Asad Naqvi, the Head of the Economic and Trade Policy Team at UNEP, also serves as the DRI for the Finance and Economic Transformation Programme. The teams under his purview are entrusted with UNEP's endeavours in the realm of public finance including public procurement, infrastructure investments, trade flows and macroeconomic planning.

Hailing from Pakistan, Mr. Naqvi embarked on his journey with the United Nations in 2001, assuming responsibilities across organizations and teams, and leading initiatives such as the prestigious UN Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE). With an extensive experience in advisory services around macroeconomic and macro finance planning, he has supported policy processes in over 40 countries in the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Sonia da Fonseca currently serves as Senior Procurement Specialist at the Procurement Office of the European Investment Bank, where she leads policy work related to Circular Public Procurement, Gender Responsive Public Procurement, and Innovation Procurement.

She represents the EIB on the Advisory Group of One Planet Network Flagship Initiative: Mainstreaming Circularity in the Construction Sector Leveraging the Power of Public Procurement.

Prior to join EIB, she was a Senior Procurement Specialist at the World Bank, overseeing implementation of project procurement in the Caribbean region.

Sonia has over 20 years’ experience in procurement in the private sector, within the construction industry, and public sector, where she held positions in the World Bank and International Atomic Energy Agency. She holds a MSc in Civil Engineering and a MPA in International Development and is CIPS certified.

Loran has been working on international public procurement for three years, representing the EU in the WTO's Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) and participating in negotiations to improve European access to foreign public procurement markets. He also worked as Data Analyst for the Directorate-General for Budget, focusing on the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework.

Before joining the Commission, Loran worked for Belgian chemicals company Solvay SA as a Global Trade Analyst, financed European FinTech SMEs at NIBC Bank’s Structured Finance Department, and strengthened Dutch-American economic ties for the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Washington, DC. Loran pursued his Master's degrees in both International Economics and Political Science from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. He also spent time studying International Relations at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Mervyn is a circular economy and circular procurement specialist at the Rijkswaterstaat in the Netherlands. He has a doctorate in climate change and a background over 25 years in sustainability, circular economy and resource efficiency. He has provided circular procurement technical support, nationally and internationally, for example, on the EU Urban Agenda programme and the EU Interreg CircPP, Interreg ProCirc, and Horizon2020 CityLoops projects. Technical areas of specialism include infrastructure and construction, ICT, plastics, food and circular procurement. On behalf of the Dutch Ministry for Infrastructure and Water Management, Mervyn is also a co-lead to the UN One Planet Network Sustainable Public Procurement programme and the Flagship initiative on Circular Construction. He also provides public procurement support to the Welsh and Scottish governments and local authorities in the United Kingdom.

Andreja Neral Lamza is a highly accomplished professional with over 25 years of experience in project management, particularly in IFI and EU funded major infrastructural projects. Before joining the European Investment Bank, she played a crucial role in preparing, financing and overseeing the construction of major projects in the field of environmental protection and energy efficiency.

Throughout her career, Andreja has held various roles, from borrower to public intermediary, giving her a comprehensive understanding of the EU and IFI’s procurement processes and regulations.

She has worked in high-level positions at institutions such as the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Development and EU accredited Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund.

In 2015, Andreja joined the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg as a Senior Procurement Specialist. She has been instrumental in implementing a risk-based procurement monitoring approach, ensuring compliance with regulations and best practices. In her current role, Andreja works on high-risk contracts, coordinates cooperation with the European Commission, and fosters partnerships with the private sector in the domain of sustainable procurement.

Nadia Ebrahim, a former attorney turned Chief Director of Asset Management at the Provincial Treasury in Cape Town, embodies a strategic pivot towards impactful leadership. With over 20 years of governmental experience, her expertise spans corporate governance, procurement, and asset management, underlining a commitment to personal and societal growth.

At the forefront of asset management, Nadia orchestrates supply chain dynamics, shapes policy frameworks, and upholds fiscal integrity with unwavering dedication. Her approach is fueled by a quest for excellence and a steadfast pursuit of justice, driving tangible outcomes in high-pressure environments.

