Speakers

Yana Abu Taleb is the Jordan Director of EcoPeace Middle East. Yana leads EcoPeace activities concerning the Jordan River, Dead Sea, and our Good Water Neighbors and Water Energy Nexus projects. Yana supervises international project development, liaising with and lobbying government and private sector figures and organizations on regional policy issues related to environmental protection

Abla Abdel Latif is currently the Chair of the Presidential Advisory Council for Economic Development, and the Executive Director and Director of Research of The Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES). She is also a Member of the Central Bank of Egypt’s Coordinating Council and has been a Board Member of the National Bank of

Hoda Abdel-Hamid is an award-winning roving correspondent for Al Jazeera English. She has reported for Al Jazeera from across the Middle East, Europe and North Africa. Hoda has also received several prestigious awards during her career as a broadcast journalist, including one at the Festival du film de Monaco and three Emmy Awards. 

Ehab Abdulgader has been Director and COO of PetroGas since January 2016, with the responsibility of measuring effectiveness and efficiency of business processes, both internally and externally, to develop and implement growth strategies to improve the success of PetroGas and its partners. His main tasks include identifying and raising capital to foster the growth of

Franco Accordino is Head of the “Investment in High-Capacity Networks” Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), where he leads initiatives supporting the deployment of very high-capacity broadband networks across the EU. He previously headed the “Knowledge Management and Innovative Systems” Unit, developing advanced digital solutions in areas

Gilbert Achcar is Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at SOAS University of London. He has degrees in Philosophy (ESL, Beirut), Social Sciences (UL, Beirut) and a PhD in Social History/International Relations (University of Paris-VIII). Before joining SOAS in 2007, he taught and/or researched various universities and research centers in Beirut, Berlin and Paris.

Varsen Aghabekian is a Palestinian politician and academic. On 31 March 2024, she was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates by the Palestinian Authority, becoming the first person of Armenian descent to hold a ministerial position in the government. On 23 June 2025, she was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates

Dr. Majed Al-Ansari is Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, a position he has held since February 2022. In this role, he leads Qatar’s diplomatic communication with the international community, engaging with media, political institutions, think tanks, and academia through regular briefings

Yousuf Al Bulushi is a former senior diplomat, innovator and entrepreneurial leader. Al Bulushi brings forward more than 20 years of work experience in the combined fields of science diplomacy, innovation, entrepreneurship, science and technology development and education. He has a proven track record in leading disruptive technology initiatives (4IR, SPI, future disruptive technology, Blockchain

Reem al Hashimy was appointed to the UAE Cabinet as Minister of State in February 2008.  In February 2016, Reem was sworn in as Minister of State for International Cooperation, in the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prior to this, Reem led the UAE’s bid to host the World Expo 2020 in Dubai.  She served

Rashid Al-Mohanadi is a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs. He has experience in the defense industry and geopolitical risk advisory.  His research interests include small-state security, defense industry development, regional stability, and strategic affairs. He has participated in regional and global discussions, sharing perspectives on security and defense policy.  Previously,

Abdullah Abdel Razzaq al-Dardari is a United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and the United Nations Development Program Assistant Administrator and Director, Regional Bureau for Arab States. Prior to his appointment in 2023, he was the United Nations Development Program’s Resident Representative in Kabul, Afghanistan. Previously, he worked for the World Bank. He has also served in

Yasmeen Al-Eryani is Sana’a Center Co-Executive Director for Knowledge Production and the former Director of Research (2021-2023). Al-Eryani is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Social Anthropology at Tampere University, Finland. She holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Helsinki and a B.A. in Government Studies from Georgetown University. 

Ebtesam Al-Ketbi is the President and Founder of the Emirates Policy Center. Al-Ketbi is a Professor of Political Science at the United Arab Emirates University. In recognition of her role and the great respect she enjoys as part of the distinguished elite in the UAE and the Gulf region, Al-Ketbi was appointed in 2015 as

Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi was appointed Minister of State of Qatar in 2023. Prior to that, he was Assistant Foreign Minister for Regional Affairs. Before joining the Ministry, Dr. Al-Khulaifi held the position of the Dean of College of Law at Qatar University. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Law from Qatar University and

Shaikh Humaid Al‑Maani is the Head of the Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman. He also serves as Head of the Global Affairs Department. In these roles, he leads diplomatic training and policy development initiatives, and represents Oman in key international collaborations on diplomacy, humanitarian law, and foreign

Professor Hassan Al‑Momani is a leading scholar in international relations and conflict resolution, currently serving as Dean of the Prince Al‑Hussein Bin Abdullah II School of Political Science & International Studies at the University of Jordan, and as Director of its Center for Strategic Studies. He earned his BA (1983) and MA (1984) in International Relations

Farea al-Muslimi is Chairman and co-founder of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies. He is also an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. He previously worked for the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut and Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. as a Visiting Scholar where he covered Yemen and Gulf. al-Muslimi’s writings and analysis on

Bader Mousa Al-Saif is an intellectual historian of modern and contemporary Middle East and Islamic thought. He focuses on the Arabian Peninsula, namely its public policy, political history, culture, reform dynamics, transnational trends, and gender studies. Al-Saif is the recipient of various awards, co-founder of several NGOs, and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book

Dlawer Ala’Aldeen is the Founding President of the Middle East Research Institute (MERI), based in Erbil, Iraq, and a former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Kurdistan Regional Government (2009-2012). Ala’Aldeen studied Medicine in Baghdad, then started a clinical academic career in the UK and was Professor of Medicine in Nottingham University. He

Ranj Alaaldin is a foreign policy analyst specialised in international security, good governance, track II diplomacy, and public sector reforms. He is a fellow at the MECGA, Director of the Carnegie Corporation’s Crisis Response Council, and a senior consultant at the World Bank.  Alaaldin obtained his PhD in International Law at the London School of

Chiara Albanese is the correspondent of the Rome bureau of Bloomberg News. She deals with government and economy issues, and the energy and infrastructure sector. Before returning to Rome with Bloomberg, she wrote from London for the Wall Street Journal, Il Sole 24 Ore, Corriere della Sera, and in English financial journals. 

