PROFILE OF SPEAKERS
Stefan DOBREV
Stefan is Chairman of the Governing Board at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). C-Level executive, entrepreneur and board member who believes that collaborative innovation is at the core of every good strategy. An economist by background with around 25 years’ experience in innovation, strategy development, investment planning and venture finance from senior roles in consulting, innovation and operations, he focuses on business performance enabled by advances in science and technology.
He was previously Vice President of the Board of MassChallenge Switzerland, which he co-founded, Global Head of Innovation Partnerships for the Nestlé Group, Head of Group Strategy and Business Development at Theo Müller Group and Director at L.E.K. Consulting. As an entrepreneur, he was founder and managing director of Plantopia and advisor and board member for a number of other start-ups.
Born in Sofia, Stefan holds a degree in economics from the University of Oxford.
Klaus HÄNSCH
Dr. Klaus Hänsch (born 1938 in Sprottau) is a German politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 2009, and a member of the Party of European Socialists group, of which he was Vice-Chairman from 1989 to 1994 and from 1997 to 2009.
Klaus Hänsch was Presidium-Member of the Convention drafting a European Constitution (2002-2003) and Parliament’s representative in the Intergovernmental Conference on the Constitutional Treaty for the European Union (2003-2004).
He was Member for Germany (SPD) from 1979 to 2009 and President of the European Parliament from 1994 to 1997.
Klaus Hänsch is currently President of the Former Members Association.
Ana PALACIO
Ana Palacio (born 22 July 1948 in Madrid, Spain), beyond her tenure in Spanish government as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2002-2004), has built a distinguished career spanning supranational and multilateral institutions, academia, and the business sector. Her work has been driven by a strong commitment to European integration, institutional international relations, and the broad field of energy transition.
From 1994 to 2002, she served as a Member of the European Parliament with the EPP, where she held several high-level roles. These included Chair of the Legal and Internal Market Committee and President of the Conference of Committee Chairs, the body responsible for coordinating inter-institutional negotiations on the legislative agenda. She also acted as the EU coordinator for the strategic Trans-European Transport Network corridors and was a member of the advisory panel on judicial appointments established under Article 255 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. She currently maintains close ties with the European Commission on defence matters.
Her international career includes serving as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the World Bank Group and Secretary-General of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). She has also held prominent roles in leading foundations and think tanks, such as the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Atlantic Council.
In the business sector, she holds key positions at Enagás, Ecoener, OCP Group and global energy initiatives. She is a visiting professor at Georgetown University and a regular speaker and columnist. Her honors include an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Georgetown and the Justice O’Connor Award.
Georgi PIRINSKI
Georgi Pirinski (born 10 September 1948 in New York, USA) is a Bulgarian politician and economist, affiliated with the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). He studied at the University of National and World Economy in Sofia.
Over his long national political career, he served as Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister of Bulgaria and notably as Chairman of the National Assembly from 2005 to 2009.
At the European level, Pirinski was a Member of the European Parliament from 2014 to 2019, where he sat with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, contributing especially to employment and social affairs, as well as budgetary control.
Known for his deep commitment to social and economic policy, Pirinski continues to reflect on Bulgaria’s political evolution and European integration through his work with FEPS and his editor-in-chief role at the “NoviVremena” online journal. He is also President of the Society in Solidarity” Foundation.
Teresa RIERA MADURELL
Teresa Riera Madurell is a former Member of the European Parliament from Spain, where she served from 2004 to 2014. A member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, she focused on research, innovation, and digital policy. She was part of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and acted as rapporteur for several key files on science and technology.
Ms. Riera Madurell is also a university professor and has remained active in promoting science and gender equality in policymaking.
Teresa Riera Madurell is currently Honorary Secretary of the Former Members Association.
Sabine VERHEYEN
Sabine Verheyen (born 24 October 1964 in Aachen, Germany) is the First Vice-President of the European Parliament and a Member of the European People’s Party (EPP) representing Germany. Trained as an architect at the Aachen University of Applied Sciences, she transitioned into politics through the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), serving as Mayor of Aachen before joining the European Parliament in 2009.
Throughout her parliamentary career, she has been a leading voice on culture, education and digital policy, notably through her rapporteurship of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) and her role as Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education.
Known for her structured, pragmatic approach, Sabine advocates for a modern, inclusive European digital and cultural landscape, reflecting her long-standing commitment to innovation, transparency and European cooperation.