State of Europe 2017 | People Power Change – Navigating the new era

Eleni has been working on artificial organ technology and regenerative medicine in hospitals across the world. After graduating in biomedicine, she participated in the first successful artificial trachea transplant operation on a late-stage cancer patient. She is also the co-founder of the London-based start-up Transplants without Donors, which aims to develop tissue-engineered organs that are transplanted into sick patients. Eleni also trained NASA astronauts in biomedical experimentation for the International Space Station (ISS). 

Iryna is a Ukrainian civic activist and political expert with more than 15 years of research and teaching experience in identity-based conflicts. Originally from Crimea, she was an outspoken critic of Russian annexation and fled the region to avoid arrest, taking refuge in Kiev. She currently runs the Integration and Development Center for Information and Research, a non-governmental organisation, which focuses on training government officials and journalists in diversity management, on misconceptions and on stereotypes.

Jacques is a senior partner at McKinsey and a director of the McKinsey Global Institute, the firm’s business and economics research arm, and one of its three global co-leaders. Since joining the firm, he has worked with media, telecom, online services, healthcare, fin-tech, travel and logistics companies on a variety of issues. He is also the co-author of numerous reports on the Internet of Things, big data and social technologies, including “Digital Europe: Realizing the continent’s potential”. He is a fellow of the Aspen Institute, ECORE, and KUL University.

Ciara is a chartered physiotherapist and experienced researcher passionately dedicated to improving the management and treatment of people with neurological conditions. At the age of 22, she launched Beats Medical, a medical application available on smartphones, which aims to help people with Parkinson’s disease take control of their condition through technology. Ciara received the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists Anne O’Brien Prize for Clinical Excellence and the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award.

Silvia is a young economist and entrepreneur specialising in game theory and interest groups. She has extensive experience as a strategist in auction design. In 2008, she co-founded Auctionomics, a high-stakes auction consulting and software firm with clients ranging from governments to Fortune 500 companies. Silvia has acted as project manager on several high-stakes auctions in Australia, Canada, and the United States, in many European countries, and in Africa and Latin America. She is also the co-founder of xSwan, an interactive version of eBay that allows charities to raise more money via online auctions. Silvia frequently speaks at major universities both in the United States (including Berkeley and Harvard) and around the world.

Etienne (Stevy) Davignon is one of the few statesmen in Europe who has been actively involved in EU affairs from the beginning, from his early role as Chief of Staff to Paul-Henri Spaak to today. He has held high-level positions in both the public and private sectors, including as Vice-President of the European Commission, President of the Société Générale de Belgique, first President of the International Energy Agency and through various board mandates.

Alexander de Croo is a Flemish liberal politician, economist and businessman who leads the Belgian government’s efforts to improve digital growth and development. Most notably, he initiated the establishment of an advisory board called “Digital Minds for Belgium”, made up of the country’s top ICT experts, and launched an ambitious action plan “Digital Belgium”, aimed at positioning the country as one of Europe’s top three digital member states. This digital revolution includes developing 1,000 new start-ups, creating 50,000 new jobs, and achieving an electronic government by 2020.

Caroline de Gruyter is a well-known European affairs correspondent for the leading Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, currently based in Oslo. She is a regular commentator on the rise of populism, the use of the Internet in counter anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic messages on what the EU and its member states can do to create a greater sense of unity. An author of several books on Europe, she has been awarded three prestigious Dutch prizes and the Prix du Mérite Européen for political reporting of exceptional quality.

His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal has dedicated his life to promoting intercultural dialogue and regional cooperation. He has initiated, founded and is actively involved in around 20 prominent Jordanian and international committees and institutes, and served as a member of the Informal Advisory Group to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In 1981, HRH proposed the establishment of the New International Humanitarian Order, which led to a request by the Secretary-General to found and co-chair the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues (ICIHI).