With a career spanning two decades, she brings a wealth of expertise in Governance, Asset Management, and Procurement, adept at achieving results through collaborative efforts and adept problem-solving. Her proactive approach, coupled with a relentless work ethic, consistently delivers top-tier results within stringent deadlines.

Her skills set encompasses Supply Chain Transformation, Policy Development, Business Strategy, Leadership Transition, Tendering, Risk Management, Stakeholder Management, Negotiation, and Contract Management. I've been instrumental in advancing Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment goals and supplier development initiatives within the Western Cape.

For more than 10 years was working as a head of Public procurement department in Kaunas Clinical hospital, which was one of the first public entities’ to start green public procurements back in 2018. In 2021 joined Public Procurements office as Principal advisor, where the main tasks are overseeing Sustainable procurements department (which also acts Sustainable public procurements competence centre in Lithuania) and Electronic procurements department (which is responsible for national e-procurement system, specialists testing system, consultation platform). Participating in transformation and monitoring of sustainable public procurements. Also working as consultant on EBRD procurments.

Furthermore, a lecturer at Mykolas Riomeris university where gives lectures on SPP to Public procurements master’s program students.

Dr. Olena Maslyukivska is an expert and a trainer with over 20 years of experience in the fields of sustainable development, environmental economics and policy. She has experience as a Program Manager and a Green Public Procurement (GPP) Trainer for World Bank-financed technical assistance projects on GPP in Albania, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine; and a Lead Technical Mentor on Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP)for SIDA project in Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia.

She is an Associate Professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine & a Visiting researcher on circular public procurement, University of Vaasa, Finland.

Dr. Maslyukivska is a Lead Author for Circularity transformation pathways chapter of UNEP’s Global Environmental Outlook -7.

For 15 years she has been working with projects commissioned by international organizations, including 11 years of experience in managing projects financed by the World Bank, OECD, UNDP, UNECE, UNEP, GIZ, GEF.

Dr. Olena Maslyukivska holds a Doctor of Economics degree in Natural Resources Management and Environmental Protection from the Institute of Natural Resources Economics and Sustainable Development of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. She also holds a Master's degree in Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment (USA), a Master's degree in Environmental Policy, a Bachelor's degree in Ecology from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine, and a Bachelor's degree in International Business from the Institute of International Relations of the National University named after Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine.

Quamrul Hasan is currently the Lead Procurement Specialist based in the World Bank’s Central Asia Regional Office (CARO) in Almaty and is the Procurement Team Leader for the Bank’s Central Asia portfolio.

He led the World Bank’s engagement in the modernization of public procurement and coordinated the e-Government Procurement initiatives in South Asia, Africa, and Europe & Central Asia regions. With an interest in business and engineering, he brings on board intellectual leadership, and experience in implementing digital solutions with a whole-of-government approach to enhance efficiency in procurement practices and contract management, foster innovation, digitize the capacity-building approach, and strengthen governance.

Quamrul also brings onboard analytical rigor and leadership to lead evidence-based procurement reform. He led data-driven procurement analytics in Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia, and Croatia, which resulted in creating fiscal space through better management of public procurement and expenditure. This also led to the development of a procurement M&E tool integral to their e-procurement systems with interfaces for the public entities, private sector, and citizens to track procurement performance.

Quamrul leads the Sustainable, Green, and Climate-sensitive Public Procurement agenda in the Europe and Central Asia Region.

Quamrul led country procurement system assessments in Zambia and Moldova following the MAPS approach. He leads the World Bank’s ‘Technology and Innovation in Procurement Solutions (TIPS)’ Community of Practice.

He holds a Master’s in Business Administration (Macroeconomics) from the University of Dhaka and a Bachelor’s in Technology (Computer Science and Engineering) from the Indian Institute of Technology

Mr. Geri Pilaca has worked at the Public Procurement Agency (PPA), in Albania since 2018, holding the position of Integration and External Relations Specialist and later on of the Head of Integration and External Relations Sector.

