Speakers

Rym Ayadi

President Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA), Director, Euro-Mediterranean Network for Economic Studies (EMNES)

Professor Rym Ayadi is the Founder and President of the Euro – Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA). She is Founder and Director of the Euro-Mediterranean Network for Economic Studies (EMNES). She is Senior Advisor at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS); Professor at the Business School, City University of London; and Member of the Centre for Banking Research (CBR); Chair of the European Banking Authority – Banking Stakeholders Group (EBA- BSG). She is also Associated Scholar at the Centre for Relationship Banking and Economics (CERBE) at LUMSA University in Rome.

Daniel Gros

Distinguished Fellow and Member of the Board, Centre for European Policy Studies

Daniel Gros is a Member of the Board and Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS). He joined CEPS in 1986 and has been the Director of CEPS from 2000 to 2020.

Prior to joining CEPS, Daniel worked at the IMF and at the European Commission as economic adviser to the Delors Committee that developed the plans for the euro.

Over the last decades, he has been a member of high-level advisory bodies to the French and Belgian governments and has provided advice to numerous central banks and governments, including Greece, the UK, and the US, at the highest political level.

Daniel is currently also an adviser to the European Parliament and was a member of the Advisory Scientific Council (ASC) of the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) until June 2020. He held a Fulbright fellowship and was a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley in 2020.

Daniel holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. He has published extensively on international economic affairs, including on issues related to monetary and fiscal policy, exchange rates, banking. He is the author of several books and editor of Economie Internationale and International Finance. He has taught at several leading European Universities and contributes a globally syndicated column on European economic issues to Project Syndicate.

Moubarack Lo

Director General of the Bureau of Economic Prospective, Senegal and Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South

Former Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Senegal. President of the Emergence Institute, specializing in economic and statistical studies and strategic planning. He is also Director General of the Economic Foresight Bureau. Previously, he was Deputy Director in the Cabinetof Macky Sall, President of Senegal. He also served as an economic advisor to several Prime Ministers. He is an expert for the UN, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the African Union. He has served as associate lecturer at the National School of Administration of Senegal and the University Gaston Berger of St. Louis.

Racha Ramadan

Associate Professor, Cairo University

Racha Ramadan is an Associate professor at the Economics Department, Faculty of Economics and Political Science (FEPS), Cairo University and economic Research Forum Researcher. She got her Ph.D. in Economics, in April 2010, from Toulouse School of Economics,under the supervision of Professor Alban Thomas.  During her stay in France, she worked as teaching assistant in Toulouse University (Université Toulouse 1-Capitole) and as research assistant in Toulouse Business School.

In 2008, She worked as research assistant in International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, D.C. Since 2010, She worked as an economic consultant for different international organizations such as the UNDP-Regional Office in Cairo, World Bank, UN-ESCWA, UN-FAO, IFAD and UNESCO.  She was a visiting scholar at Hamburg University in Germany (2012), at Chicago University Center in Paris (2013) and at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Minnesota University in USA (2014). She is a member of the Associate Editorial Board of New Medit- A Mediterranean Journal of Economics, Agriculture and Environment (2018), a fellow of the Summer Program in Social Science (SPSS) at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton (2018-2019) and laureate of the Programme Femme d’Avenir en Méditerranée- Sciences Po Paris (2016). She is the academic coordinator of the FEPS team in the Euro Mediterranean Network for Economic Studies (EMNES). She has several papers published in peer reviewed journals as Review of Income and Wealth (ROIW), Middle East Development Journal (MEDJ), Food Policy and New Medit- A Mediterranean Journal of Economics, Agriculture and Environment.

Her research interests include applied micro-econometrics on poverty, food security, gender and human development in Egypt and other developing countries.

