability and resilience challenges facing cities and regions across Europe. Her work includes facilitating market engagements, publishing guidances, identifying and dissemenating good practices, preparing training, and delivering policy analyses as well as developing recommendations. Previously she worked on promoting international investments and supporting global infrastructure development. She holds a Masters degree in International Affairs: Trade and Finance from the Hertie School (Berlin, Germany).

Helmi Mantysaari, Expert, Events and Project Communications, ICLEI Europe

Helmi is working within ICELI ES’s Events and Project Communications team and is the Communications Lead for EURESFO24. She is also currently working on EU projects related to Food and NbS. She has previously worked as an account manager in a creative agency in Australia, where she did content creation and managed several client projects. Prior to living in Australia, she worked as a marketing coordinator in the construction industry in Northern Europe, where she did content creating, strategic planning and sales. Helmi has also organised several events during her career. Due to her B.Sc. & M.Sc. Economics & Business Administration, she has strong knowledge in business and economics as well as marketing. Helmi’s native language is Finnish. She speaks English fluently and Spanish at intermediate level.

Imanol Ugalde, Junior Expert, Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe

Imanol is a Junior Expert in the Urban Resilience and Climate Adaptation team at ICLEI European Secretariat. He holds a bachelor’s degree on renewable energy engineering and a master’s degree on sustainable energy engineering from the University of the Basque Country. Currently he is involved in diverse European projects and initiatives, covering a wide range of topics: urban resilience and adaptation to climate change, climate-neutral cities, post-conflict recovery and resilience, and cultural heritage protection. His mother tongue is Basque, and he also speaks Spanish and English.

Ine Vandecasteele, Expert - Urban Climate Adaptation, European EnviroNment Agency

Ine leads the work on urban adaptation to climate change at the European Environment Agency, including the recent publication ‘Urban Adaptation in Europe: What works?’. She has a background in both environmental and political sciences, and has 15 years of experience in providing scientific evidence for policymaking in the fields of water management, energy, climate impacts and urban sustainability.

Julia Kittel, Head of Events and Project Communications, ICLEI Europe

Julia is a communications and events expert with 10 years of experience. She is leading on ICLEI Europe's involvement in project communications as well as the development and implementation of ICLEI Europe's flaship conferences such as the European Sustainable Cities and Towns conference, collaborating with municipalities from all over Europe. Julia has been supporting the development and implementation of the EURESFO since 2018.

She previously worked on Public Diplomacy for the European External Action Service in Indonesia and has a background in International Relations.

Katherine Peinhardt, Senior Expert for Communications, Resilience and Climate Adaptation

Katherine Peinhardt is a Senior Expert for Communications on the Resilience and Climate Adaptation team at ICLEI Europe. Prior to this role, she was a German Chancellor Fellow supported by the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung in Germany. Her research dives into links between place and resilience, exploring the ways that communities are already building both physical and social resilience through urban design and public space planning and management. She previously worked as a Project Reporter and Communications Associate at Project for Public Spaces (PPS), during which time she focused on telling the story of placemaking. She managed written content and promoted a narrative for building cities around places.

Katja Firus, Partner, T6 Ecosystems srl

Katja is a partner of T6 and the manager of the sustainability department. Being an economist by study, she has become an experienced and specifically trained project manager for European and international projects, especially in the field of sustainability and the impacts of climate change. In this framework Katja has been co-ordinating and managing several European research projects, using a value-based approach as basis for project planning, monitoring and evaluation. Currently she is involved in the following Horizon Europe projects: LOCALISED, CircEUlar, SDGs-EYES and CASRI.

Laura Pirazan-Palomar, Junior Expert, Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe

Laura is a Junior Urban Resilience and Adaptation Expert at ICLEI Europe. She is an environmental engineer, and she holds a double Master degree in Natural Resources Management and Development between the Technische Hochschule Köln -TH Köln, Cologne, Germany and the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí- UASLP, San Luis Potosí in Mexico. She has three-year experience in environmental consulting in Colombia and 2 years in academia as external tutor at TH Köln, developing project ideas related to nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction. Currently, she is actively involved in EU-funded projects focusing on climate change adaptation, nature-based solutions (NbS), urban resilience, cultural heritage, and climate finance for NbS. Laura is a native Spanish speaker and is fluent in English and German at an advanced level.

Magnus Qvant, co-founder of Nordic Urban Resilience Institute

Magnus Qvant has more than ten years of working experience at the executive level in the field of urban resilience and is co-founder of the 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. Since 2022 Magnus Qvant has been contracted by UN as a resilience expert, supporting Ukraine cities in their effort of recovery planning, based on resilience and sustainability principles.