During his time at the PPA, he has been following the process of European Integration and alignment of the Albanian legislation in the field of public procurement with the acquis communautaire, continuously following the implementation of the recommendations given by domestic and foreign institutions and continuous cooperation with international institutions and organizations and homologous and partner institutions of PPA in other countries.

He has a Doctor Degree in Political Science and International Relations from Epoka University in Tirana, and a Master Degree in International Relations form Corvinus University of Budapest.

Since May 2023, he is a certified trainer on public procurement at the Albanian School of Public Administration.

Before moving to Lithuania and joining EIGE in 2014, Helena worked for more than ten years as a gender and development expert for the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation and several international NGOs. She has also served as a consultant for UN Women.

Helena has a degree in Political Science and Public Administration, and two Master’s degrees in Gender Equality policies and in Human Rights and Culture of Peace.

She has wide experience researching EU gender mainstreaming policies, processes and methods, such as gender budgeting, gender-responsive public procurement, gender-responsive evaluation, and the economic benefits of gender equality. Helena has conducted practical research and provided technical support and training on gender mainstreaming and institutional transformation to enhance gender equality.

Ms. Kobalia is leading on the development and delivery of inclusion and gender policy engagement programmes in the South Caucasus at the EBRD. Her focus is on creating equitable access to employment and skills, reflecting the specific needs of women, youth, aging populations, migrants and others. Ms. Kobalia has over ten years’ progressive experience in the design and delivery of multi-sectoral inclusive development programmes on regional, mainly in South Caucasus, and global settings. Prior to joining the EBRD, she led gender and inclusion work at the USAID Economic Security Program, developed Gender and Youth Engagement strategy and ensured increased access of disadvantaged groups to productive economic resources. She brings the combination of expertise and lessons learned on human capital development, organizational development, grant making, and gender equality and gender mainstreaming working with IFIs, local NGOs, private and public sector representatives. Ms. Kobalia is a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology and holds MScs in Gender Studies (Tbilisi state University).

Holds a multidisciplinary education in law, LLB from Universidad Panamericana (Mexico), political and social sciences, DU from Science Po (France) and MSc on Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science (UK) France.

Currently, she is a Marie Sklodowska Curie Research Fellow, Ph.D candidate, University of Greenwich (UK) as part of the Sapiens Network. Her research is focused on the ways in which public procurement can be used as a tool to enforce labour rights in global supply chains. Speaks English, Spanish and French.

Over 8 years of experience in research, policy advice, and capacity building related to responsible business conduct and public procurement. Held roles as director, advisor, and researcher at national human rights institutions in Mexico working on business-related human rights abuses in public procurement, infrastructure, and other industries. At international level, has collaborated with UN initiatives and agencies human rights in Tanzania, Netherlands, and Latin America; as well as with multilateral development banks, such as the Interamerican Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on sustainable public procurement in Latin America and the UK.

She has been panellist in 60+ national, regional and international fora on business and human rights and sustainable and socially responsible public procurement. She has several publications on due diligence and public procurement, social sustainable infrastructure and sustainable public procurement and human rights, including a co-edited book

Manjola is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in procurement and public-private partnerships. Currently serving as a Senior Procurement Specialist at The World Bank in Washington DC, she focuses her efforts on the Latin America and Caribbean Region, particularly as the Country Coordinator for Colombia and Mexico.

In her role, Manjola wears multiple hats. She serves as the Gender Focal Point for the Procurement Unit of LAC, demonstrating her commitment to fostering inclusivity and equity within procurement practices. Additionally, she co-chairs the Community of Practice "Sustainable Procurement for Development," showcasing her dedication to sustainable development goals.

Manjola's contributions extend beyond her current position. During her tenure, she played a pivotal role in drafting the first Practice Note on Gender Consideration in Public Procurement for the Latin America and Caribbean Region. Presently, she continues to advocate for gender-inclusive procurement practices across various countries in the region.