Ralph Chami

Member of EMNES and EMEA Advisory Boards and Assistant Director IMF

Ralph Chami is currently Assistant Director in the Institute for Capacity Development (ICD), International Monetary Fund, where he oversaw the development and implementation of the internal economics training program for all IMF economists as well as the revamping of theInstitute’s  external training program for officials from member countries. Most recently, he was Assistant Director and Division Chief in the Middle East and Central Asia Department where he oversaw surveillance and program work on fragile states: Egypt, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Yemen, and was Mission Chief for Libya and Somalia. He is the recipient of the 2014 IMF Operational Excellence Award for his work on Libya. Previously, he was the Chief of the Regional Studies Division, where he oversaw regional surveillance of 32 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia regions, and the production of the Regional Economic Outlook. Prior to that, he was the Chief of the Middle Eastern Division of the IMF Institute where he oversaw capacity development in that region. He joined the IMF in 1999. From 1991 till 1999, he was on the faculty of Finance in the Department of Finance, University of Notre Dame in Indiana. He also served as a consultant to the World Bank, and to the private sector in the US.

Ralph Chami has a BS from the American University of Beirut, an MBA in Finance and Statistics from the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Johns Hopkins University. His areas of specialization are: banking regulation and supervision, financial markets, and remittances. His hobbies include music and yoga. Ralph was a semi- professional guitarist for over 40 years https://www.youtube.com/user/MusicRC99. 

Nooh Alshyab

EMNES Country Director, Jordan, and Yarmouk University

Dr. Nooh Alshyab is Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics of Yarmouk University (Jordan) since September 2012. Between 2013 and 2015 he served as Head of Economic Department. Before joining Yarmouk University, he worked at the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.

From 2004 to 2012, he was appointed Head of Economic and Investment Desk at the Jordan Embassy in Berlin. He obtained his Doctoral title (Dr. rer. pol.) in Economics at the University of Potsdam (Germany), School of Economics in 2011 and in 2003, a Master Degree in Economics at Dresden University of Technology (Germany). His fields of expertise are economic development, economic reform policies, and applied econometrics. In EMNES he serves as senior researcher and scientific coordinator for the Jordanian team. He contributes to several research areas of EMNES including institutions, institutional reforms and economic development, macro economic policies and employment, private sector development and trade policy and economic integration.

Mohamed Belkhir

Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund-Middle East Center for Economics and Finance

Mohamed Belkhir currently works as Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund-Middle East Center for Economics and Finance, in Kuwait. Mohamed does research in banking, Finance, and Macroeconomics

Mais Sha’ban

Assistant Professor of Banking and Finance at Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan

Mais Sha’ban is an Assistant Professor of Banking and Finance at Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan. Her research interests include bank stability, bank performance, financial inclusion, and sustainable finance. She holds a PhD in Finance (University of Essex, United Kingdom), MSc in Finance (Swansea University, United Kingdom), and a BA in Banking and Finance (Yarmouk University, Jordan). Mais teaches a number of modules including financial management, investment management, and financial analysis.

Rania Makni

Assistant Professor at the Institutes of High Commercial Studies (IHEC)

Dr. Rania Makni is an assistant professor at the Institutes of High Commercial Studies (IHEC). She has been a member of the HEC Finance research team since 2011, conducting extensive quantitative studies in research fields related to finance and participating tointernational conferences. She published in renowned scientific journals. Rania research interests are in the areas of financial markets, international finance. She holds a Ph.D. degree in management sciences from the Institutes of High Commercial Studies IHEC, Tunis.

In EMNES, she contributes to the research area on finance.

Maria Helena de Felipe

Advisory Board member, EMEA, President, AFAEMME

Born in Madrid with Spanish –Finnish Nationality
Permanent residence in Barcelona-Spain
Lawyer, specializing in Corporate Labor Law.

CURRENT INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Active member of the EUROPEAN ECONOMIC SOCIAL COMMITTEE, and member of the SOC, REX and Chair of the EUROMED follow up Committee (E.E.S.C)-October 2015-present. (www.eesc.europe.eu).

