Hristina MIKIĆ (Serbia) CEO Creative Glass Serbia Initiative, Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship and Innovation Serbia Hristina is a pioneering force in revitalising glassmaking through innovative entrepreneurship. Her initiative, Creative Glass Serbia, integrates metaglass concepts at both heritage and industry levels, while also curating immersive art experiences that elevate the glass industry and traditional glass crafts. Her work embodies a vision for a future where creativity thrives, economies grow, and cultural heritage is preserved through sustainable, forward-thinking practices.

Ivan ŽGANEC (Slovenia) Technical Director of KNOF Ivan is the Technical Director at Knof, a leading social enterprise focused on sustainability through innovative recycling of plastics, textiles, and wood. With expertise in automating and optimising production, Ivan drives Knof's mission to reduce waste and promote circular practices. Knof helps businesses and individuals adopt sustainable strategies through hands-on solutions, from concept to implementation. As part of Slovenia’s largest circular lab, Ivan leads projects that turn ideas into real-world sustainable models, products, and closed-loop systems.

Anna GUDMUNDSDOTTIR (Iceland, Sweden) Industrial designer & Project manager of SPOK at Form/Design Center Anna is MFA in industrial design with a focus on local manufacturing and reuse on a larger scale. She works as a project manager at Form/Design Center which is the main platform for architecture, design and craft in Sweden and the organizer behind the annual international design festival Southern Sweden Design Days in Malmö. She manages SPOK (contemporary production and consumption) and has developed this previously local platform into a nationwide initiative with over 360 listed manufacturers. She is also the founder of the design collective Malmö Upcycling Service where she pursues the issue of circular manufacturing. As a designer, she has the capacity to interpret themes, problems or complex questions into simple, communicative designs that the wider public can take to heart.

Lauren FAJARDO (Cuba) Co-founder & Creative Director of Dador Lauren is a fashion and costume designer, entrepreneur and public speaker. A graduate of the Institute of Design in Havana, her work encompasses a variety of international projects including films, stage performances and commercial shoots as fashion designer, costume designer, stylist and producer. She is the co-founder and creative director of Dador, a social impact driven Cuban ethical fashion and lifestyle brand based in Havana. Dador is dedicated to promoting local development and female empowerment. A women-led enterprise, Dador creates clothing made in Cuba with a conscious approach that aims to preserve local cultural heritage while promoting socio economic growth. The timeless, handcrafted and locally produced garments capture the essence of modern-day Havana.

Maja KOLAR, facilitator (Croatia) Oaza Design Practice Maja is a multidisciplinary professional specialising in curatorial practice, social and strategic design, and publishing. She collaborates with international, interdisciplinary teams on various projects and initiatives. Recently, she led a design research study at Searcher Studio, focusing on digital collection and participatory curation. As co-founder of the Oaza Design Practice, she explores alternative production models and sustainable resource use through the EU funded Made In Platform for Contemporary Crafts and Design. Maja also contributes to independent publishing and editorial work under Oaza Books. She holds a degree from Konstfack University of Arts and Crafts.

Anuradha SINGH (India) Director of NilaHouse and Head of the Lady Bamford Foundation Anuradha is the Head of Lady Bamford Foundation and the Director of NilaHOUSE based in Jaipur – a ground-breaking non-profit organisation that sits at the intersection of craft, design, sustainability and community empowerment. She has been at the helm of Nila from its foundation, bringing an energetic leadership that has guided Nila to grow into one of India’s most compelling spaces and initiatives for conversation and action around value chain sustainability, craft preservation and design innovation. Her nuanced understanding of the power of craft and heritage as an agent for social and economic development has been informed by her two decades of experience in the heritage and cultural development sectors.

Rafael TAMAYO FRANCO (Colombia) Gallery Casa Enso & Fundación GT Rafael was the Director of Public Libraries of Bogotá and is the former Director of the Memory Museum of Colombia. He is also a university professor and a consultant for UNESCO in Latin America on World Heritage and education. Currently he promotes the preservation of arts and crafts in Latin America through the G&T Foundation and serves as a member of the curatorial committee of ENSŌ Design Colombia.

Claire HAZART (France) Director of JAD (Jardin des métiers d'Art et du Design) Claire’s work and the aim of JAD, a place of hybridization that addresses critical contemporary challenges, focuses on contributing to the discourse on current environmental concerns and promoting emerging and existing solutions. This commitment is reflected in JAD’s cultural programming, as well as its efforts to connect artisans and designers with research and innovation, fostering collaborative approaches to develop environmentally responsible practices.