Since 2021, Her Royal Highness Princess Rym Ali has been serving as President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, reinforcing its position as a powerful bridge between governments, civil society, cultural leaders and all those invested in the future of the Euro-Mediterranean region, driving impactful collaborations. Princess Rym holds a degree from Columbia University’s School of

Faisal Alotaibi is a strategy consultant at the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA), where he leads advisory projects on artificial intelligence adoption, governance, and digital transformation. His work includes contributing to ALLaM, Saudi Arabia’s flagship Arabic large language model, and co-developing AI frameworks adopted by multiple government entities. Faisal has supported over 150 consultation

Professor Eric Canal Forgues Alter is the Dean of Graduate Programs. He is Professor of International Law and Diplomacy and  affiliate Professor at SciencesPo Paris (Paris School of International Affairs – PSIA) as well as an attorney-at-law (Paris Bar). A former United Nations civil servant and a senior consultant/team leader with various international organisations such

Carlo Altomonte is Vice President and Senior Associate Research Fellow at ISPI. He is Associate Professor of Economics of European Integration at Bocconi University and Non-Resident Fellow at Bruegel, a EU think tank. He has been regularly acting as consultant for a number of national and international institutions, including the Italian Government, the United Nations

Eleonora Ardemagni is Senior Associate Research Fellow at ISPI. She is an expert on Yemen, the Gulf monarchies, Arab armed forces and armed groups and a Teaching Assistant (“Regional Studies Middle East/“History of Islamic Asia”; “New Conflicts”) at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan. She is also Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School

Aliyeh Ataei is an Iranian author and playwright. Her novels and personal essays tackle such themes as war, identity, and émigré life. She has received several prestigious awards, including Mehregan-e Adab for Best Novel. Ataei finished high school in Birjand and left for the capital to continue her studies at Tehran University of Art where

Antonio Tajani was appointed Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in October 2022. He graduated in Law from La Sapienza University of Rome and was an officer in the Italian Air Force.  He began his career as a journalist in 1980 and worked as a parliamentary

Lukas Aubin is a Senior Research Fellow at IRIS, in charge of the Sport and Geopolitics programme, specializing in the geopolitics of Russia and sport.  Doctor of Slavic Studies (University of Paris Nanterre – University of Paris Lumières), holder of a double Franco-Russian Master’s degree in geopolitics of the post-Soviet space at the Russian State

Enrico Maria Bagnasco has been appointed Sparkle Chief Executive Officer in November 2022. From September 2019 was Sparkle Chief Technology Officer. In July 2018 he has been TIM CTO’s Product & Portfolio Manager and from September 2016 he led TIM Technology Innovation with focus on 5G, network virtualization and slicing, big data analytics and cognitive computing.

Joseph Bahout is the director of the Issam Fares Institute and an associate professor of practice in the PSPA Department at AUB. Until recently, Joseph Bahout was a scholar at Carnegie Endowment in Washington DC, professor at Sciences-Po Paris, and consultant to the policy planning unit of the French MoFA. Prior to that, he was

Nomi Bar-Yaacov is an award-winning international peace negotiator, arbitrator and mediator, and a convenor of back-channel negotiations, principally but not exclusively in the Middle East. She has been the lead commentator on events in the Middle East for the past year for a number of leading media outlets. She advises a number of leading corporations

Julien Barnes-Dacey is Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). He focuses on European policy towards the Middle East with a particular focus on Syria, where he was based from 2008 to 2011. Barnes-Dacey has worked as a researcher and journalist across the region and

Sara Bazoobandi is a Marie Curie Fellow at the GIGA Institute of Middle East Studies and Associate Research Fellow at ISPI. She is also a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Prior to this, she was a Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy at Regent’s

Dr. Houda Ben Jannet Allal is Director General at the Mediterranean Organization for Energy and Climate since January 2013. Prior to her elevation to General Director, she held several positions, most recent ones being successively Director of Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development and Strategy Director. Her fields of expertise mainly relate to energy prospects, renewable

H.E Adel Bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir has been the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia since December 2018.  He started his career in 1987, appointed to the Saudi Diplomatic Service and posted to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington DC. From 1990 to 1991 he was part of the Saudi team

Mahi Binebine wrote twelve novels and presides over six cultural centres named “Les étoiles” (“The Stars”) for the benefit of street children and impoverished youth. He is widely regarded as the most famous and prolific Moroccan artist, with his books being translated in more than fifteen languages, and his paintings featured in the most prestigious

Dr Alexandre Bish is Head of Research Innovation at the North Africa and Sahel Observatory and an Honorary Research Fellow at University College London. He co-founded MyRA, an ethical AI platform for qualitative data analysis.  He holds a PhD in Security and Crime Science from UCL, where his research examined irregular migration, smuggling, and trafficking

Full Professor and Director of the Center for Interreligious Studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He also teaches at the Theological Faculty of Southern Italy, San Luigi section, in Naples. He is a Consultor to the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue (Vatican) and President of the MAGIS Foundation. Since 1990, he keeps relations with India and

Before she started as head of the Director-General office, Karin Borsboom was head of Director Support and Administrative Affairs at Customs. From 2006 to 2019, she held various positions at the Repatriation and Departure Service, including senior advisor and head of the Strategic Advice Department. Before that, she worked for the Immigration and Naturalisation Service

Olivier Bringer is Head of Unit at the European Commission, in charge of the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative and internet governance policy. Before working on NGI, Olivier held various positions in the European Commission, dealing with policy development and implementation in the area of digital and competition law. Prior to joining the Commission, Olivier

