Major

Born in Samsun in 1980, Arslan completed his high school education in Istanbul and moved to Izmir in 1998 to continue his education at Ege University Department of Chemical Engineering. Arslan earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering, and completed a second master’s degree in Amsterdam Graduate Business School in the field of European Environmental Policy with a European Commission Jean Monnet scholarship. Arslan earned his doctorate degree in Business Administration Department at Manisa Celal Bayar University with a thesis on cross-cultural differences in business ethics. His academic studies focus on sustainability, circular economy, circular business models and entrepreneurship.

Arslan began his professional career in 2003 as an SME Expert at KOSGEB Ege University EBSO Technology Development Center. In 2015, he was appointed manager of KOSGEB Manisa Directorate and beginning from 2016 till today, he continued his managerial position at KOSGEB Izmir Directorate. At the moment, he is also the sustainability advisor of the Enterprise Europe Network EBIC-EGE Project. Arslan also serves on the Advisory Boards of numerous organizations working on entrepreneurship, sustainability and innovation.

He was born and raised in İzmir in 1984. After completing his primary and secondary education in İzmir, he enrolled in the Faculty of Political Science at Ankara University in 2002 and graduated in 2006 as the top student of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration. In 2007, he began working as an assistant planning expert at the State Planning Organization (DPT) under the Prime Ministry of the Republic of Turkey. He was appointed as a planning expert in 2012. As an assistant planning expert and later as a planning expert, he worked in the fields of higher education and R&D, respectively. On August 14, 2014, he was appointed as Head of the Department of Education and Culture. He held this position until his appointment as Secretary General of the İzmir Development Agency on May 8, 2018. Mehmet YAVUZ completed his PhD in public administration in 2017 and has published academic studies in peer-reviewed journals. He is fluent in English. He is married and has two children.

Sana Afouaiz is a multi-award-winning gender expert, women’s rights advocate, and renowned international public speaker. She is the founder and CEO of Womenpreneur Initiative, and the author of Invisible Women of the Middle East. Sana has spoken in over 50 countries at global institutions, international forums, and prestigious universities, advocating for gender equality and systemic change.

In 2016, she founded Womenpreneur Initiative to empower women in technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation across Europe and the MENA region. Under her leadership, Womenpreneur has trained more than 25,000 women, and launched Belgium’s first tech training center exclusively for women, focused on equipping them with the skills to enter and thrive in the tech industry.

Sana’s influence and leadership have been widely recognized. She was awarded the Amnesty International Award 2025 for her impactful work in advancing women’s rights. She has been named:

– Influential Woman by the World Bank,
– One of the Most Influential Women in the European Startup Ecosystem– three times,
– Revelation of the Year by prestigious Lobby Award in Belgium
– Influential leader by Crans Montana
– Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year by the Adecco Group,
– Recipient of the Ashoka Changemaker Award,
– Top 100 Most Inspiring Social Innovators Worldwide by Social Enablers,
– Top 5 Most Inspiring and Talented Women by Moustacho,
– Influential Female Entrepreneur by Knowing Arabia and Watching Arabia.

Her work has been featured in global media such as BBC, Forbes, TV5Monde, L’Echo, De Tijd, El País, RTBF, LeSoir, LN24, Al Mamlaka TV, and The Huffington Post.

Over the past decade, Sana has advised corporates and major institutions including the United Nations and the European Commission, and contributed to key policy frameworks related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She has helped draft international gender resolutions and delivered recommendations in New York, Paris, Geneva, and Bali.

Within the Belgian diplomatic network in Türkiye Stefano Missir di Lusignano currently serves as Head of the Economic and Trade Representation of Brussels.

Based in Istanbul, his Office covers Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Albania, and Kosovo.

With over 25 years of experience in international trade, he has been instrumental in promoting Belgian exports and attracting foreign investment to Brussels, the Capital of Europe.

He holds a Master’s in Law from the University of Louvain (UCL) and a Master’s in EU Economics and Policies from the Collegio Europeo di Parma.