Prior to joining The World Bank in 2015, Manjola amassed extensive governmental experience in Albania, where she held key positions in public-private partnerships and procurement. Notably, she spearheaded the establishment of Albania's inaugural Public-Private Partnership unit focused on Transport and Infrastructure, demonstrating her leadership and pioneering spirit in the field.

Manjola's educational background further enriches her expertise. She holds a Law Degree from Tirana University and a master's degree from the Institute of European Studies, specializing in European Union Law. Moreover, her commitment to professional development is evident through her certification as a PPP professional via the APMG Public-Private Partnerships Certification Program (C3P3-F).

With her profound knowledge, diverse experience, and unwavering dedication to advancing inclusive and sustainable procurement practices, Manjola continues to make significant contributions to the World Bank and the broader development community.

Dirk Plutz is an Associate Director/Policy Adviser in the Procurement Policy and Advisory Department of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, where in essence his work includes:
• The provision of guidance and advice on the application of and the compliance with the EBRD’s Procurement Policies and Rules in EBRD financed projects, including aspects of sustainable procurement;
• Broad scale project implementation management support to the Bank’s public procurement portfolio as well as a wide range of private sector projects, including concessions;
• Policy dialogue concerning procurement with the Bank’s countries of operations as well as other international institutions (e.g. OECD, other MDBs);
• Capacity building, outreach seminars and training sessions for the Bank’s staff, clients and the business community;
• Drafting and enhancing standard procurement documents;
• Review of procurement complaints from aggrieved tenderers;
• Monitoring and enhancing compliance and safeguards in procurement.
• Leading the procurement related green and social agenda at EBRD.

After joining the EBRD in 1999 and before transferring to the Procurement Department in 2007, Dirk was the Senior Advisor/Deputy Director of the Consultancy Services Unit of the EBRD. His responsibilities included the provision of senior advice to EBRD’s staff, its clients and consultants on all matters related to the selection and engagement of consultants financed from technical cooperation funds administered by the EBRD and the EBRD’s own funds. He was also responsible for the day-to-day management of the Unit.

Prior to joining the EBRD, Dirk was a Senior Procurement/Contracts Specialist with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH in Eschborn (Frankfurt), Germany, which he had joined in 1992. In this position, he dealt with and advised on the selection and engagement of consultants and contractors. His responsibilities also included travels to Africa and the Middle East to negotiate & conclude contracts as well as advising local staff on procurement and contracting.

Dirk is of German origin and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Economics from Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. Dirk started his career as a Lecturer. He lectured economics, accountancy and English in various private business schools.

Farid Yaker, senior expert, is specialized in the support to emerging countries in the development and implementation of Sustainable Public Procurement policies. He periodically performs consultancy work for renowned institutions such as AFD/Expertise France, the Asia Development Bank or the ILO International Training Centre.

Farid led the work of UNEP on SPP from December 2008 to March 2023.

As such, he directed the publication of numerous UNEP publications including the periodical Global SPP Reviews and the SPP Implementation Guidelines. Farid Yaker supervised the development of the SDG 12.7.1 methodology and the first two data collection exercises in 2020 and 2022.

Farid taught Agricultural economics at the University of Blida, Algeria from 1988 to 1990. He then joined the international NGO Enda (Environmental Development Action) after the Rio summit that he attended in 1992. Farid took the direction of the European office of Enda in 2000 before joining UNEP.

He holds a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of California at Davis, USA.

Ayca Kuman Cinar is a senior procurement specialist working at the Procurement Office of the European Investment Bank. Currently, her main work focus is on social and environmental pillars of sustainable public procurement. Also, she leads the development of procurement partnerships with UN organisations and the procurement policy work of EIB in the field of emergency procurement.

Prior to joining the EIB, Ayca worked in private sector, and in project management and procurement functions of various institutions such as FAO, UNDP and EU Delegation to Turkey. Ayca holds a BSc in Environmental Engineering and an MBA degree.