Rachael set up the Voting Counts website in 2014 to provide unbiased information on British political parties to potential young voters. The site aims to serve as a resource for users wishing to compare the policies of different parties, thus allowing young people to feel sufficiently informed to become involved in the democratic process. Through Voting Counts, Rachael has been able to contribute to the Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy in the UK Parliament and consultations on the General Certificate of Secondary Education and A-Level reforms with the Department for Education.

Mary Fitzgerald is a researcher and analyst specialising in the Mediterranean region with a particular focus on Libya. She has consulted for a number of international organisations including in the areas of peacebuilding and civil society. She has worked with the International Crisis Group (ICG), the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) among others. She is a Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC, an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, King’s College London and an Associate Fellow at ISPI in Milan. Mary has also worked on wider initiatives with UNESCO, the Anna Lindh Foundation, the British Council and other cultural organisations. Her writing has appeared in publications including Foreign Policy, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Financial Times and The Guardian.

Carl Benedikt’s academic research focuses on the transition of industrial nations to digital economies and the challenges for economic growth, labour markets and urban development that ensue. He is also widely engaged in advisory, media and policy activities related to these topics. Carl Benedikt has provided his expertise to governments and international organisations, working with the Digitalisation Commission of the Swedish Government, the Digital Skills Select Committee at the UK House of Lords, the OECD and UN agencies.

Enrico currently serves as the director of the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development aimed at increasing awareness on the importance of pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals. He has previously acted as Minister of Labour and Social Policies and has chaired the UN Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development. He also designed the Global Project on the ‘Measurement of Progress in Society‘, which fostered the development of numerous worldwide initiatives on the issue of moving beyond GDP.

Ulrike is the founder and director of the European Democracy Lab, a think tank dedicated to the future of European democracy, which emphasises the European common good and the transnationalism of all European policy beyond the nation state. Ulrike is also professor of European policy and the study of democracy at Danube University Krems. She is also a regular commentator and writer on European and transatlantic affairs and author of “Why Europe must become a republic: A political utopia”.

Karel is a Czech anti-corruption activist, mathematician and social-reformer, who is using his skills to rethink how democracy functions. Following a series of corruption scandals in 2013 that threatened to bring down the Czech government, Karel engaged in a number of initiatives aimed at improving governmental accountability through citizen action and electoral reform. One of these is Democracy 2.1 (D21), primarily based on the possibility to vote against a candidate. This concept is currently used by the cities of Prague and New York, and was also tested by the UK National Health Service (NHS).

German’s long career at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has earned him a reputation as a seasoned expert in the areas of consumer protection, food, and sustainable agriculture. German is currently in charge of dealing with EU policy, fisheries and international cooperation. In this capacity, he oversees the German fisheries sector, covering both the North and Baltic seas, and capacity building efforts in the respective partner countries aimed at simplifying international cooperation in the agri-food sector.

Ylva Johansson was appointed European Commissioner for Home Affairs in December 2019, taking up the position following years of service in the Swedish government. Having most recently served as Swedish Minister for Employment and Integration from 2014-2019, she previously held positions as Minister for Health and Elderly Care and Minister for Schools. A former teacher, Johansson has also served as a Member of the Swedish Parliament.

Lie joined Google in November 2015 when she was appointed the new director of public policy and government relations in Brussels. She has more than twenty years of European and international public affairs experience. Before Google, Lie led government affairs in EMEA for Goodyear Dunlop from 2008 and also managed corporate communications. Previously, she was senior vice-president of government relations for ABN Amro Bank and worked in the government affairs team of General Motors Europe.

Angela is a world-renowned expert on disarmament, negotiations, peace operations and political relations. She served as the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs where she took a leading role in delivering the UN’s multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation agendas. In this position, Angela was responsible for conducting, negotiating and planning the ground-breaking investigation of alleged chemical weapons use in Syria in 2013, which resulted in Syria joining the Chemical Weapons Convention and dismantling its chemical weapons stock.