Marianne BURKI (Switzerland) Artistic Director TaDA Marianne is an art and architecture historian. She has been responsible for TaDA - Textile and Design Alliance since its very beginning in 2019. Since 2021, she has co-directed Sequerciani Arte Clima in Tuscany, a project merging art, science, and agriculture. She served as Head of Visual Arts at the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia until 2019, overseeing visual arts funding, international exchanges, and the Swiss pavilion at the Venice Biennale. She was formerly Director of Kunsthaus Langenthal and Project Manager for the Catalogue Raisonné Paul Klee at the Paul Klee Stiftung. She is also the scriptwriter and director of the film Mariann Grunder, Bildhauerin. From 2018 to 2023, she was President of the Swiss Association of Art Historians (VKK).

Maja TOWNDROW, facilitator (Slovenia) Project manager at Centre Rog Creative Hub Maja Towndrow is an experienced project manager in the cultural and creative sector. She previously worked for the Centre for Creativity, a national business development accelerator for professionals working in the Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCS) in Slovenia. During this time, she was the financial project manager responsible for overall project coordination, reporting, and the coordination of the partnership network and reports. In 2023, she joined Center Rog as a project manager for European projects, overseeing the management of the MADE IN Platform, coordination of the residency programmes and other European projects.

Florinda SAIEVA, (Italy) General Director of Farm Cultural Park Florinda is the General Director of Farm Cultural Park in Favara, which she co-founded in 2010 to transform abandoned spaces into hubs for contemporary art and social innovation. She has led numerous cultural and educational projects, including initiatives for children, urban regeneration, and women's empowerment. With a background in law and a master's in Tourism and Cultural Heritage Management, she continues to promote creative and social change through Farm's various programs and partnerships.

Asel YESZHANOVA (Kazakhstan) Co-founder & Development Director at Foundation Urban Forum Kazakhstan Asel is an Almaty based architect and a cultural activist, whose professional journey revolves around active participation in the broader discourse on architecture and urbanism. Raised in a small town amidst the expansive steppes of northern Kazakhstan, she had ample space to nurture her artistic inclinations through experimenting with the local materials and multidisciplinary collaborations. She is a co-founder and a Development Director of Public Foundation Urban Forum Kazakhstan. This organisation was the first to introduce the issues of urbanism and interdisciplinary approach to urban transformation in Kazakhstan. Asel was included in the Royal Institute of British Architects book 100 Women: Architects In Practice, highlighting 100 exceptional practising women architects.

Jessica GUY (Spain) Distributed Design Expert Lead at Fablab Barcelona Jessica is a designer, maker, and strategic research lead of Distributed Design at Fab Lab Barcelona. Their work centres around researching ontologies and narratives of design from plural perspectives within design and maker education at Fab Lab Barcelona. They are the project manager of the EU-funded project Distributed Design Platform and Make Works global. They design and curate annual programs for learning experiences, knowledge exchanges, publications, hybrid events, awards, and other opportunities to support emerging creative talents.

Maciej KRZYSZTOFOWICZ (Belgium / Poland) Head of Design for Policy, EU Policy Lab, Joint Research Centre, European Commission An economist by training and a civil servant by vocation, Maciej is naturally curious. He joined the EU Policy Lab in 2016, drawn by the opportunity to work on innovative approaches to public policy formulation—having co-authored several regulations—and strategic foresight (despite being a little short-sighted). Currently, he leads a team of designers who apply their unique skills to enhance policymaking. Before this, from 2006 onward, he worked tirelessly on reforming the Common Agricultural Policy. Prior to that, he was part of the Polish Institute of International Affairs, where he contributed to Poland's accession to the European Union and its early years as a member state.

Alessandro RANCATI, facilitator (Belgium / Italy) Founder of Livepods An architect and designer, Alessandro founded and led creative agencies in Miami (2001–2006) and Barcelona (2008–2015). He later joined the European Commission, where he played a key role in establishing design for policy at the EU Policy Lab. He was instrumental in the early development of the New European Bauhaus and its community. After leaving the Commission, he founded Livepods, focusing on regenerative practices in policy making, place-making, and entrepreneurship. He also co-authored Managing Complexity (and Chaos) in Times of Crisis with Dave Snowden.