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Advisory Board

The SME EnterPRIZE Advisory Board is composed of representatives from the main EU institutions, NGOs, press and academic fields with relevant experience both in sustainability and SMEs.

KIRSTEN DUNLOP

Dr. Kirsten Dunlop is Chief Executive Officer at EIT Climate-KIC, Europe’s largest public-private partnership focused on climate innovation. She brings to her role a deep conviction in our capacity to learn and evolve into a climate-resilient society, and her over 30 years of experience catalyzing systemic transformations in a career spanning academia, consulting, banking, and the insurance industry, across three continents. Kirsten serves on various Advisory Boards and is recognized as a leader at the European Commission Economic and Societal Impact of Research and Innovation (ESIR) expert group. A specialist in experiential learning and cross-disciplinary practice, she holds a Ph.D. in Cultural History from the University of East Anglia and a BA Hons in Art History from the University of Sydney.

BIANCA DRAGOMIR

Bianca Dragomir is an award-winning, cluster expert and public speaker on the power of innovation ecosystems for green transformation. She is Director of Cleantech for Iberia, an initiative supported by Cleantech Group and Breakthrough Energy, Bill Gates Foundation for the development and deployment of clean energy. Prior to that, she held the position of CEO of The Cleantech Cluster Valencian Region (AVAESEN) in Spain. Her groundbreaking work led her to become the first woman being awarded “European Cluster Manager of the Year”  by the European Commission. An advisor to the European Commission’s High-Level Industrial Roundtables on: ‘Industry 2030’, ‘Clusters’ and ‘Skills for Renewable Industry’, Bianca has pioneered the first cleantech accelerator in Spain in partnership with EIT Climate-KIC, The First European Cluster Accelerator TheCAP, and Clusters of Change platform for impact-driven cluster leaders.

SIMONE TAGLIAPIETRA

Dr. Simone Tagliapietra is a Senior fellow at Bruegel. He is also professor of Energy, Climate and Environmental Policy at the Catholic University of Milan and at The Johns Hopkins University – School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Europe. His research focuses on the European Union climate and energy policy and on the political economy of global decarbonisation. His columns and policy work are published and cited in leading international media such as the Financial Times, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Zeit, El Pais, Corriere della Sera, Domani, Il Sole 24 Ore and others. Simone holds a PhD in Institutions and Policies from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and has previous working experience at the Istanbul Policy Center of Sabanci University and at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

MARINA PONTI

Marina Ponti is the Global Director of the United Nations SDG Action Campaign. In her role Ms. Ponti led several global initiatives including the #Trunitaround and #FlipTheScript campaigns that have mobilized over more than 350 million SDG actions in 190 countries and the UN SDG Action Awards that identifies and celebrates changemakers from across geographies and sectors. As a strong advocate for social and climate justice, Ms. Ponti believes in the power of creativity to lead positive change towards more inclusive, sustainable and peaceful societies. Previously as one of the main architects of the UN Millennium Campaign, Ms. Ponti served as the Global Deputy Director and Regional Director for Europe for over a decade and was at the vanguard of innovative campaign initiatives, building multi-stakeholder coalitions, mobilizing resources and forging long-term partnerships between civil society organizations, local governments, parliamentarians, media, private sector and the UN. She also served as a Special Advisor on post-2015 during the final negotiations of the 2030 Agenda, along her roles at the UNICEF and UN Secretariat and Catapult – a girls and women’s right crowdfunding platform.