Franco Bruni is President of ISPI and Co-Head of the Observatory on Europe and Global Governance. He is Emeritus Professor at the Department of Economics of Bocconi University, where he was Full Professor of International Monetary Theory and Policy and Member of the University’s Board of Directors. He studied at Bocconi University and at the

Andrea Cabrini is the Managing Editor of Class CNBC, the Italian branch of CNBC. He’s also Co-Managing Editor of Milano Finanza, Italy’s premier financial magazine, coordinating digital and print platforms. Cabrini is a financial journalist and anchor with three decades of experience covering the economy, global markets, and the banking and asset management industry. He

Gregg Carlstrom is the Middle East correspondent for The Economist, based in Cairo and covering the region from Morocco to the Gulf. Previously he was a correspondent for The Times. His work has also been published in Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, Newsweek, Politico, New York, GlobalPost, The National, PRI, the San Francisco Chronicle,

Ennio Cascetta is Professor of Transportation Systems Planning, with a career spanning the University of Reggio Calabria, the University of Naples Federico II, Universitas Mercatorum, and more than 30 years as a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Author of over 200 scientific publications and textbooks widely adopted worldwide, he ranks among

Ilaria Catastini is General Director of Fondazione Maire and Head of Sustainability and Corporate Advocacy at Maire Group. She has held leadership roles in sustainability and corporate communications, including as President and Sustainability Practice Leader at HK Strategies Rome. She is founder of Anima per il Sociale nei Valori di Impresa, Albeggi Edizioni, and a

Riccardo Chartroux joined Rai in 1992 and started working for Tg3 three years later, when the then-director Lucia Annunziata brought him to the news desk, while also serving as correspondent. He later moved to the foreign desk following the Lady Diana tragedy. In 2010 he was promoted to anchor Tg3, taking the place of Bianca

Edmondo Cirielli is the Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. He is a Brigadier General of the Carabinieri Auxiliary Corps, and was elected elected Member of the Chamber of Deputies for the first time 2001. In 2009, he was elected President of the Province of Salerno for the Centre-Right Coalition. He holds

Javier Colomina is the Special Representative of the NATO Secretary General for the Southern Neighbourhood. He entered the diplomatic service in 2001. He was First Secretary of the Mission of Spain to the U.N. (2002-2006) and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Spain in Damascus, Syria (2006-2008). From 2011 to 2014, Colomina served

Liz Corbin is the Director of News at the European Broadcasting Union, where she oversees editorial strategy and innovation across Europe’s public service newsrooms. She previously held senior roles at the BBC, including Head of News for BBC World News and Editor of BBC Reality Check. With an academic background from University College London and

Mariano Crociata was ordained as a priest in 1979. He studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, where he was awarded a doctorate in theology in 1984. He ran the theology of religions department at Palermo’s Theological School. From 2003 he was Vicar General of the Diocese of Mazara del Vallo.

Maria Cuffaro is an Italian journalist and host of TG3.  Her journalistic career started at il Manifesto, for whom she was sent to India, Pakistan and South Africa. In 1986 she became a radio broadcaster at Italia Radio and went on to officially register as a professonal journalist in 1992. As investigative journalist, she has

Mr. Christopher Cutajar is the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta, overseeing the Ministry’s administration, including European Affairs and Trade. A career public servant since 2011, he previously served as Permanent Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects. He sits on the Governing Board of the International Institute for Justice and the

Massimo Deandreis is General Director of SRM – Economic Research Center connected to Intesa Sanpaolo – specializing in the economy of Southern Italy and maritime studies. In 2016, he was elected President of GEI – the Italian Association of Business Economists. He has also served in senior roles within the Intesa Sanpaolo Group and previously

Elisabetta De Bernardi is Chief Asset Management Officer since 1 April 2024. She holds a degree in Electronic Engineering and is a director of several Group companies. From 2015 to 2020, she was Investment Director at Edizione, with responsibility for investments in the infrastructure sector. She previously gained significant experience in managing investments at Morgan

GIULIANA DEL PAPA is the Head of the Policy Planning Unit of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. She is also the President of the Italian Diplomat Women Association (Associazione Donne Italiane Diplomatiche e Dirigenti). Before her current role, she was Head of the Unit for Humanitarian Emergencies; in 2020 she was

Alan Déletroz is the Director General of Geneva Call. He has twenty years of experience in conflict-affected areas and has served in several organizations: Executive-in-Residence at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Vice-President of the International Crisis Group in Brussels, Director of the Open Society Institute in Tashkent, Delegate of the International Committee of the

After graduating from the lyceum, he attended the Department of Computer Engineering for a few months and then decided to enrol in Law School. In 2007-2008, he was appointed Faculty Advisor and President of the Student Council and, together with several first-year students, he founded the studentigiurisprudenza.it Student Association, an independent association that is still

Zoran Dimitrovski was appointed as a Deputy Minister at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia and Foreign Trade on 23 of July 2024. Zoran Dimitrovski is a professional journalist, having worked for 35 years for the main Macedonian printed media. During his professional career he was an editor in chief of

Global Head of Infrastructure & Real Estate in the Intesa Sanpaolo Group (“ISP”). Since 2012 Riccardo is engaged in developing the relationship with major Global Concessionaires, TSO, EPC Contractors  and Infrastructure Funds worldwide, and in managing the Infrastructure team of Intesa Sanpaolo. This includes the supervision of ISP’s existing portfolio of infrastructure investments, as well

Karim El Aynaoui is the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. He is also President of the Policy Center for the New South (former OCP Policy Center) and serves as Advisor to the CEO and Chairman of OCP Group, a global leader in the phosphate sector.