Vice-President of SMEunited (Confederation of European Crafts and SMEs)- Dec2014-present. (www.smeunited.com) and President of the Committee of Legal Affairs. June 2015-present.

Vice-President of CEPYME (Confederation of Spanish SMEs) September 2014-present. (www.cepyme.es).

President of FEPIME-CATALUNYA (Catalonian Federation of SMEs) July 2014-present. (www.fepime.cat)

Vice-President of FOMENT DEL TREBALL (Catalonian Employers Confederation) July 2014-present. (www.foment.com).

Member of the Board of C.E.O.E (Spanish Employers Confederation). Oct.2014-present. (www.ceoe.es)

Set up and current President AFAEMME in 2002 (Association of Federations and Associations of Women Entrepreneurs from the Mediterranean) which currently has 63 Member Associations of Businesswomen from 23 Mediterranean countries (Albania, Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Slovenia, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon ,Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey).(www.afaemme.org/boardofdirectors.php).

Co-President of Women Commission in ASCAME (Federation of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce) -November 2019-present and Member of the Advisory Board of ASCAME October 2014-present

CURRENT PROFESIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Co-founder of FES BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING SL, International Business Consultancy, providing corporate legal services for SMEs companies and consultancy specialized in project management in Business Gender Equality and Opportunities addressed to SMEs, organizations and public institutions at regional, national and Euro- Mediterranean level, Headquarter in Barcelona. March 1991-present.

Yeganeh Forouheshfar

Junior Economist and Researcher at EMEA

Yeganeh Forouheshfar, is junior economist and a researcher at EMEA, she holds a PhD in economics from Université Paris-Dauphine. Her thesis is entitled “Financial sector development, economic growth and demography in MENA region”. Her research interests are financial markets, entrepreneurship, digitalization and demographic transition. She also holds a Master’s degree in International Economics from Université Paris-Dauphine and a Master’s in applied mathematics jointly from Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University and Ecole Polytechnique. Yeganeh has published in peer review journals and is currently working on several research projects. In addition to her research and teaching activities she is also involved in the organization of an annual conference on pension, insurance and savings.

Serena Sandri

Assistant Professor at the Management Department of German Jordanian University

Serena Sandri is working as Assistant Professor at the Management Department of German Jordanian University since February 2012. Before joining German Jordanian University, she worked at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management of HumboldtUniversität zu Berlin. She is associate researcher at Yarmouk University. Her main fields of expertise are behavioral economics, institutional economics, and entrepreneurship. Her publications have appeared among else in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, the European Review of Agricultural Economics, and Mediterranean Politics.

For EMNES, she contributes to the research areas on institutions, private sector development and finance.

Shireen Alazzawi

Research Fellow at Economic Research Forum and Lecturer in Economics, Santa Clara University

Shireen AlAzzawi teaches courses in international economics and economic development.

Her research focuses on international trade, economic development and labor economics, with a special emphasis on the Middle East and North Africa. Shireen has published articles in Economic Development and Cultural Change, The Journal of International Trade and Economic Development, IZA Journal of Labor Policy, and Global Business and Economics Review.

Shireen received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Davis and has a Masters degree from both Stanford University and the American University in Cairo. Before joining Santa Clara, Shireen was an Assistant Professor at the American University in Cairo. She has also taught at San Jose State University and at the University of California, Davis.

Rim Ben Ayed Mouelhi

EMNES Director Tunisia, Professor of Economics and Statistics since 2007 at ISCAE la Manouba University of Tunis

Rim Mouelhi is full Professor of Economics and Statistics since 2007 at ISCAE  la Manouba University of  Tunis. She has a PhD in Economics from the University of Bourgogne, France (1994). She published many academic articles in international reviews (as Econometric Reviews,the Journal of Productivity Analysis, Labour Economics, Economic modelling, Journal of African Economies, Economie et prévision…). She also contributed to chapters of books edited by Oxford University Press. She is member of the Laboratory of Applied Economics and Empirical Finance, IHEC Carthage, since 1997. She is Research fellow at ERF (Economic Research Forum, Cairo) since 2002. She is a Senior Fellow in a think tank NABES (North African Bureau of Economic Studies) since 2013. She was a Consultant with the Tunisian Institute of Strategic Studies, consultant with the Institute of Quantitative Economics, consultant with the PNUD and consultant with the World Bank and with the African Bank of development. Areas of expertise include Firm’s productivity, firm’s performance and firm’s dynamics (micro data analysis), Private sector and business environment and Labor markets.

