European Young Leaders (#EYL40)

Min-Sung Sean Kim is a General Partner at NGS Capital, a Berlinbased venture capital fund, where he focuses on identifying and scaling transformative ventures in healthcare and cybersecurity. He is also the co-founder of 2hearts, a platform dedicated to empowering young European digital talents with migrant backgrounds. Kim’s international investment experience ranges from early-stage to late-stage. In his career, he was responsible for the Berlin office of the Samsung Catalyst Fund and helped in creating AllianzX , a corporate venture capital fund dedicated to late-stage investments in proven digital growth companies. Kim is passionate about building bridges in venture capital and beyond, creating opportunities for people, ideas, and innovation to thrive.

At the age of 30, Pero Kostadinov became Mayor of his hometown of Valandovo on North Macedonia’s southeastern border with Greece. Since taking office in 2017, he has launched digitalisation initiatives to improve transparency, government efficiency and inclusiveness to the benefit of Valandovo’s 10,580 citizens. Digital tools allow residents to communicate directly with the municipality; suggest ideas for local budget spending and sort their waste. Policies to support young people and the disabled have received international praise. Kostadinov was re-elected as mayor in 2021 and appointed Vice President of the ZELS association representing local governments from across North Macedonia.

Hajdana Kostić is a painter, illustrator and graphic designer from Montenegro. Her work hangs on walls around the world, including in the private collections of stars like John Malkovich, Keanu Reeves and will.i.am. Kostić rose to national fame after winning Montenegro’s 2023 Red Bull Doodle Art competition. Recent projects include illustrations to adorn London’s Megaro Hotel; covers for Air Serbia’s in-flight magazine and an exhibition exploring boundaries between humanity and technology. Kostić’s clients include VISA and UNICEF; and her street art decorates Montenegro’s capital and coastal cities. She also uses art to raise funding for war victims and other charitable causes.

Nevenka Lastrić-Đurić has been State Secretary in Croatia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs since August 2024. Previously, she worked at the US Embassy in Zagreb as an advisor for legal policy across the Central and Eastern European region. She promoted international cooperation and delivered targeted training for judges, prosecutors and police to counter cross-border criminality and encourage institutional reform. LastrićĐurić focused particularly on strengthening cooperation in exchange of digital evidence, combatting cybercrime and fraud related to cryptocurrencies. In November, she became VicePresident of the Zagreb section of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) as it prepares to contest the 2025 municipal elections.

Louis Linster was proclaimed 2024 Luxembourg Chef of the Year by the Gault&Millau guide, and he holds a Michelin star for his restaurant in the village of Frisange, south of the Grand Ducal capital. “His knack with sauces is second to none, as is his flair for presentation and plating,” says the Michelin guide. Cooking is in Linster’s DNA. His mother Léa Linster is a culinary legend: the first – and so far, only – woman to win France’s Bocuse d’Or contest for the world’s top chefs. Following her retirement, Louis Linster took over the restaurant, which still bears his mother’s name, serving up modern-French cuisine with Asian influences.

Estonian entrepreneur Taavi Madiberk is CEO of Skeleton Technologies. He was just 21 when he co-founded the company, a global innovation leader in high-power energy storage. Skeleton produces supercapacitors and its SuperBattery to decrease CO₂ emissions, stabilise grids, power AI data centres and accelerate the electrification of the planet’s largest industries. It is the only European energy storage company producing its supercapacitors and high-power batteries using its own patented material called ‘curved graphene’, based on widely available low-cost materials sourced in Europe. Skeleton’s customers include Siemens, Hitachi Energy, Honda Racing, Skoda Electric and the European Space Agency. Its new plant in Germany is the world’s largest supercapacitor factory. Madiberk is also a Board Member at the European Innovation Council.

Born in Israel to an Italian mother and Libyan father, Liel Maghen has spent years exploring his identity, which has led him to his active involvement in peace building activities in the Middle East. After co-directing the Israel/Palestine Centre for Research and Information (IPCRI), a partnership-building NGO and think tank, he co-founded Elham – the Day After, bringing together Israeli and Palestinian artists to sow seeds of hope in a shared future. Maghen also acts as a consultant on programmes across the Middle East promoting community building, intercultural dialogue and non-violent communication. In 2022, he was awarded the IIE Victor J. Goldberg Prize for Peace in the Middle East. He is currently making his first feature-length documentary to inspire hope in the war-torn region.