Ms. Saito is a lawyer, engineer and entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience advising governments and companies on sustainability. She is the lead researcher and co-author of the World Bank’s 2021 publication on “Green Public Procurement: An Overview of Green Reforms in Country Procurement Systems.” She is the Team Lead for technical assistance projects to advance Green Public Procurement supported by the World Bank in 9 countries: Albania, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Egypt, and Ukraine. She has developed a practical toolkit for Governments in the ECA region on various aspects of GPP reform: designing green tenders, diagnostics, stakeholder mapping, market engagement, prioritization, and monitoring. She also supports the Asian Development Bank, completing diagnostics on GPP maturity of their 41 Member Countries in the Asia-Pacific region. She specializes in impact measurement and reporting, supporting United Nations agencies and companies to conduct GHG inventories of their operations and supply chains.

Stefan Otasevic was born in Belgrade in 1987. Graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade.

He has more than twelve years of experience as an advisor for legal issues in public sector in the Government of Republic of Serbia. He worked around 6 years in the Office for Sustainable Development of Underdeveloped Regions in Serbia, Ministry of Economy and the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society. At the beginning of 2017, he has been started working at the Public Procurement Office as an independent advisor for human resources as well as project manager for horizontal, visibility and irregularity matters. Now, he is a Head of Group for International cooperation, as well as an Irregularity Officer and substitute for Senior Project Officer within IPA Unit in Public Procurement Office.

He is involved in many working groups for creating and implementing public policy (strategies, action plans, programs etc.) in the field of public finance management, public procurement, public administration, corruption, European integration and IPA programming, tendering and implementation. Since 2023, he has been engaged as a lecturer in the field of public procurement, particularly in the field of innovation partnerships, corruption and conflicts of interest in public procurement.

Mr. Mir holds double master’s degrees in information systems from New York University, USA and economics from Pakistan, with over 27 years of professional experience in the development sector with international organizations.

He is currently the head of the Project Procurement and Financial Management Division at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). Prior to this role, he headed the Operations Quality and Results Division at IsDB

Darejan Kapanadze is a Senior Environmental Specialist based in Georgia Country Office of the South Caucasus Country Unit. Over her 26 years with the World Bank, she managed projects aimed at the development of protected areas, forestry, integrated coastal management, adaptation to the climate change, and worked in many other sectors for guiding the Bank’s clients in the application of environmental safeguard policies/standards to the investment operations. Darejan co-managed analysis of gaps between the Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework and Georgia’s regulatory system that examined national legal framework as well as institutional capacity and needs of its improvement. She was engaged in similar studies for Azerbaijan and Armenia. At present, Darejan is involved in the delivery of technical assistance in the fields of green growth, climate finance, landscapes restoration, and Black Sea pollution management. She serves as a safeguards/standards coordinator and the climate change focal point for the South Caucasus Country Management Unit.

Darejan Kapanadze holds master’s degree in environmental policy and regulation from Columbia University, NYC, and PhD in biology from Tbilisi State University.

Tamar Aladashvili is a Director of Environmental Information and Education Centre of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, responsible for leading the environmental and agricultural education and public participation programs as well as contributing to policy making of relevant key directions of the Ministry. She has more than 17 years of experience in the environmental sector with background in public administration and sustainable international development. She is committed to advocate environmental democracy, raise public awareness and promote SDGs, sustainable procurement and circular economy countrywide.

Valentina Bianchini is a Marie Curie PhD fellow at the Faculty of Economics, University of Rome "Tor Vergata and an Early-Stage Researcher of SAPIENS Network. She’s a public management adviser dedicated to advancing sustainable public procurement (SPP) practices. With a comprehensive background in public procurement, anti-corruption policies and experience in working on public sector reforms spanning diverse regions such as North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South-East Asia, Valentina has been at the forefront of promoting sustainability within governmental bodies and international organizations, such as the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank. In 2023, SAPIENS Network seconded Valentina to the EBRD to work on quantitative analysis of supply chain management in domestic and global markets. At EBRD Valentina helped worked on developing quantitative performance indicators for the SPP standards/policies.

Alaleh Motamedi is the Head of Procurement of the European Investment Bank (EIB), leading the project procurement policy and function applicable to the EIB’s investment portfolio worldwide.