Eran Etzion is a diplomat and strategist with more than 20 years of experience in senior government positions. He was head of policy planning at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and deputy head of the National Security Council in the Prime Minister’s office.In 2014-2015, he was a visiting scholar at the Leonard Davis Institute for

Zaid Eyadat is the Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan. He is a member of the Arab Barometer’s steering committee. Eyadat is a political scientist and game theorist. He is also the founding Dean of the Prince al-Hussein School of International Studies at the University of Jordan, where remains

Riccardo has more than ten years of professional experience as a political analyst and economist on North Africa, having worked for Eurasia Group, Energy Aspects and other consultancies. He has published articles for the Carnegie Endowment’s Sada Journal, Jadaliyya, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the Financial Times.

Lama Fakih is Human Rights Watch’s Acting Deputy Executive Director and Chief Program Officer. Prior to her current acting role, Fakih was Middle East and North Africa Director and the Director of the Beirut office from March 2022 through March 2025 . She was the Director of the Crisis and Conflict Division from October 2019

Intissar Fakir is a Senior Fellow and Director of MEI’s North Africa and Sahel program. She has written extensively on North Africa’s evolving politics including Islamist electoral politics in post-2011 Morocco and Tunisia, the Western Sahara issue, foreign policy priorities in Morocco and the broader region, and the impact of COVID-19 on regional political stability.

FILIPPO FASULO is Co-Head of the Centre on Geoeconomics, ISPI, Italy. Before joining ISPI Filippo Fasulo served as the Director of the Italy-China Foundation’s Centre on Business Research (CeSIF). In 2014, he earned a Ph.D. in Politics and Istitutions from the Catholic University of Milan with a dissertation on the concept of power in China’s

Josep Ferré is the Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation, promoting intercultural dialogue across the Euro-Mediterranean region. With a background as Director General of the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and extensive experience in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, he plays a key leadership role in fostering civil society engagement and dialogue across the region. 

Paul Richard Gallagher is the current Secretary for Relations with States within the Holy See’s Secretariat of State, a position to which he was appointed in 2014. Prior to that, he had been appointed Papal Nuncio to Australia since 2012. Throughout the years, he has held posts in Tanzania, Uruguay, the Philippines, and the Vatican

Gustavo Gardini is Head of Global Partnerships and Sustainable Investments at Deutsche Bahn E.C.O. Group in Berlin. He manages global relations with infrastructure and real estate investors as well as multilateral development banks. He previously served as Business Director for Latin America at DB E.C.O., contributing to the establishment of the group’s operations in Brazil,

Ellie Geranmayeh is Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). She specializes in European foreign policy in relation to Iran, particularly on the nuclear and regional dossiers and sanctions policy. Geranmayeh advised European governments and companies on the nuclear negotiations between Iran and world

Nazila Ghanea assumed her mandate as Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief on August 2022. She is Professor of International Human Rights Law and Director of the MSc in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford. Prior to that, she was Senior Lecturer at the University of London (2000-2006), and she

Pier Paolo Ghetti is the Leader of the Global Trade Advisory (GTA) service line at STS Deloitte in Italy, providing services in customs and international trade management. He holds a degree in International Economics from the University of Trieste and is a licensed customs broker. As a Partner at Deloitte Studio Tributario e Societario –

Kamel Ghribi is the President of GKSD Investment Holding Group. Since its inception, GKSD has become the provider of choice for the conception, creation and management of complex healthcare projects with a strong presence in Italy, Africa and the MENA region. As the driving force and President of ECAM (The European Corporate Council on Africa

Giulia Giordano is the Director of Mediterranean and Global Strategy at ECCO. Giulia is an Italian researcher and practitioner with extensive experience in the Middle East. She joined ECCO during its initial phase of conception as the Head of Strategy and Development and currently leads the International Programme. Before joining ECCO, she was the Director of International Programs at

Mary Beth Goodman became Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD in April 2024. She oversees the organisation’s environment, governance, and development portfolios, including sustainable development, climate finance, anti-corruption, and the Blue Dot Network. A former U.S. diplomat and White House official under President Obama, she has also led initiatives on global health security, democratic governance, and

Lucia Goracci is a foreign correspondent for Rai News 24. She graduated in Political Science from LUISS in Rome and joined Rai in 1995. Her first destination was for Rai’s regional tv news broadcast in Sicily, then Rai News 24 and TG3. She travelled to Africa, Europe, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinian territories

Nimrod Goren is Senior Fellow for Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute and Co-Founder of Diplomeds. He is also Co-Chair of a regional initiative at President Isaac Herzog’s Israeli Climate Forum. He holds a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and was a Hubert Humphrey Fellow at Syracuse University’s

Neva Grašič holds a degree in European Studies from the University of Ljubljana, where she also studied International Relations. She has served in several governmental roles, including Adviser for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, and Senior Adviser on Social Policy and Civil Society Relations at the Office

Gordan Grlić Radman is the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, a position he has held since July 2019. A career diplomat, he previously served as Ambassador of Croatia to Germany and Hungary, and held senior roles at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, particularly in EU accession negotiations and Central

İbrahim Ethem Hacıosmanoğlu is the President of the Turkish Football Federation, elected in July 2024. A businessman active in trade, petroleum, and construction, he previously served as President of Trabzonspor (2013–2015). His mandate at the TFF runs until 2027. 

Karim Haggag is the Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) a leading global independent institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. He is a former career Egyptian diplomat with over 25 years of service in Egypt’s diplomatic corps serving in numerous positions focusing Middle East regional security, arms

Dr Peter Hefele finished his PhD Studies in Economics and Economic History in 1997 at the Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (Germany). He worked as an economic researcher at the Institute for Economy and Society in Bonn and joined the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in 2003 as Head of the Department of Economic Education. In 2006 he became Head of

Emile Hokayem is the Director of Regional Security and Senior Fellow for Middle East Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He specialises in regional politics, security and conflict analysis in the Middle East, including the national security and defence policies of the Middle Eastern States, the role of armed non-State actors, and the

Dr. Fuad Hussein was appointed as Iraq’s  Minister of Foreign Affairs in June, 2020. Dr. Fuad Hussein is a longtime activist of the Kurdish cause and resistance. During his studies at the University of Baghdad, he joined the Union of Kurdish Students and later the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of General Mustafa Barzani. He completed

Hiba Husseini is the managing Partner at the Law Firm of Husseini and Husseini. Prior to returning to Palestine in 1994, she practiced law in Washington, DC. Ms. Husseini chairs the Legal Committee to Final Status Negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis and she has served as legal advisor to the peace process negotiations since

Ervin Ibrahimović a Montenegrin Bosniak politician serving as the vice president of the Parliament of Montenegro since December 2021 and the current president of the conservative Bosniak Party (BS), minority party representing Bosniaks in Montenegro, succeeding the party founder Rafet Husović in 2021.

