Kerstin Rosenow is Head of Unit for ‘Economic sustainability’ in the Directorate Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission. Her unit is responsible for economic sustainability aspects of the Common Agricultural Policy. The unit contributes to the achievement of the economic objectives of the CAP, and in particular to the design, development and implementation of the instruments and types of intervention related to economic sustainability (income), such as direct payments, sectoral interventions as well as interventions for rural development related to economic sustainability. The unit also contributes to developing and enhancing the use of financial instruments under the EAFRD. It ensures the coordination with the other EU policies applying financial instruments, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Investment Fund (EIF), and InvestEU. In co-operation with the EIB, the unit also coordinates and implements the EAFRD stream of "fi-compass", a platform for advisory services on financial instruments under the Investment Plan for Europe.  

Before, she was as Head of Unit responsible for the EU research and innovation policy in the intervention area of "agriculture, forestry and rural areas" and the related programming of R&I  under Horizon Europe. She also piloted the Horizon Europe R&I Mission” A Soil Deal for Europe”. She was also Head of Unit in the EC Research Executive Agency (REA) where she managed the implementation of the project portfolio for Horizon 2020 in the area of food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime, and inland water research and the bioeconomy.

She has been working in the EC for over 20 years after covering a managerial position in the German administration (Representation of the State of Hessen to the EU). For DG AGRI she coordinated negotiations with pre-accession and candidate countries and the preparation of the 2014-2020 CAP legislative framework. She studied law, politics and administration in Marburg, Grenoble and Bruges.

István Attila Szabó graduated from the Budapest University of Economics in 1999 with a degree in International Business Economics. Alongside his studies, he worked at Citibank and Porsche Bank. After graduation, he joined K&H Bank in the leasing department. Subsequently, he returned to Citibank, where he held several managerial positions between 2003 and 2015. In 2015, he was appointed Deputy CEO responsible for the corporate division of CIB Bank. He joined Hungary's export credit agency EXIM as Deputy CEO in 2018. In December 2022, he assumed the position of CEO of IFKA Nonprofit Ltd. From November 2022, he actively participated in the implementation of Garantiqa's business policy as Chairman of the Board of Directors. From 2023, he is the CEO of Garanitqa.

Virginie Poncet - After 15 years as a business consultant for high profile international firms (CSC, Accenture, etc), Virginie Poncet has launched a start up in 2000 to transform SME customer relationship management, her missions during that period mostly based in the United Kingdom and the United States. She joined Bpifrance in 2002 where she managed the development team of IT projects before moving on to lead the business analyst team. In 2013, Virginie moved on to the International and European Affairs department as a senior advisor, supporting the direction mostly in services to international partners. She was member of the AECM (association for European guarantee institutions) board from 2014 until 2018 and is a member of the GNGI Board (global network for guarantee institutions) and of the EMGN (Euro Mediterranean Guarantee Network) steering committee.

The consulting activity aims at supporting foreign governments and organizations involved in SME development in the acquirement of best practices to create a fertile economic environment. The goal is to spread Bpifrance’s experience and knowledge with worldwide clients, and since 2023 she focusses on EU peers.

Mrs. Bae is working as a Deputy Director at the Venture Investment & Finance Center of the Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC). She is currently engaged in identifying and sourcing promising small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for potential direct investment and assisting startup growth.

Since joining the KOTEC in 2016, she has been involved in a broad range of responsibilities, including guarantee services at technology appraisal centers, as well as investment and securitization roles at the head office. She has also occasionally supported global business operations. She holds both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Economics

since 1999   SMEunited, Director for Economic and Fiscal Policy; his main dossiers are: SME finance, sustainable finance and relations to Banks, tax policy, R&D and Innovation; State aid policy, economic policy coordination, macroeconomic dialogue and monetary policy.

Furthermore he is responsible for the SMEunited Study Unit.