In EMNES, as a senior researcher and team leader, she contributes to the research area on private sector development.

Hala H. El Said

Minister of Planning and Administrative Reforms, Egypt

Hala H. El Said is recently (2017) nominated as Minister of Administrative Reforms and Economic Planning in the Government of the Egypt. Before that, she was the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science (FEPS) at Cairo University since October 2011 and a Professor ofEconomics at FEPS. She was also an Assistant to Cairo University President for Research and External Relations since September 2013. Dr. Hala serves as a member of the board of directors of the Central Bank of Egypt and Egypt’s National Post Authority. In addition to her membership in many research centers like Center for Economic and Financial Research and Studies and Cairo Demographic Center. She is also a member of board of trustees of International Business Driving License (IBDL).

Dr. El Said has a leading role in public service as she is an active member of Qalaa Holdings Scholarship Foundation. She has been also a member of some NGOs as Egypt@Work Advisory Committee- Nahdet El Mahrousa, “Our Children Our Future” Foundation and MENA Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) at World Bank. She has authored several research papers and articles covering financial sector, international finance, financial markets, access to finance and economic reform. Dr. El Said holds a PhD with honor from the Faculty of Economics & Political Science at Cairo University.

Raja Almarzoqi

Member of EMNES and EMEA Advisory Boards and Institute of Diplomatic Studies

Raja Almarzoqi is former IMF advisor. Faculty member in economics Division at Institute of Diplomatic Studies, and also, was adjunct professor at Thunderbird Global Business School and King Saud University. He has a teaching/lecturing experience of 16 years at(Institute of Diplomatic Studies; King Saud University; MIT; IMF; Thunderbird Global Business School) in several subjects in economics. He was a president of Gulf Monetary Council. In addition, Raja worked as a consultant to many government and private organizations (World Bank, ARAMCO, Ministry of Economics & Planning, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), Supreme Commission for Tourism, Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) and KACST…etc). Also, he was a board member in several organizations and Funds. Mr.Almarzoqi is specialized in policy modeling for impact assessment and scenario analysis, Money and Banking, international finance, and Finance. He presented research papers at major international conferences and published papers in major Middle East journals.

Mr. Almarzoqi holds a BA from King Saud University in economics, M.A. from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in economics, and Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater in economics and finance.

Najat El Makkaoui

Senior Economist and Professor in Economics at the University Paris Dauphine

Najat El Mekkaoui is a senior economist and professor in economics at the University Paris Dauphine. Her research focuses on the economics of aging, demographic changes in developing countries and social security programs. She is distinguished visiting research fellow at Oxford University (Smith school of Enterprise and the Environment) and research fellow at the Economic Research Forum (ERF) and NETSPAR. She published and took part in the publication of several works, chapters or papers in her research fields. 

In addition to teaching and research, she has been involved with the World Bank, the ESCWA, the Moroccan (CNDH, CDG) and the French institutions (Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment Center) in studies about households savings, pension reforms and the expansion of social protection programs. She is engaged with the National Council of Human Rights (Morocco) to study the elderly situation in Morocco, to work closely with the institutions dedicated to old-age people (public, private and Ministry) to promote and to protect the rights of older persons.

Marwa Biltagy

Associate Professor of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Department of Economics, Cairo University, Egypt

She is Associate Professor of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Department of Economics, Cairo University, Egypt & a Research Associate at Economic Research Forum (ERF). She is also the Deputy Head of International Relations Office, Department’sRepresentative of the Post-Graduate Studies, Economics Department, and Academic Leader for the Credit Hour System, Post-Graduate Studies, Economics Department, FEPS.