Beniamino Irdi is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. As head of strategic and international affairs at Deloitte Legal Italy, he is responsible for leading the firm’s efforts to assist its clients in assessing the impact of strategic and geopolitical trends on

Holle Jakob is the Deputy Director-General of the Customs Department in the German Federal Ministry of Finance and since October 2020 responsible for the strategic management of the Customs Administration, Customs Investigation Service and Customs anti-money laundering measures. She previously held various senior positions within the Ministry since 2006, including Head of Division of general

A career diplomat for the Egyptian government, Nasser Kamel held the position of Ambassador of Egypt to the United Kingdom from 2014 to 2018. He was also Ambassador to France in the period 2006-2012, during which he took part in the drafting of the Joint Declaration of the 2008 Paris Summit that marked the launch

Sarine Karajerjian is the Program Director of the Environmental Politics program at the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI). Prior to working at ARI, she worked for 15 years at the AUB’s Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs since the Institute’s inception. Her previous work covered strategic management, fundraising and outreach, and partnerships and

Kristina Kausch is deputy managing director and senior fellow, GMF South. She is also GMF’s representative in Madrid. Her research focuses on Europe’s relations with its neighborhood and broader geopolitical trends in the Middle East. Prior to joining GMF, she held positions with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Spanish think tank FRIDE, the

Dr Lina Khatib is an associate fellow at the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House and visiting scholar with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Previously, she was director of the SOAS Middle East Institute and Professor of Practice at the Department

A construction engineer from the UK, Pankaj Kanaksi Khimji is a director at Khimji Ramdas, one of the biggest business conglomerates in Oman. He is co-chairman of the Oman-India Joint Business Council and a board member of the Omani-British Friendship Association (OBFA). He has been an active member of the World Economic Forum and a

Merissa Khurma is the Program Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center. She was a non-resident Fellow in the International Security program at New America. She has leadership experience working in a range of development projects in the Middle East that focused on economic development, the Syrian refugee crisis, education, youth, gender

Hubert Kinkoh is a Senior Researcher at CARPO. Over the last decade, he has developed expertise in the governance of peace, security, and development in Africa, researching, among others, how external influences impinge on African states and societies. Currently, he serves as a Senior Program Officer (Sudan) at Conflict Dynamics International, where he leads the

Dr Michael Köhler is Ambassador and Co-lead of Grand Bargain, where he oversees the quality funding and catalysing sector-wide transformation focus areas. He is the Deputy Director-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations in the European Commission’s DG ECHO where he coordinates the world-wide EU humanitarian aid activities. From April 2022 to February

Elmedin Konaković is a Bosnian politician serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs since January 2023. He obtained a Master of Arts degree in Sports Management from the University of Sarajevo. Mr. Konaković became politically engaged in 2004, when he was elected to the Municipal Council of the Centar Sarajevo Municipality. From 2010 to 2014, he was elected representative in the Sarajevo Canton Assembly,

Martin Konecny is EuMEP’s director. Before founding EuMEP, he was Brussels director of Crisis Action, an organisation focusing on the protection of civilians from armed conflicts including in Sudan and South Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Congo and Israel-Palestine. Subsequently, Martin Konecny was a senior analyst at the Open Society Foundations covering the Middle East, North Africa

Mrs Frida Krifca is the President of Chieam since April 2023. She is Minister of Agriculture of Albania as of September 2021, with 22 years of experience in administration and management and a special focus on the development and strengthening of the financial sector, use of financial services and business development, meeting national, international and

Dr Craig Larkin is a Reader in Middle East Politics and Peace and Conflict Studies and Director of the Centre for the Study of Divided Societies (CSDS) at King’s College London. He is Co-Convenor of the War Studies MA Programme, Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies. He is also a Research Lead on Memory and Conflict

Ian Lesser is vice president at The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and a member of GMF’s executive team, managing programs across the organization. He also serves as executive director of the Brussels office of GMF, and leads GMF’s work on the Mediterranean, Turkey, and the wider Atlantic. Prior to joining GMF,

Gideon Levy is a Haaretz columnist and a member of the newspaper’s editorial board.  Levy joined Haaretz in 1982, and spent four years as the newspaper’s deputy editor. He is the author of the weekly Twilight Zone feature, which covers the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza over the last 25 years, as

Aldo Liga is a Research Fellow for the MENA Centre at ISPI. He is also a PhD Candidate at the Institut français de géopolitique (University of Paris 8). He holds a Bachelor’s in Political Sciences from the “Cesare Alfieri” (University of Florence) and a Master’s in International Security from Sciences Po Paris. Aldo’s research interests

Fabrizio Lobasso has been a career diplomat since 1997 and is currently Deputy Director General for Sub-Saharan African countries at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He previously served as Consul in Athens and as Italy’s Ambassador to Khartoum. In 2017, he founded the world’s first Chair of Intercultural Diplomacy at UNINT in Rome, where

Hugh Lovatt is a policy fellow with the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Since joining ECFR, Lovatt has focused extensively on EU policy towards the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP), domestic Palestinian politics, and Israeli regional policy. His most recent publications include Rethinking Oslo: How Europe can