She is a seasoned procurement professional with 30 years of international experience in procurement of infrastructure projects and public procurement reforms in multilateral development banks.

Prior to joining the EIB, she worked in the private sector and at the World Bank as an engineer and lateron as a procurement specialist both at operational and policy levels.

She holds a MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnical Faculty of Mons (Belgium) and an MBA from the University of Maastricht (The Netherlands).

Eliza is responsible for regulatory advice on digital transformation of government commerce and leads technical cooperation activities under the EBRD UNCITRAL Public Procurement Reform Initiative and the EBRD GPA Technical Cooperation Facility. Lawyer and economist, Eliza holds postgraduate degrees from the Warsaw University, Poland and the University College London and King’s College in the United Kingdom. Eliza worked for Polish government during regulatory reforms of Poland’s accession to European Union and upon leaving civil service, as a general counsel in the IT industry. Prior to joining the EBRD in 2009, Eliza was head of procurement at power&energy company, PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA in Warsaw.

Julie is a UK trained lawyer who worked for over 20 years for the UK Government’s environmental regulators, first the Environment Agency and then Natural England. At the Environment Agency she was the Regional Solicitor for the Midlands region responsible for all in-house legal work. At Natural England she was part of the senior management team reporting to the Board and liaising with senior civil servants and Government Ministers. Her experience includes leading on a wide range of commercial, environmental and sustainability issues often of a national interest.

In 2020 Julie joined the procurement team at the World Bank as a consultant where, most recently, she has been involved in the Bank’s roll out of the wider use of rated criteria for international procurements, the development of the Bank’s sustainable procurement policy and is currently leading a project developing a suite of procurement tools to help the Bank’s clients achieve their net zero ambitions.

Matthieu Cahen currently works as a senior policy advisor in public procurement and infrastructure delivery in the Public Governance Directorate of the OECD. He works on several projects in different regions of the world, including on the effective delivery of large infrastructure, the implementation of a strategic approach to public procurement in EU Members States or the impacts of public procurement on productivity through selected case studies with Ireland, New Zealand, Finland and Chile. Prior to this, he was heading the Procurement and Advisory Unit in OECD’s Central Purchasing Group where he was responsible for managing procurement for the OECD. In doing so, he promoted procurement as a strategic tool to support decision-making process, implemented Key Performance Indicators measuring procurement performance and introduced a Multi-Year Purchasing Plan. Previous to this, he was a Legal Advisor at the OECD where he negotiated contracts and provided advice on procurement-related issues. Between 2003 and 2005, M. Cahen worked in the French law firm Gide-Loyrette-Nouel. Matthieu holds an Executive Master in International Negotiations and Policy-Making form the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland and a Master of Laws from the University Panthéon-Assas in Paris, France.

Ms Astghik Solomonyan is a Legal Affairs Officer for Government Procurement and Competition Policy Group of the WTO Secretariat. She has graduated with Honor Diploma from Yerevan State University and obtained her LLM degree with Cum Laude Diploma from the University of Groningen. She has an International Masters Diploma from University of Rome Tor Vergata specialising in public procurement. Ms Solomonyan has been awarded a PhD from the University of Nottingham in UK after the completion of a thesis related to public procurement. Before joining the WTO Secretariat, Ms Solomonyan provided consultancy services to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Sigma/OECD as well as taught relevant courses in academic institutions. She has also worked in public and private sectors in Armenia.

Angela Filipas is lead environmental specialist at the Environmental Climate and Social Office at EIB, being specialized in European legislation related to environmental assessments, industrial pollution, ai quality, public participation, and transparency.

She joined EIB in 2009, as EIA specialist in supporting the managing authorities and beneficiaries in the preparation of funding applications for major projects (environmental part) financed by the EU and moved to ECSO in 2018. Before joining EIB she worked as a high level civil servant in the Ministry of Environment Romania.

Nino Kvantrishvili, Deputy Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network Georgia, brings 20 years of experience in strategic communications and corporate sustainability. Nino joined the UN Global Compact Georgia Network team in 2020 as Senior Manager of Sustainability and Partnerships.