She received the prize of Best M.Sc. and Ph.D. theses in Cairo University in 2005 and 2010 as well as the prize of Best Professor of Economics in FEPS for Post Graduates in 2015/2016. Awarded the Distinguished International Scientific Publication Prize in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively from Cairo University. She is specialized in Economics of Education, Economics of labor and Human Resources and Behavioral Economics. Member in the several professional Associations, for example, American Economic Association (AEA), Middle East Economic Association (MEEA), International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFE) and International Health Economics Association (IHEA).

Roger Albinyana

Advisory Board member, EMEA, Director of Mediterranean Regional Policies and Human Development, IEMed

Roger Albinyana is director of the Mediterranean Regional Policies and Human Development department at the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed). He is also associate professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Barcelona where he teachesinternational economic policy. He holds a MA in Economic History from the University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He is also a board member at CIDOB, Barcelona Centre for International Affairs.

From 2013 to 2016, he served as secretary general for Foreign and EU Affairs of the Government of Catalonia. During that period, he was also a member of the EU Committee of the Regions. From 2010 to 2013 he served as advisor and expert on private sector development at the Secretariat of Union for the Mediterranean.

Chahir Zaki

Associate Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University

Dr. Chahir Zaki is a citizen of Egypt. At present, Chahir is an Associate Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University. In this position, Chahir teaches and conducts research on trade policy and macroeconomics. He is also the Director of the French section at the faculty.

Chahir works also for the Economic Research Forum (Cairo, Egypt) as a part-time Senior Economist and as a consultant for several international organization (the World Bank and the International Trade Center (UNCTAD-WTO, Geneva) and ESCWA). He holds a B.A. in Economics from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, an M.A. in Economics from Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne. His research interests include international trade, trade policy, trade in services, applied economics and macroeconomic modeling. He has published numerous studies in the International Trade Journal, the World Trade Review, Economic Modeling and Applied Economics.

Sara Ronco

Researcher, EMEA

Ms Ronco has over three years of experience in performing qualitative and quantitative research which she gained during several missions undertaken abroad, mostly as volunteering activities (i.e. Kenya, Costa Rica, Italy). She has a BA in International Relations from the University of Turin and a master’s degree in Development Economics from the University of Florence. In 2017 she won an extra-EU competitive grant awarded by the University of Florence for a four-month study period at the University of Costa Rica. There, she collaborated with the academic multidisciplinary program CadenAgro in a project investigating the economic and social role of some typical national staple food compared to the imported ones. Recently she has been involved in data collection and editing activities of the IEMed, in the Euro-Mediterranean Policies and EuroMeSCO department, and she has relevant experience in supporting international projects.

Her main research interests are: Development Economics, International Trade and Sustainable Global Value Chains, Food Security and Agricultural Economics, Poverty and Inequality.

Giulio Vannelli

Research Assistant at Paris School of Economics

Giulio Vannelli is a Ph.D. candidate in international economics at the University of Trento and the University of Florence. Currently, he is working as a research assistant at Paris School of Economics. He has an M.Sc. in Economics and Development at the University of Florence. Main research interests are in trade, FDI, global value chains and development.

Daniel Mirza

Professor at the University of Tours

Daniel Mirza holds a Doctorate from the University of Paris I with around 18 years of experience. He is Professor at the University of Tours, researcher director of the team “International Economics and Sustainable Development” at the Laboratoire d’Economie D’orléans (LEO-CNRS), research associate at the GEP of the University of Nottingham (United Kingdom) , at the CEPREMAP Association and CEPII. Daniel Mirza has been actively participating at CEPII/CIREM research on international trade in goods and services, and globalization and conflicts issues. He has also acted as expert for many projects for the World Bank and the European Commission. D. Mirza has an extensive record of publications in many peer reviewed journals among the European Economic Review, Social Choice and Welfare, Journal of Comparative Economics, Economica, the Canadian Journal of Economics, Review of World Economics or the World Economy.