Chiara Lovotti is an ISPI Research Fellow and Scientific Coordinator of “Rome MED-Mediterranean Dialogues”, ISPI’s and the Italian MoFA’s annual flagship event. She is a specialist in international relations of the MENA, with a focus on Russia’s foreign policy in the area and associated political and security issues. Chiara’s doctoral research (University of Bologna) explored

Scientific Advisor for the Master in International Energy at PSIA, Giacomo Luciani is also Adjunct Professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva and Director of the Executive Master in International Oil and Gas Leadership. For the period 2010-13 he was appointed Princeton University Global Scholar, attached to the Woodrow Wilson School

Mirette F. Mabrouk is a MEI Senior Fellow and Founding Director of the Institute’s Egypt Studies program. She was previously Deputy Director and Director for Research and Programs at the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council. Formerly a Fellow at the Project for U.S. Relations with the Middle East at

Sebastiano Maffettone è un filosofo politico e Professore presso l’Università Luiss Guido Carli di Roma, dove ha insegnato per oltre quarant’anni. Ha svolto attività di visiting professor in alcune tra le più prestigiose università internazionali ed è autore di 27 volumi e di numerosi articoli scientifici. È stato il primo Presidente della Società Italiana di

Monica Maggioni is an Italian journalist and writer. She has been President of Rai – Radiotelevisione Italiana – from 2015 until 2018 and CEO of Rai Com SpA commercial branch of Rai, Radiotelevisione Italiana Group until 2020. From 2021 to 2023, she was Director of Tg1.  She has been Vice President of EBU, the European

Paolo Magri is President of the Advisory Board of the ISPI (Italian Institute for International Political Studies) and Professor of International Relations at Bocconi University. He is member of the Europe Policy Group of the World Economic Forum (Davos); member of the Board of Directors of LUISS University and member of the Council of ECFR.

Deodat Maharaj is the Executive Director of the UN Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries (UNTB). He brings more than 25 years of international leadership experience, including extensive work in and with Least Developed Countries across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean.  Before joining UNTB, he was Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development

Mohammed Mahmoud is the CEO and Founder of the Climate and Water Initiative, and an internationally-experienced water resources management and climate adaptation policy expert. He is also the Lead for Middle East Climate and Water Policy with the United Nations University’s Institute for Water, Environment, and Health. Mohammed’s previous leadership roles included his tenures as

Nada Majdalani is the Palestine Director of EcoPeace Middle East. Nada holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Assessment and Management from Oxford Brookes University (UK) and has served in leading technical positions with several international agencies in the areas of infrastructure development. As a strong believer in the impact of proactive dialogue, she

Firas Maksad is the managing director for the Middle East and North Africa practice at Eurasia Group. He oversees the team covering the region’s geopolitics and macroeconomics and US foreign policy toward that part of the world. Prior to joining Eurasia Group, Firas was a senior director and senior fellow at the Middle East Institute,

Emma Marcegaglia is Vice President of ISPI.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the New York University. Marcegaglia is Deputy Chairman and CEO of Marcegaglia Steel and subsidiaries, operating in the steel processing sector, and Chairman and CEO of Marcegaglia Investments, the holding company that controls the Group’s diversified activities. Moreover, she

A distinguished leader in the electricity and renewable energy sector with over 35 years of experience, currently serving as the Deputy Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy. Holds a B.Sc. in Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering from Cairo University, and is a graduate of both Harvard Business School and the Nasser Leadership Military Academy. Led the

Sergio Mattarella holds a Law Degree from “La Sapienza” University of Rome and was admitted to the Palermo Bar Association in 1967. He taught Parliamentary Law at the Law School of the University of Palermo until 1983, when he took leave of absence upon being elected member of the Chamber of Deputies.  In 1983 he

Alessia Melcangi is Associate Research Fellow at the Middle East and North Africa Centre at ISPI, Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Contemporary History of North Africa and the Middle East at the Department of Social Sciences and Economics at Sapienza University of Rome and Non-Resident Senior Fellow for the North Africa and Middle East Program

Alberto Melloni is a professor of History of Christianity at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Director of the John XXIII Foundation for Religious Studies (Fscire) and Chair holder of the UNESCO Chair on Religious Pluralism and Peace at the University of Bologna. He studied history and church history at the University of Bologna,

Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mauritania. Before his tenure as minister, he served as a diplomatic advisor to the President of the Republic of Mauritania. Prior to this charge, he worked for international organizations: from 2010 to 2013 he was World President of the International Network of Basin Organizations

Gérard Mestrallet is the Special Envoy of the French President for IMEC, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. He has been appointed by Emmanuel Macron in late November 2023 a few months after the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the European Union, the Republic of India, the United Arab

Karim Mezran is Director of the North Africa Initiative and Resident Senior Fellow with the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East programs focusing on the processes of change in North Africa. As a distinguished Libyan-Italian scholar, Mezran brings enormous depth of understanding to the transition in Libya and elsewhere in the region. In addition, Mezran

Osama Mobarez has over thirty years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry. He is currently the Secretary General of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF). Prior to this, he served for 14 years in the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and he was responsible for the Realization Office to drive Egypt’s

Dr. Gil Murciano is the CEO of Mitvim. Gil served as an expert on Israeli foreign and security policy at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), a Berlin-based think-tank, which advises the German and European foreign policy community. In collaboration with local partners, he founded and developed the Techne Initiative, which aims to

Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center. He served as the eighth Dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS between 2012 and 2019 and served as Senior Advisor

Eshkol Nevo is one of Israel’s most celebrated contemporary novelists. A psychology graduate from Tel Aviv University and former advertising copywriter, he published his debut Bed & Breakfast (2001) before gaining widespread acclaim with his novel Homesick (2004), which earned the Book Publishers Association Gold Prize and the Raymond Wallier Prize in Paris.  Nevo has