He previously held positions at the European Parliament and the European Commission before moving into economic diplomacy.

His international postings have taken him across the globe, including assignments as Economic and Trade Consul in China (Shanghai), Regional Supervisor for Southeast Asia in Hanoi and Head of the Economic and Trade Office of Brussels in Brazil in (Rio de Janeiro).

Maria Helena de Felipe Lehtonen is a prominent expert in international business development, particularly focused on fostering economic ties across Europe and the Mediterranean region. With over two decades of experience, she has dedicated her career to promoting business internationalisation and building strategic commercial and institutional relationships. Her independent position enables her to offer objective guidance to companies seeking to expand internationally, especially into European and MENA markets.

Ms. de Felipe holds several key institutional roles. Since 2014, she has been the Vice-President of the Board of Foment del Treball, the Employers’ Federation of Catalonia, and, since 2022, she also serves as the President of its International Commission. She is a long-standing Board Member of the Spanish Confederation of Employers (CEOE) and serves as Vice-President of SMEunited, the European association representing 12 million small and medium-sized enterprises. At SMEunited, she also chairs the Social Affairs Committee.

At the European level, Maria Helena is a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), where she currently serves as Vice-President of External Relations. Her involvement includes work on the Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law Group, the Equality Group, the Micro and Small Enterprises Group, and the Euro-Mediterranean Follow-up Committee. She is also a member of the Economic and Social Labor Council of Catalonia (CTESC).

Throughout her career, Maria Helena has played a crucial role in facilitating agreements, saving time and resources for companies through her strategic mindset, extensive network, and passion for meaningful international cooperation.

Mrs. Tsaltampasi is the President of the Greek Association of Women Entrepreneurs – SEGE, the
President of Energy Cooperative WEnCoop, and CEO of OECON Group of Companies, which includes
companies in Greece and abroad. She actively supports Female Entrepreneurship and the Promotion of
Women in all sectors of the Economy through S.E.G.E., as well as other positions she holds.
She is the A’ Vice President of AFAEMME – Association of Organizations of Mediterranean
Businesswomen, the President of the Balkan Women Coalition (B-WCo). Additionally, Mrs. Tsaltampasi
is a member of the Financial Committee of Women20 (W20) and holds the position of the General
Secretary at Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) an international organization.
She actively participates as a Member of the European Innovation Council (EIC), which offers a
programme to improve skills and networking for women entrepreneurs and researchers supported by
the EIC, the Women Leadership Programme (WLP) and she is also a Member of the WEgate Committee’s
Thematic Group on shaping European Policies for Women Entrepreneurship.
She is a PhD Candidate at University of Macedonia, within the field of Female Entrepreneurship as a
Factor of reaching the 17 SDGs. She holds a Master’ s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the
University of Macedonia and she is certified by national and international bodies on providing
consultancy services. Moreover, she holds a Diploma in Association Management – CIPE (Center for
International Private Enterprises) while in 2011 she was elected as a Fellow of ASAE University –
Washington DC. She has great experience and expertise as she has participated and successfully led
some of the most successful projects of both OECON Group and SEGE. At the same time, she also
participates in two corporate schemes as a Business Angel.
She combines the fresh spirit with a great business and work experience, which is proven by the awards
that have been given to her. Mrs. Tsaltampasi was awarded the title of Ambassador of Women
Entrepreneurship in 2010 by the European Commission for her dynamic action in the field of promotion
of women entrepreneurship. She was also honored in 2014 with the title “Women Motivator in
Mediterranean” and in 2018 she received an honorary award, from the Central Union of Municipalities
of Greece – K.E.D.E., for her overall contribution to women’s entrepreneurship. Mrs. Tsaltampasi was a
Finalist for EUSEW 2022 Awards in the Category of “Women in Energy”. Last but not least, as president
of SEGE and WEnCoop, has led WEnCoop to international recognition, and to win the National and
European Award, of the category “Green Transition”, in the European Enterprise Promotion Awards –
EEPA 2022