André Loesekrug-Pietri is an entrepreneur and has held leadership positions in private equity, government and industry. He is currently the Chairman of JEDI, which aims to accelerate Europe’s leadership by financing and nurturing the development of breakthrough technologies. He previously served as a special advisor to the French Minister of Defence, where he was responsible for European defence policy, as well as technology and innovation, prior to which he has 15 years of experience in private equity and venture capital. Loesekrug-Pietri is a lecturer at Sciences Po and a regular columnist at several international media outlets. Having studied aerospace engineering, he is also a private pilot and Colonel with the French Air Force People’s Reserve.

Matti has been heavily involved in effectively implementing the aims of the Estonian Presidency of the EU, the priorities of which include encouraging technological progress, from ensuring the availability and quality of electronic communications to developing cross-border e-commerce as well as digital public services. In addition, Matti works on implementing the Estonian Presidency’s initiatives in the field of migration, security and the EU neighbourhood policy, including fulfilling the objectives of the Eastern Partnership.

A distinguished economist, Mario Monti has cemented his reputation as a committed supporter of the single currency and a talented negotiator leading a government of technocrats in the wake of the Italian debt crisis in late 2011. Most recently, he chaired the High-Level Group on Own Resources, a consultative committee of the European Union, aimed at proposing new forms of revenue for the European Union’s budget, which resulted in the final report “Future Financing of the EU”, arguing for new tax sources.

A versatile practitioner with a wide-ranging and successful legal career, Helen currently serves as barrister and mediator at Matrix Chambers. With a breadth of knowledge on equality and human rights, she has sat on the panel of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and served as a member of the Council of Justice. One of her current roles includes co-chairing the Future of Work Commission aimed at understanding the implications of new technology on work and make recommendations on the most pressing challenges and opportunities of the future.

Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke is Founder & CEO of W4.org, a social enterprise dedicated to protecting girls’ and women’s human rights and promoting their empowerment around the world, with a focus on Sustainable Development Goal 5b: harnessing technologies. Nefesh-Clarke worked in human rights and development in Africa and Asia at Human Rights Watch, UNICEF, Enfants d’Asie, before founding W4. Named a “Women in IT Role Model” by the European Commission and one of the “Inspiring Fifty” women leaders in Europe’s technology sector, Nefesh-Clarke is a board member of the Women’s Economic Imperative (WEI), which aims to advance the work of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment. She is also a Senior Fellow for Friends of Europe’s Connect Europe initiative, and a member of the advisory board of UN Women France.

Prior to assuming her current position, well-known foreign affairs commentator Natalie served as managing editor and executive director of the flagship French newspaper Le Monde. She has become a prominent voice in the French media through her coverage of Russian politics, ranging from the USSR dissolution and civil wars in Chechnya to Putin’s Russia, for which she has received two major French journalism awards. Natalie is also a regular commentator on the impact of Brexit and Trump’s policies on the EU.

Jerzy leads the Commission directorate responsible for the EU policy area of agriculture and rural development. He works specifically on managing and developing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), reinforcing rural development policy as its second pillar, and safeguarding the European model of agriculture. Prior to that, Jerzy held a series of posts in the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the National Bank of Poland, and several universities. He was also chief negotiator of agricultural affairs in the team negotiating Poland’s accession to the European Union.

Xavier is Special Advisor of Teach For All. He used to be responsible for EU policies and programmes in the field of health and food safety. With a goal of providing all EU citizens with equal access to quality healthcare while responding to their specific needs, Xavier has supported the adoption of efficiency boosting measures such as establishing 24 European Reference Networks (ERNs) for rare diseases. Before his current assignment, Xavier spent more than a decade in employment and education policy circles and served as European Commission Director-General for Education and Culture.

As former Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin is internationally recognised as one of the founders of the G20. In 2015, he joined the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), an organisation dedicated to assist businesses and governments in resolving policy challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. In his recent report entitled “UN 2030: Rebuilding order in a fragmenting world”, Kevin provides his personal views, based on his background as Prime Minister, on the world situation and suggests how the UN can adapt to cope with the rapid pace of change.