Alexandra Papadopoulou is a former Greek Ambassador to the United States and held in the position from February 2020 to June 2023. She is the first woman to serve in that post. Since June 2023, she serves as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Greek Government under Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Trita Parsi is the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute. He is an award-winning author and the 2010 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. He is an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign policy, and the geopolitics of the Middle East. He has authored four books on US foreign policy

Marco Piredda is Head of International Affairs Analysis & Business Support at Eni, where he oversees political and institutional scenario analysis and global public affairs activities. He previously worked at the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance as Director of the Legal International Cooperation Unit. He holds a degree in Political Science from LUISS University

Stefano Polli is Deputy Director of the ANSA news agency since 2014. Previously, he served as head of the diplomatic and foreign news desks and worked as a special correspondent covering major conflicts including the Gulf War, the Balkan wars, the Albanian civil war, and the Ethiopia-Eritrea war. He has reported from key international summits

Manal Radwan is a Counsellor, Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs at Ministry of Foreign Affairs based in Paris, Ile-de-France. Previously, Manal was a Secretary at United Nations of Bhutan and also held positions at Saudi Mission to the United Nations, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.

Luca Raineri is Assistant Professor in security studies at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa (Italy). He was a member of the Research School on peace and conflict in Oslo (2014-2016) and a visiting researcher at the Autonomous University of Madrid (2017). His research draws on critical security and conflict studies, and investigates

Dr. Rassas is the first woman and the first Arab/Palestinian to serve as President of UNIMED, the Mediterranean Universities Union. With a distinguished career in academia, public service, and international cooperation, she has previously served as Personal Advisor to the former Palestinian Prime Minister and played a leading role in advancing key health and civil

Filippo Rigoni is an accomplished executive with extensive experience in business development and management across the energy sector. Currently serving as the Executive Director of Business Development at ACWA Power since June 2025, Filippo has previously held significant roles such as VP Business Development and Managing Director of Integrated Interconnectors at Zhero, Head of Business

Francesco Rocchetti is the ISPI Secretary General and the Rome MED Dialogues Curator. Prior to that, he led the team that played a central role in building ISPI’s external profile and overseeing the brand and communications strategies, digital communications, and content marketing. He also worked on transforming the Institute’s digital identity and promoting the think

Nadine Saba is a Lebanese lawyer and humanitarian leader, co-founder and Director of Akkar Network for Development (AND) in northern Lebanon, where she has overseen grassroots initiatives in rural development, refugee support, women and youth empowerment, and municipal capacity-building for nearly two decades. She serves on the Steering Committee of the Lebanon Humanitarian and Development

Ali Saffar heads the Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America Division at the International Energy Agency. In this role, he works with governments across these regions in support of energy, climate and economic priorities, and serves as a senior advisor to the IEA’s executive management. Earlier in his IEA career he was an energy

Abdulaziz Al Sager is the chairman and founder of the Gulf Research Center. Sager is also the president of Sager Group Holding in Saudi Arabia, which is active in the fields of information technology, aviation services, and investments. Sager is a member of the Makkah Province Council and serves on the advisory board to various

Nicola Sandri leads McKinsey’s work in transport infrastructure globally and the travel, logistics, and infrastructure projects in the Mediterranean complex. He supports major transport and infrastructure organizations, with a particular focus on enhancing sales and distribution channels, boosting international growth, and large investment and capex optimization. Before joining McKinsey, Sandri worked in another consulting firm,

Ruth Hanau Santini is an Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Naples L’Orientale and a Fellow at Brookings. She earned her MA from SOAS, University of London, and completed her PhD at the University of Naples Federico II. Her research focuses on European foreign policy, Middle East and North Africa politics, security, and

Nicolò Sartori has a decade-long experience in research and academic teaching on energy, climate and sustainable development policies at the national, European and global level. Nicolò is Adjunct Professor in “Natural Resources and Energy Security” at the Master in International Security Studies (MISS) of the University of Trento and Professional Fellow at the World Energy

Cristina Sbaizero is CEO of the World Trade Center Trieste, with over 20 years of experience in international business development, corporate strategy, and public-private partnerships. She has represented WTC Trieste globally, promoting networking and business opportunities for its members, and has organized major international events within the WTC network. Her expertise spans innovative start-ups, disruptive

Mahmoud Shehrah is a former Yemeni diplomat specializing in political analysis, conflict resolution and economic development. He has wide-ranging experience working in the Yemeni government and international NGOs. His political and professional career has focused on preventing and resolving violent conflict in Yemen and supporting development. Most recently, he was a political and information counsellor

Obada Shtaya is Co-Founder and CEO of the Institute for Social and Economic Progress. Obada is a Fulbright scholar, pollster, and researcher with interests in social psychology, political economy, and social movement theory. Most recently, Obada supervised one of the most rigorous political orientation research projects ever done in Palestine using Moral Foundation Theory as

Katarzyna Sidło joined the EUISS as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Middle East and North Africa in December 2024. Previously, Katarzyna was Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at CASE—Center for Social and Economic Research, Poland. During her eleven years at CASE, Katarzyna conducted policy-oriented and academic research, the former commissioned

Carl Skau is WFP’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. In this role, he leads the organization’s overall coordination, strategic direction, humanitarian diplomacy, and support for field operations. He also supports corporate efforts to maximize WFP’s inter-agency collaboration and partnerships.   Prior to joining WFP, Mr. Skau headed the Department for Multilateral Partnerships at

Mohammed Soliman is the director of the Strategic Technologies and Cyber Security Program at the Middle East Institute, where he leads a global team of scholars to explore the policy challenges associated with the intersection of technology, geopolitics, and business in the Middle East and emerging markets more broadly. He is also a visiting fellow

Maria Spena is President of Comitato One Water Italy, the national committee that brings together ministries, multi-utilities, regional & local authorities, and sector associations like ANBI and Utilitalia to promote sustainable and integrated water management. 