Amélie Matton is the current Senior Advisor to the Board, and until recently CEO, of Ecosteryl, a world-leading medical waste management service based in Mons, Belgium. An experienced leader with a demonstrated history in the environmental services industry, Matton also has a strong background in the financial, operations and international trade sectors. At the head of a company, in a once male-dominated industry, now operating in more than 65 countries, this environmental engineer is passionate about women not having to make concessions in order to become leaders in business. Among her accolades, Matton is a member of Belgium’s 40 under 40, was nominated at the Manager of the Year 2023 edition and was part of the first Belgian list of Inspiring Women in Tech.

Bora Muzhaqi has been Albania’s Minister of State for Youth and Children since September 2021. She left Albania aged 17 to pursue her education in the United Kingdom but returned in 2013 determined to make a difference in her homeland. After five years in the private sector, Muzhaqi joined the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) working with the authorities to improve the business environment and develop a favourable regulatory framework for startups. She joined the Socialist Party of Albania. Upon becoming a Minister, she headed the first National Youth Strategy for Albania aimed at providing equal opportunities and support to young people. As Minister, she has sought to raise the profile of young people in political decision-making, promote youth employment and encourage the internationalisation of Albanian universities.

Nadia Nadim is a medical doctor and professional footballer, playing as a striker for AC Milan and the Danish national team. She fled her native Afghanistan aged 11 after the Taliban murdered her father. Nadim took up football after settling as a refugee in Denmark. Her stellar career includes winning the US National Women’s Soccer League with the Portland Thorns and the French Première Ligue with Paris Saint-Germain. She has played 105 games for Denmark. In 2022, Nadim qualified as a doctor, and she plans to specialise in reconstructive surgery. She is a UNESCO Champion for Women’s and Girls Education.

Aylin Nouri is a Swedish politician, born of parents from South Azerbaijan. She is currently serving her second mandate in the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) since her first election in 2018, where she is a member of the Education Committee. With a keen interest in China, having spent time studying in Shanghai during both her Bachelor and her Masters, Nouri often speaks out about Chinese affairs, such as the treatment of the Uyghur population and China’s role in international relations. Before her current role, Nouri worked for Greenpeace Sweden. Nouri is also the president of the Social Democratic district of Gothenburg area, and a member of the Swedish Social Democratic national board.

Hana Ostan-Ožbolt-Haas is a Slovenian art historian, curator and writer whose work connects art with social and cultural issues. Born in Ljubljana, and now living in Vienna, she directed the ULAY Foundation, where she organised exhibitions in collaboration with leading international art institutions such as the Stedelijk Museum and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Her curatorial projects address intergenerational and socially relevant themes, fostering dialogue among diverse perspectives. Alongside her curatorial practice, she writes for international publications, including Artforum, Frieze and ArtReview, and contributes to shaping the field of contemporary art through her involvement in education, jury work for art awards and organisational leadership.

Joanna Patsalis, from Cyprus, is Co-Founder and COO of Direct Kinetic Solutions (DKS), a startup working on the cutting edge of Radioisotopic Power Sources (RPS) – batteries that run off tiny bits of nuclear material. “We bring nuclear power to the palm of your hand by combining the persistence and reliability of a power plant with the convenience and mobility of a battery”, Patsalis says. The company works to commercialise this revolutionary energy source that is light-weight, safe, powerful and just-about everlasting. DKS works closely with US government agencies including the Department of Defense, National Science Foundation and NASA to make this groundbreaking technology an everyday reality. The company has raised $17mn in non-dilutive and private funding, placing it on the top 100 list of the highest-funded MBA startups of 2024.

Czech multimedia artist Eliska Podzimkova has used humour, technical prowess and a unique design sense to forge an international career as a pioneering animator, illustrator and digital creator. Blending live-action photography, video and hand-drawn animation, she has produced award-winning films, music videos and marketing campaigns, including for Vogue Magazine and chef Jamie Oliver.  She illustrated a new Czech edition of “The Little Prince.” After a stint working at the New York Film Academy, she is back in Prague where her experience as a teenage cancer survivor inspired the “Baldies” project to support sick kids, from animated films to designer sneakers.

Andrei Popoviciu is an award-winning investigative journalist and foreign correspondent from Romania covering human rights, humanitarian crises, migration and conflict. He has worked across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Much of Popoviciu’s recent work has focused on allegations of human rights violations involving EU funds. His report exposing the “outsourcing” of European border enforcement to Africa won the Migration Journalism Award at the 2024 European Press PRIZE. Al Jazeera, The Washington Post, El Pais and Le Monde are among the international media featuring Popoviciu’s reporting.