Before her current role, Nino served as the head of the Strategic Communications and Public Relations Department at the Ministry of Defense of Georgia from 2019 to 2020. She also held positions at the Embassy of Georgia in the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 2011 to 2014 and again from 2016 to 2019, as well as in the European Integration Committee of the Parliament of Georgia from 2014 to 2017, where she was the head of the Public Relations and Civil Events Planning Department.

Nino has extensive experience in corporate sustainability, public-private dialogue, project management, and strategic communications. Also in community outreach, stakeholder engagement, strategic event management, research, ESG reporting, and analysis.

She holds two master's degrees: one in media communications from Webster University (2012-2013) with a full scholarship from Stan Storimans, and another in media communications management from the Institute of Public Affairs-GIPA (2006-2008). Nino earned her bachelor's degree in TV Journalism from Tbilisi State University - Faculty of Journalism (2001-2005).

Jean-Jacques Verdeaux is currently the Procurement Practice Manager in the Latin America and Caribbean Region (LCR).

Mr. Verdeaux, a French national, is a lawyer who first joined the Bank in 2002 as Senior Procurement Specialist in the Africa region and held, since then, various positions including Senior Counsel in the Legal procurement group, Procurement Coordinator for the Andean Countries, Lead Procurement Specialist for the Middle East and Northern Africa.

Before his current assignment, he worked at the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg, where he was the Senior Procurement Adviser for the Energy Department. In his current position as Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mr. Verdeaux leads a team of more than 40 World Bank procurement specialists who supervise operations in 32 countries. The portfolio includes operations in critical infrastructure, education, environment, health, including the procurement of vaccines during the pandemic. The unit is also engaged in a dialogue with Borrowers on how to increase the efficiency of their respective procurement systems in a time of high inflation and need for climate action.

A graduate from the George Washington University Law School (LL.M in Federal Government Contracts) and the University of Lorraine (Faculté de droit de Nancy), Jean-Jacques is admitted to the Paris Bar and a regular lecturer in the field of international procurement operations and international procurement law.

Mr. Verdeaux is fluent in both Spanish and English and lived for years in the United States and Latin America. He is currently based in Panama.

Renos Vakis leads the Mind, Behavior, and Development Unit (eMBeD), which integrates behavioral science in the design of anti-poverty policies in a wide range of issues such as financial inclusion, social cohesion, human development and employment. He has written extensively on issues related to poverty dynamics and mobility, aspirations, mental well-being and social protection and has led numerous randomized trials on a range of anti-poverty interventions in various settings. Renos has also taught at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) and the University of Cyprus. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Expert Dr. Elena Shadrina has degrees both in Law (MSc) and in Economics (PhD), over 25 years of work experience in public procurement, consulting in procurement, public-private interaction and anti-corruption policy in public procurement.

Also, she has a working experience in projects of the World Bank, ADB, EBRD, UN, European Commission, INTERREG in Armenia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan.

Additional areas of expertise includes: analytics and development of legal acts on public procurement; design of procurement development strategies; analysis of procurement systems in countries and organizations; design of HR policy and staff training for the system of public procurement and donor-funded procurement; sustainable and circular procurement; behavioral economics, support for small and medium enterprises through public procurement.

Dr. Elena possess significant experience with design and delivery of training programs with a full pack of teaching materials on public procurement for government authorities and businesses in Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan. In addition, she had delivered number of training for trainers, representatives of public authorities and suppliers. Elena’s research have been published in leading international academic journals.

Anita Knezović- Public procurement Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Anita is Senior advisor for legislation- Public procurement Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She performs the most complex tasks that require a high degree of expertise and independence in the preparation of normative-legal acts.