Elisa Spiropali is an Albanian politician who served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Albania from July 2024 to September 2025. Since September 2025, she has been serving as the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania.

Professor Kristina Stoeckl is a prominent sociologist specializing in religion and politics, currently a Professor of Sociology at LUISS University in Rome and formerly at the University of Innsbruck. She holds a PhD in Social and Political Sciences from the European University Institute in Florence . Her early studies include Comparative Literature and Russian at

Valeria Talbot is a Senior Research Fellow and Head of ISPI’s Middle East and North Africa Centre. She also is a lecturer at the Master in Middle Eastern Studies in ASERI – Catholic University, and at the IULM University of Milan. She was ISPI scientific coordinator of Arab Trans, a FP7 funded research project on

Ex consigliere diplomatico presso l’Ufficio del Primo Ministro, è il primo inviato speciale italiano per il Corridoio India-Medio Oriente-Europa (Imec)

Kabir Taneja is a Deputy Director and Fellow, Middle East, with the Strategic Studies programme. His research focuses on India’s relations with the Middle East (West Asia) specifically looking at the domestic political dynamics terrorism non-state militant actors and the general security paradigm of the region. Kabir has authored books, chapters, journal articles and op-eds.

Kadri Tastan is a nonresident senior fellow in GMF’s Brussels office. His research focuses on Türkiye, the EU, transatlantic relations, energy, climate, and trade. Prior to joining GMF, he was an expert on European affairs and environmental issues at the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB). Tastan has also been an IPC Mercator fellow at

Andrea Teti holds a BA and PhD degrees from the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews. During his PhD, he held a Teaching Fellowship at St Andrews (2000-01) and was Visiting Lecturer at the Universities of Bristol (2003), Plymouth (2002, 2004) and Exeter (2004-05), before becoming Lecturer (Research Fellow) at the

Nathan Thrall is an American author, essayist, and journalist based in Jerusalem. Thrall is known for his 2023 nonfiction work A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy, and is a contributor to several literary magazines. As of 2023 he is a professor at Bard College in New York state.

Roberto Tottoli is the Rector of the Università di Napoli “L’Orientale” and a distinguished scholar of Islamic studies. His academic work focuses on the Qur’an, the prophetic tradition, and the transmission of Islamic texts. A professor of Islamic Studies, he has authored and edited numerous publications that have contributed significantly to the field, both in

Ugo Tramballi is ISPI Senior Advisor in charge of the Institute’s India Desk. A veteran journalist, he joined the Metropolitan section of “Il Giornale” in 1976. He served as the newspaper’s Middle East correspondent in Beirut from 1983 to ’87 with war correspondences from Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and extensive coverage in India and Pakistan.

Rim Turkmani is a Research Fellow at the Conflict and Civil Society Research Unit in the Department of International Development at LSE, where she directs the Syria conflict research programme. Her policy-oriented research work focuses on identity politics, legitimate governance, transforming war economy it into peace economy and the relationship between local and external drivers

Ali Vaez is Crisis Group’s Iran Project Director and Senior Adviser to the President. Vaez holds a Ph.D. from the University of Geneva He led Crisis Group’s efforts in helping to bridge the gaps between Iran and the P5+1 that led to the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. Previously, he served as a Senior Political Affairs

Dr. Gelsomina Vigliotti began her term as EIB Vice-President on 11 October 2021. Her areas of oversight include financing of SMEs and mid-caps, equity and equity-type products, EIB-EIF cooperation, counterpart monitoring and restructuring, new products and special transactions, microfinance, financing operations in Italy, Malta, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine and Syria. Prior to this, she

Antonio Villafranca is Vice President for Research at ISPI and Co-Head of the Europe and Global Governance Centre. He has coordinated several research projects funded by Italian Institutions (such as the “Osservatorio di Politica Internazionale” of the Italian Parliament) and by the EU Commission and Parliament (including Gr:een, Rastanews, Trade and Economic Relations with Asia,

Ambassador Romana Vlahutin is a visiting distinguished fellow for geostrategy at GMF. She served from 2019 to 2022 as ambassador at large/EU special envoy for connectivity in the European External Action Service, where she spearheaded EU connectivity strategy and worked as a chief negotiator for the EU-Japan and EU-India connectivity partnerships. Vlahutin was the EU

William Wechsler is senior advisor for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council and interim director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. Previously, Wechsler served as deputy assistant secretary of defence for counternarcotic and global threats, where his key areas of focus included integrating law enforcement operations into U.S. military campaigns in

Winfried Weck is a senior representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS). He has held leading roles within the Foundation both at its headquarters in Berlin and in several international offices, including Latin America and Southeast Asia. His work has focused on foreign and security policy, political dialogue, development cooperation, and human rights. Since 2014, he has

Isabelle Werenfels is a Senior Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Her areas of expertise are North Africa and the Middle East, with a focus on authoritarian resilience, migration policies and “turn to Africa” of the Maghreb states and Maghreb-EU migration cooperation. From October 2023 to April 2024, she was Member

Maikel Wilms has been with The Boston Consulting Group since 1998. He is a core member of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications practice. Maikel has worked extensively with leading telcos for more than 15 years on multiple projects, with a focus on network strategy and roll-out and on B2B commercial strategies. These projects include technology

Maha Yahya is director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, where her work focuses broadly on political violence and identity politics, pluralism, development and social justice after the Arab uprisings, the challenges of citizenship, and the political and socio-economic implications of the migration/refugee crisis. Prior to joining Carnegie, Yahya led work on

Nebahat Tanrıverdi Yaşar is a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), specialising in Turkish foreign policy, security and defence, and Turkey’s engagement with Africa and the Middle East.

Professor Ahmed Abdullah Zayed Hegab was appointed Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in August 2022. He has worked as a Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University since 1991. He took on many administrative and academic positions over the past years, in addition to his experience in the field of translation