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Mr. Costis Stambolis

Costis Stambolis is the Executive Director of the Institute of Energy for SE Europe (IENE) and its current Chairman. He has a background in Physics and Architecture having studied at the University of London, the North East London Polytechnic (NELP) and the Architectural Association in London from where he holds a Graduate Diploma in Architecture and Energy Studies (AA Dip. Grad). He also holds a professional practice license from the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), and a Masters Degree from the Said Business School, University of Oxford, where he studied “Strategy and Innovation”.

Costis has carried out numerous projects on Renewable Energy Sources in developing countries. He has consulted widely on solar building applications for both private and institutional clients in various European countries. Furthermore, he has worked as a consultant and strategy advisor on natural gas, oil markets and energy security issues for large multinational companies, international organizations and governments.

Costis has lectured widely on energy issues and has organized several national, regional and international conferences, seminars and workshops. He has published several books, edited conference proceedings, and authored research papers. Among others he is the editor of  the “S.E. Europe Energy Outlook (2011,2017, 2022)”, which is considered a basic reference on energy for SE Europe.

Since 2001 he manages Greece’s foremost energy site www.energia.gr. He is a founding member of the Institute of Energy for South East Europe (IENE). He is a member of the Energy Institute (UK), the International Passive House Association (IPHA), and The Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE). Since 2018 he also serves as a full member of the Greek government’s standing committee on Energy and Climate Change (NECP).

Ms. Merâl Güzel

Meral Guzel leads ands coordinates United Nations’ Women’s Entrepreneurship’s Accelerator, a multi-partner initiative designed to advance women entrepreneurship ecosystem around the world in collaboration with six United Nations agencies. She joined UN Women in 2015 as Empower Women Regional Coordinator for Europe and Central Asia and later established WEPs Secretariat within UN Women. Previously, she founded and launched the Women’s Banking department of BNP Paribas TEB and also designed and managed several multi-country programmes at the World Bank. Meral has over 18 years of senior-level experience within international development, advancing gender agenda in collaboration with the private sector, financial institutions, and institutional partners. Meral’s expertise also includes women’s entrepreneurship, gender and blended finance and women’s empowerment at the workplace.

Dr. George Pagoulatos

George Pagoulatos is Director General of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), Professor of European Politics and Economy at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) and Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges. He is an advisor on European affairs to the President of the Hellenic Republic, and in 2011-12 he served as senior advisor and director of strategy at the PM Office under Greece’s two non-political prime ministers and coalition governments. He has been a member of the Governing Board of the Brussels-based European Policy Centre (EPC) (2015-20), a member of the High Council of the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence (2010-13), and President of ECSA-Greece (2013-14). Author of several books and many articles, he is a regular columnist in the Sunday edition of the main Greek centrist newspaper Kathimerini. Pagoulatos holds a Law degree from the University of Athens, M.Sc. and D.Phil. in Politics from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes scholar. He possesses extensive experience advising government and the corporate sector.

Ms. Alia El-Yassir

Ms. Alia El-Yassir (Canada) has been working with UN Women since 1997. Prior to assuming her role as Regional Director a.i for the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office, she was the Deputy Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Regional Office and UN Women Special Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), managing a complex portfolio of programmes and projects, as well as supporting the UNCT and HCT on establishing coordination mechanisms for tackling gender equality and women’s empowerment issues. She is part of the UNDG roster of gender experts and has supported other UNCTs in this capacity.

Before joining UN Women, she briefly worked with UNDP and was engaged in the education field. In addition to volunteering with a number of women’s and human rights NGOs, she has worked on educational media for children.

Alia El-Yassir graduated from McGill University in Montreal and pursued post-graduate studies in Education and Anthropology, with a specialization on Gender Studies at Ben Gurion University of the Negev.