Nadine Burbar, Manager, Partnerships and Events, Resilient Cities Network

Nadine brings a wealth of experience as an urban resilience practitioner, having served as a Deputy Chief Resilience Officer with a proven track record in local governance. Currently working at the Resilient Cities Network, she specializes in managing partnerships and curating engagement events at both local and global levels to advance the urban resilience agenda. Nadine holds a Master's degree in Urban Management and Development from Erasmus University Rotterdam, and in Competitiveness and Innovation from Deusto University in Spain. She combines academic knowledge with practical expertise to contribute meaningfully to the field. In addition, Nadine has conducted research and developed expertise in digital inclusion and digital resilience, further enhancing her expertise to address modern urban challenges and make cities a better place for all.

Nidhi Misra, Expert Communications, Green Digital Transformation, ICLEI Europe

Nuha Eltinay, Senior Expert, Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe

Sabine Haessler, Regional director eme, resilient cities network 

Sabine is an experienced Senior Media, Communication and Events Manager and Senior Project Lead with a demonstrated agency background, expertise in working with non-profit organizations, innovation drivers, Smart City projects striving towards sustainability goals and (sustainable) startups. Skilled history of handling all PR, external/internal communication, media and events aspects. Detailed know-how in project management and marketing. Working at Steinbeis Europa Zentrum for EC Sustainable and Smart Cities and Communities initiatives, Energy Community projects and Social Innovation.

Sara Dorato, Communication Manager, T6 Ecosystems

Selene Angelone, Senior Expert, Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe

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

Silvia Haslinger Olsson has 10 years of experience in the field of urban resilience and is co-founder of Nordic Urban Resilience Institute. Since 2013 she has been focused on collaborative projects in urban resilience, addressing societal challenges together with politicians, the private and public sector and academia. Previously she has been working with cluster strategy and innovation at the Regional Development Agency is Southern Sweden. Since 2022 Silvia has been contracted by UN as a resilience expert, supporting Ukraine cities in their effort of recovery planning, based on resilience and sustainability principles.

Tobias Gralke, Project Developer & Researcher, Climate Media Factory

Tobias joined the Climate Media Factory in January 2023 with more than ten years of professional experience in the cultural sector, in political education & communication, and in academia and with a multidisciplinary background in language, philosophy, performance, media, human rights, psychology, and urban studies. Tobias has worked for and with a wide range of organizations such as NGOs, cultural institutions, think tanks, universities, schools, and self-organized groups – as a trainer & facilitator, a theatre-maker, writer & speaker, a research fellow & lecturer, and a communication strategist. In the LOCALISED project, Tobias interacts with different stakeholders across Europe and makes sure to include the diverse needs of all relevant actors in designing a climate planning tool for cities and regions. Beyond that, he’s involved in various CMF projects, bringing his conceptual, creative, and communicative skills to the table. Driven by the belief in collective action and motivated by the possibility of socio-technical alternatives, Tobias is interested in big, transformative levers towards decarbonized societies and a ‘good life for all’.

Valeria Eirin, Senior Expert, Strategic Communications, Membership and Advocacy, ICLEI Europe

Vasileios Latinos, Head of Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe

Vasileios Latinos, is Head of Resilience and Climate Adaptation at ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, European Secretariat. Vasileios is a climate resilience expert and project coordinator, with 14 years experience, working with local and regional governments throughout Europe. He is responsible for the management and coordination of projects and services in the topical areas of climate change adaptation, urban resilience and disaster risk reduction and leading the programmatic development of ICLEI in this field.

Yigyeong Oh, Associate Programme Management Officer, UNDRR Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia

Yigyeong is Associate Programme Management Officer at UNDRR Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia. Since joining UNDRR in 2023, she has been monitoring UNDRR's engagement across 55 Member States, being a focal point for the Issue-based Coalition on Environment and Climate Change, as well as the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative.
Prior to joining UNDRR, she worked in research and project management with international organizations and government agencies, including Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and UNDP Ethiopia Country Office. Yigyeong holds a Master’s degree in Area studies from Yonsei University (Korea).

LUCA ARBAU, Expert, RESILIENCE AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION, ICLEI EUROPE

Luca Arbau is an architect and a sustainable urban development practitioner. He is ICLEI Europe's representative in Brussels from the resilience and climate adaptation team. He is involved in the implementation of the EU Mission on Adaptation and the Covenant of Mayors - Europe's pillar on adaptation. He is a key organiser of the annual European Urban Resilience Forum. He holds a master's degree in international cooperation and emergency architecture from the International University of Catalonia (Spain) and a master's degree in architecture from the University of Ferrara (Italy).