Cynthia Echave

Architect & Urban Planner specialized in Urban Ecology

Cynthia Echave is an architect & urban planner specialized in urban ecology. She possesses a Doctor degree in Energy and Environment by Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Its professional career is characterized by an active participation in strategic projects under an ecosystemic criterion. Her professional profile could be defined close to R&D, working on the development of creative and innovative tools, methodologies and strategies for urban sustainability. Knowledge transfer comes through its application at integral projects in coordination with local authorities, mainly related to sustainable urban mobility, public space and urban livability, green infrastructure, energy and urban metabolism.

She is Senior Researcher at EMEA in charge of capitalisation projects involving research around sustainability, energy transition and environmental challenges in the Mediterranean and Africa.

Sandra Challita

Faculty Member at ESDES Business School in Lyon

Sandra is a faculty member at ESDES Business School in Lyon. She is also an associate researcher at the International Research Centre on Cooperative Finance (IRCCF) of HEC Montréal, at the University of Montpellier France, Montpellier Research in Management and “Labex entreprendre” Units.

She received her Ph.D. in Finance at the University of Montpellier. Her thesis adopts a comparative approach of strategies and performances of cooperatives and investor owned firms in different fields. She adopts an interdisciplinary vision within her research. Sandra has presented her work during international academic conferences and has published and is in publication process of scientific articles in peer review journals. Sandra current research focuses on financial performance and risk of different types of financial institutions.

Sandra also holds a master’s degree in finance (104) from Paris Dauphine University and a Bachelor degree in Management from Saint Joseph’s University Beirut. She speaks Arabic, French and English.In EMNES, she contributes to the research on finance, financial inclusion and financial development.

Yacine Belarbi

Chief of the Economic Governance and Regulation Division in CNES (Conseil national économique et social)

Yacine BELARBI is chief of the economic governance and regulation division in CNES (Conseil national économique et social). He was senior researcher in CREAD since 2009. His research focuses on economic geography, macroeconomic policies and economic development.

He was visiting professor at Paris 13 university and Paris Ouest university, and exercised for many years as head of macroeconomic division in CREAD. Yacine BELARBI published many papers, his most recent works focus on Electricity load dynamics in Algeria, Econometrics of the buffer panel threshold models, the  interaction effects of institutions and oil dependence on growth. He was the general director of the Research centre in applied economics for development (CREAD).

Moundir Lassassi

Researcher at the Research Centre in Applied Economic for Development (CREAD)

Researcher at the Research Centre in Applied Economic for Development (CREAD) since 2006, Division Human Development and Social Sciences in Algiers, Algeria. PHD in Applied Economics since 2014, Degree from Aix-Marseille School of economics and National School of Statistics and Applied Economics (ENSSEA). The first Thesis focused on empirical analysis in cross section and pseudo-panel of occupational choice in Algeria over the period 1997-2007.The second thesis focused in the situation of labor market in Algeria “The labor market in Algeria: Social Networks, Occupational Choice and Wages”. Accreditation to Supervise Research since 2015 from National School of Statistics and Applied Economics. Team leader since 2014 “Labor Economics and Social Protection” and Division Manager since 2018 “Social Economics & Human Development” at CREAD.Mainly works in the field of social sciences, specializing in the analysis of the labor market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Main research fields are Social Networks, Labor Market, Segmentation, Occupation choice, Informal employment, Women’s employment, Segregation and Wage discrimination. Published in various national and international journals (last publication was Explaining the MENA Paradox: Rising Educational Attainment, Yet Stagnant Female Labor Force Participation IZA DISCUSSION PAPER). Participated in several research projects with national and international institution (last project was with ILO “Integration of graduates into the labor market” and with FAO “Decent youth employment in rural areas”.