Professional experience:
• Drafting of the Law and by-laws in the field of public procurement,
• Work on harmonizing European legislation and EU Directives with regulations on public procurement,
• Drafting of written opinions related to the interpretation of the Law on Public Procurement,
• Oral interpretation of the Law on Public Procurement to contracting authorities and bidders,
• Monitoring of public procurement procedures, detection of irregularities in public procurement procedures (monitoring),
• Holding trainings in the field of public procurement for contracting authorities and bidders,
• Preparation of tender documents for procurement carried out in the Agency for Public Procurement and implementation of procedures,
• Participation in the project tasks of the Public Procurement Agency (e.g. user satisfaction survey, monitoring of anti-corruption policies and implementation, etc.)
• Performing the duties of the information officer of the Public Procurement Agency, preparing answers to press inquiries, preparing texts for publication in the media, communicating with the media, processing texts for the Agency's social networks, organizing media conferences,
• Cooperation with the EU and other international institutions in the field of public procurement.
• Technical support and cooperation with GIZ in the organization of further training and recertification for accredited public procurement lecturers,
• Technical support and cooperation during the organization of the workshop of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the contracting authorities of BiH.

With over 25 years of experience in procurement, Violeta Simionescu has developed deep expertise in promoting sustainable and stakeholder-focused procurement practices. Violeta Simionescu leads initiatives to professionalize procurement in Romania, including projects to establish centralized procurement, competency frameworks and strategic procurement.

From 2018 to 2021, she shared her insights as a member of the European Commission's Stakeholder Expert Group on Public Procurement. Violeta Simionescu shares her knowledge as a tutor with the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply at the Integrate Investment Study Centre.

The commitment to the advancement of procurement also includes academic work: insights from her experience with the professionalization of procurement in Romania are shared through a case study that she co-authored and published in the Journal of Public Procurement (2024).

In addition, Violeta Simionescu is an adjunct professor at the Technical University of Civil Engineering, Bucharest, and at EUCONEXUS, a European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability.

Since June, 2014 Dr.Demetrashvili has employed as a Deputy Chairperson of the State Procurement Agency of Georgia – a single public procurement authority in the country. The agency is functioning under the Prime-Minister’s supervision, managing, regulating and monitoring the whole public procurement ecosystem and developing legal landscape. The agency is operative as a Central Purchasing Body on behalf of the Government and in favor of all contracting authorities. The agency is maintaining and developing the entire electronic platform – Georgian Electronic Government Procurement (Ge-GP) system as well.

During January 2013 – June 2014, Dr.Demetrashvili has been appointed as a deputy head of a leading Georgian EGOV and ICT agency – Financial-Analytical Service at the Ministry of Finance, supervising development of an ePFMS - Electronic Public Finance Management System.

Dr.Demetrashvili has more than 17 years of experience in international public aid and development programs as a senior management team member, team leader, project manager and a consultant to a wide variety of donor, governmental and academia organisations. He has a strong background in Public Management, ICTD and e-Governance in the context of democratic development and good governance. Since 1997 being as a project manager, team leader and a leading expert/consultant/analyst of UNDP, EU, USAID, CoE, WB, Dr.Demetrashvili was involved in a variety of specialized democratic governance programs including public administration reform, civil service reform, parliamentary strengthening, public finance management reform, government oversight, supreme audit reform, civil registry reform, regional development, decentralization and local governance reform, as well as institutional-building and capacity development projects.

Jeppe Groot is a policy analyst with the MAPS Secretariat and has been with the Secretariat since its inception in 2021, where he is working on training, guidance development, and quality assurance. Prior to that he was an advisor at the Danish Ministry of Finance working on sustainable public procurement, innovation in procurement, and complex central purchasing projects. Jeppe holds an MSc in Philosophy and Business Administration from Copenhagen Business School.

Olivier is currently based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan where he supports ADB’s procurement policy dialogue and development projects in Central Asia and the Caucasus. He joined ADB in 2010 as Head of corporate Procurement and Contracting. Prior to joining ADB, he served as an official with the European Space Agency in Rome and the European Commission in Brussels. Olivier completed his law degree at UCLouvain and holds a Master in EU Law from UGent, a Master in Intellectual Property Law from KU Leuven, and an LL.M in International Business Law from University College London. He has FCIArb, MCIPS, and CP3P professional certifications.