Stuart is an award-winning computer scientist known for his contributions to artificial intelligence (AI). He has published over 150 papers and authored numerous books on a wide range of topics related to AI. Stuart’s co-authored book “Artificial Intelligence: A modern approach” has been translated into 13 languages and is used in more than 1,300 universities in 118 countries. Stuart also works for the UN, developing a new global seismic monitoring system for the Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.

Sima’s work on democracy and human rights has earned her international recognition and numerous prizes. She began her career as a medical doctor in Afghanistan before fleeing to Pakistan following the Russian invasion. There she treated refugee women and established the Shuhada Organization, which provides healthcare and education to girls and women. Returning to Afghanistan in 2002, Sima served as Minister of Women’s Affairs in the country’s interim administration, winning multiple rights for women in the realms of education and employment.

Nicolas Schmit is European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights and a Luxembourgish politician and diplomat, who has been instrumental in fostering Europe’s social dimension in his position as European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights. An economist by training, he is a former member of the European Parliament and previously served as the Luxembourgish minister of labour. He has also held various positions within the Luxembourgish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including as head of the Department of International Economic Relations and Cooperation. Schmit’s final diplomatic posting was as Luxembourg’s permanent representative to the EU.

Erik has cemented his reputation as an international peacemaker and environmental advocate having served as Norway’s Minister of the Environment and International Development as well as holding key positions in numerous international organisations. During his ministerial tenure, he played a key-role in the Sri Lankan peace process and initiated the process leading to the global coalition to conserve and promote sustainable use of the world’s rainforests. Erik has been named Champion of the Earth by UNEP and Hero of the Environment by TIME Magazine

Based in Nairobi, Matina covers economics and investment across Africa for the Wall Street Journal. She was previously based in Belgium, where she covered the eurozone crisis from the WSJ Brussels bureau. Before joining the WSJ, she wrote for the Economist, where she won the 2010 Marjorie Deane financial journalism award. Matina is particularly interested in migration-related issues in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. In 2015, she was one of the few foreign journalists reporting from Eritrea as part of an exclusive investigation into Eritrean refugees. She has written for other top media outlets such as Eleftherotypia and the Guardian and has appeared as a political commentator on European and Greek affairs on Al Jazeera English and the BBC.

Paul Taylor is a Senior Fellow at Friends of Europe and the author of the think tank’s European Defence Cooperation report series. He previously spent four decades working for Reuters as a foreign correspondent in Paris, Tehran, Bonn and Brussels, as bureau chief in Israel/Palestine, Berlin and Brussels, as chief correspondent in France, as diplomatic editor in London, and finally as European affairs editor. Taylor’s assignments have included covering the Iranian revolution, the Cold War Euromissile crisis, the 1991 Gulf War, German reunification, the Maastricht summit, France in the 1990s, EU enlargement, the Eurozone crisis and the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt.

Laura has more than 20 years of experience in diplomacy, humanitarian affairs and multilateral negotiation. She has provided leadership across the fields of human rights, migration, refugees and the environment. In her current role, Laura has led the implementation of a worldwide structural reform to consolidate the IOM’s growth and expansion. Prior to joining IOM, Laura was the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations.

In his current position as Hoover Chair at UCLouvain, Philippe van Parijs teaches courses on political thought, and political philosophy and the European Union. A Fellow of the British Academy and a Robert Schuman Fellow at the European University Institute, where he co-organises a series of ‘conversations for the future of Europe’, he also belongs to the Belgian Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts, as well as the European Academy of Arts and Sciences. An avid advocate of addressing social questions, van Parijs is the Founder and Advisory Board Chair of the Basic Income Earth Network. Notably, he is the recipient of the Francqui Prize, Belgium’s highest scientific honour.

António is in charge of policy coordination and strategy within the cabinet of the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Staff of the Secretary of State to the Prime Minister of Portugal, monitoring the Portuguese adjustment programme and serving as the dedicated interface with the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund. António has also been a regular contributor to the Economist Intelligence Unit, writing monthly reports on Portugal’s political and economic situation from 2006 to 2011.