Barbara Casu

Professor, The Business School, City University of London

Professor Barbara Casu is the Director of the Centre for Banking Research at Cass Business School, where she is Professor of Banking and Finance. She is also the Director of the Cass Executive PhD Programme. Her main research interests are in empirical banking,financial regulation, structured finance, and corporate governance. Barbara has published widely, with over 40 publications in peer reviewed Journals. She has also written the popular textbook “Introduction to Banking” (Pearson FT), which is widely adopted for banking courses across the world. She has recently co-edited the Palgrave Handbook of European Banking. Outside academia, Professor Casu has been a consultant/visiting researcher at several organizations.

Doriana Cucinelli

Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Financial Intermediaries at University of Milano Bicocca, Italy

Doriana Cucinelli is Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Financial Intermediaries at University of Milano Bicocca, Italy. She is also SDA Fellow in Banking and Insurance at SDA Bocconi School of Management and associate researcher at the International Research Centre on Cooperative Finance (IRCCF) of HEC Montréal.

Her main research interests are risk management in banking, bank business models, financial education and financial behavior. Doriana is author of national and international publications and has presented at many national and international conferences.

She holds a Ph.D. in Banking and Finance at University of Roma Tor Vergata and a Laurea cum laude in Finance and Risk Management at University of Parma. She was visiting fellow at Cass Business School in 2017.

Anis Samet

Associate Professor of Finance at the American University of Sharjah (AACSB accredited), UAE

Dr. Anis Samet holds a Ph.D. from HEC-Montreal-Canada and he is certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and certified Bloomberg Professional. He is currently an Associate Professor of Finance at the American University of Sharjah (AACSB accredited), UAE.

Before joining AUS, Anis Samet taught at Abu Dhabi University and worked as risk management advisor with one of the largest institutional investors in Canada. Dr. Anis Samet has published in leading financial journals, such as the Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of Financial Stability, Emerging Markets Review, Journal of Financial Research, International Review of Financial Analysis, and Journal of Business Research. His research interests include international finance, banking, liquidity, corporate finance, corporate governance, financial risk management, financial markets, Islamic finance and financial econometrics. He offered several training in Finance and Risk Management to several institutions including the UAE Central Bank, UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), Dubai Financial Market (DFM), Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), Nasdaq-Dubai, Sharjah Asset Management (SAM), and Sharjah Finance Ministry.

Cinzia Alcidi

Director of Research, Centre for European Policy Studies

Dr. Cinzia Alcidi is Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Economic Policy Unit at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels and LUISS- School of European Political Economy- research fellow.

Prior to joining CEPS, she worked at International Labour Office in Geneva and she taught International Economics at University of Perugia (Italy). Her research activity includes international economics, macroeconomics, central banking and EU governance.Since 2015 she is the coordinator of CEPS Academy Activities. She has experience in coordinating research projects and networks. She has published extensively on the economics and governance of the Euro area crisis and participates regularly in international conferences.

She holds a Ph.D. degree in International Economics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva (Switzerland).

Ekkehard Ernst

Chief of the Macroeconomic Policies and Jobs Unit, ILO

Ekkehard Ernst is Chief of the Macroeconomic Policies and Jobs unit at the International Labour Organization, where he analyses monetary, fiscal and trade policies and their impact on global employment, social and wage developments. His current focus lies on understanding trends in the Future of Work, where he develops scenarios on how technological innovations, demographic shifts and political vagaries might unfold in the world of work.

His work is widely published in both policy reports and academic studies. His most recent work discusses different policy options to address the socio-economic crisis resulting from the Covid‑19 pandemic. He has also researched on the implications of artificial intelligence, robots and blockchain applications on the future of job, inequality and the transition to a sustainable society.

In 2017, Ekkehard co-founded Geneva Macro Labs to offer a platform to identify, develop and implement solutions to address global challenges and existential risks. Together with his team he brings together international thought leaders and practitioners to promote and advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda.