1994-98       Executive Secretary of the "Economic and Social Council" of the Austrian Social Partners

1987-98       Economic Policy Department at the Austrian Economic Chamber

1986            Diploma at the University of Linz, Economics

*1961          Wels, AUSTRIA

Prof. dr. hab. Marta Postuła, has been an advisor to the Board of Directors for Sustainable Development at the Brokerage House of Bank Ochrony Środowiska since 2022. Prior to that, she was a head of the Issuer Relations Department at the same institution for six years.

She has several years of experience working in the public sector. From 1999 to 2016, she worked at the Ministry of Finance, where she headed departments responsible for, among other things: the creation of strategic documents and coordination of activities related to the development of the Act on Public Finance, the implementation of socio-economic policies of governments, and the assessment of the efficiency of public spending in the public sector.

She has served on the supervisory boards of, among others, BGK, PL2012, Intercity and SKM. Since 2020, she has been Head of the Department of Finance and Accounting at the Faculty of Management of the University of Warsaw. From 2016 to 2023, she served as director of the UW Entrepreneurship Centre. At BGK she supervises markets and government and European programmes division.

Since 2020, she has been a full professor of social sciences, a title she received from the President of the Republic of Poland. She holds a postdoctoral degree in economics in the discipline of finance, as well as a PhD in economics from the Warsaw School of Economics.

She is the author of numerous book publications and articles in the field of finance, particularly in the areas of public finance and investment finance.

Pietro Calice is a Senior Financial Sector Expert with the “Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation” Global Practice of the World Bank. In his capacity, Pietro advises finance ministries, central banks and regulatory authorities on financial sector reforms. He has led several FSAPs and has written extensively on financial stability, financial efficiency, and financial inclusion. Pietro is a recognized expert in climate finance, public guarantees, state-owned financial institutions, and financial sector competition policy, with experience in more than twenty countries across four regions. Prior to joining the World Bank, Pietro served in different capacities at the African Development Bank and worked at credit rating agencies and investment banks. He has an MSc in Banking and Finance, an MPhil in Development Studies and a Doctorate in Economics.

Dr Milena Angelova has been serving as Secretary-General of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association since 2002 and as SGI Europe Vice-President since 2011. She’s been a Member of the European Economic and Social Committee since 2007. Member of the Bulgarian Economic and Social Committee since 2006, and its Vice-President for 2025. In June 2022, Dr Angelova was appointed Bulgarian SME Envoy.

She has thirty years of successful track record in representing the interests of the business community at EU and national level regarding important topics such as sustainable development and CSR, SME promotion, innovation and knowledge transfer, skills, future of work, etc. Associate professors on Marketing and Sustainable Development at the Economic Research Institute at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Lucia Cusmano is Acting Head of the SMEs and Entrepreneurship Division at the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE). She coordinates the development of the OECD SME and Entrepreneurship Strategy and leads work on SME digitalisation, green transition and internationalisation. She has authored OECD reports on SME financing, innovation and sustainability, and benchmarking of SME and entrepreneurship policy.

Ms Cusmano has a PhD in Economics from the University of Pavia (Italy) and has completed a Master of Science in Economics at Warwick University (UK). She has published in international journals on SMEs, entrepreneurship, innovation, globalisation, structural change and economic development.

Ismini Papakirillou is the Chief ExecuƟve Officer of Hellenic Development Bank, a posiƟon she
holds since February 2024. Previously she worked for the European Investment Fund (EIF),
part of the European Investment Bank Group, covering European Commission mandates
across a range of different themaƟcs. From 2010 to 2019 she worked for the InternaƟonal
Finance CorporaƟon (IFC), the private invesƟng arm of the World Bank, handling direct
investments across a range of financial instruments, sectors and geographies. Prior to IFC she
worked for three years as a porƞolio manager for Global TacƟcal Asset AllocaƟon strategies at
APG Investments, one of the largest insƟtuƟonal investors in Europe. She has also worked in
Paris and Athens covering investments in industry and private equity.
She has degrees from the MassachuseƩs InsƟtute of Technology (MIT) and the London School
of Economics (LSE).