Previously, he worked at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Central Bank. Ekkehard Ernst has studied in Mannheim, Saarbrücken and Paris and holds a PhD from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. He became an IZA Policy Fellow in July 2011.

Otaviano Canuto

Director, Center for Macroeconomics and Development and Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South

Otaviano Canuto, based in Washington, D.C, is a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings Institution, a visiting public policy fellow at ILAS-Columbia, a professorial lecturer of international affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs (GWU), and principal of the Center for Macroeconomics and Development. He is a former vice-president and a former executive director at the World Bank, a former executive director at the International Monetary Fund and a former vice-president at the Inter-American Development Bank. He is also a former deputy minister for international affairs at Brazil’s Ministry of Finance and a former professor of economics at University of São Paulo and University of Campinas, Brazil.

Floriana Folisi

Human Capital Development Expert at the European Training Foundation (ETF)

Floriana Folisi is a Human Capital Development Expert at the European Training Foundation (ETF) and she is also Country Coordinator for ETF activities in Algeria.

Floriana started her professional career in Brussels, working for one of the EU cross-sectoral social partners (CEEP) and contributing also to the work of the Employer Group at the European Economic and Social Committee. She joined the EU Institutions in 2007 and ultimately the ETF in 2012. She
holds a Master Degree in International Relations from the University of Turin as well as a Master Degree in EU Policies from the Université Chatolique de Louvain.

Nathalie Creste

Advisor, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Nathalie Creste entered as an EU official in 1991 in the General Secretariat of the Council, working successively in the Department of Agriculture, the Cabinet of the Secretary General and then the Legal service, of the Council. In 2005, she joined the European Commission where she occupied the posts of Head of Unit “Communication” in Directorate General Justice Freedom and Security, Head of Unit “Monitoring, Reporting, Verification of Greenhouse gas emissions” in Directorate General CLIMA, adviser and Head of Unit “Ethics and Ombudsman” in Directorate General Human Resources and Security.

She is currently Adviser to the Director for Mobility of workers in Directorate General Employment and Social Affairs where she is notably in charge of the relations with the Union for the Mediterranean for Employment and Labour matters.

Raja Khalidi

Director, Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS)

Currently is the Director General of the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS). 

Khalidi had been the Research Coordinator at MAS since 2016. He previously worked at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) from 1985 to 2013, and was the Coordinator of its Program of Assistance to the Palestinian people from 2000 to 2006. He spent his last 5 years at UNCTAD as the head of the Office of the Director of the Division of Globalization and Development Strategies, which led UNCTAD’s response to the global economic crisis and its participation in the G-20 process. He was also a consultative member of the Welfare Association (Taawon), a founding member of the Family Relief Fund in Palestine (Geneva), and a member of the MAS Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2013. 

Mr. Khalidi hold M.Sc. in Development Economics, 1981, from the University of London (SOAS), UK. He prepared and published numerous papers and reports on the economic situation and development policies in the occupied Palestinian territories, and on the Arab economy in Israel.

Hicham Sebti

Director, Euromed Business School

Hicham Sebti is Professor of Organizational Performance Management at the Euromed University of Fez and Director of the Euromed Business School. Hicham Sebti holds a Masters in Management and Control and a Doctorate in Management Sciences from Paris-Dauphine University. He has been teaching for 15 years – in initial and continuing training – in various institutions, including the University of Paris Dauphine, the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (CNAM), the Higher Institute of Management (ISG) and HEC- Paris.

At the same time, Hicham Sebti supports senior executives in solving complex managerial problems and developing their leadership. These interventions are made in particular within the framework of the Executive MBA of HEC-Paris.

Hicham Sebti’s research focuses mainly on organizational control and management systems and on the sociology of professional groups. He is the author of several academic articles and French mainstream media (La Tribune, FranceInfo). Hicham Sebti is also the author of several case studies, disseminated in particular within the Center des Cas et des Médias Pédagogiques de la CCI de Paris.