Speakers: Skills Integration in Investment Operations

Chiara Adamo

Acting Director, Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace | DG INTPA, European Commission

Chiara Adamo is Acting Director for Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace at the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), whose remit includes education, skills, youth and research. She also heads the Human Rights, Gender and Democratic Governance unit. With more than 20 years at the Commission, she has worked on human rights, democracy, migration, justice and human development, both within and outside the EU. 

She studied European law and policy at the College of Europe in Bruges.

Elma Aga

Human Capital Development Expert | ETF

Elma Aga is a Human Capital Development Expert and Country Coordinator for Morocco at the European Training Foundation (ETF). She monitors developments in education, skills and employment, turning evidence into insights for policy and reform, and contributes to the ETF's engagement with international financial institutions on skills investment as a strategic priority. 

She previously worked as a Policy Analyst at the OECD on education and employment policy reform in South East Europe.

Christian Bodewig

Director for Education and Skills | World Bank Group

Christian Bodewig is World Bank Group Director for Education and Skills. He previously served as Practice Manager in the World Bank's Social Protection and Labor global department and for Western and Central Africa, based in Dakar. Earlier, he managed the Bank's programme for Southern Europe from Brussels and led its inclusive growth work across EU Member States, covering education, health and social protection. 

He has also led the Bank's human development programme in Vietnam.

Mathieu Bousquet

Director for Enlargement Coordination, Strategy and Investments | DG ENEST, European Commission 

Mathieu Bousquet is the Director for Enlargement Coordination, Strategy and Investments at the Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST) of the European Commission. His Directorate coordinates the accession process, drives the DG's engagement with the private sector and International Financial Institutions, and supports the programming of EU financial assistance in the Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood. 

Over a career in Africa, Asia and Brussels, he has worked to foster sustainable development, the green transition, good governance and gender equality in the EU's partner countries.

Donatella Di Vozzo

Lead Expert on Skills Investment and Financing | ETF

Donatella Di Vozzo is Lead Expert on Skills Investments and Financing and Country Coordinator for Tunisia at the European Training Foundation (ETF), where she leads the ETF's engagement with international financial institutions. An economist with nearly 20 years of international experience, she advises policymakers on education and labour market reforms, with a focus on youth employability, gender and social inclusion. 

She previously worked as a policy adviser at the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships and as an education economist at Enabel, Belgium's agency for international cooperation.

Hendrina Chalwe Doroba

Division Manager for Education and Skills Development | African Development Bank

Hendrina Chalwe Doroba is Division Manager for Education and Skills Development at the African Development Bank. A teacher by profession, a development practitioner and a gender expert, she previously served as Executive Director of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), which won the 2017 Al-Sumait Prize for African Development in Education. She has served on advisory boards including the Global Education Monitoring Advisory Board and the UNGEI Global Advisory Board. 

Earlier, she worked with the Irish Embassy in Zambia, Oxfam GB and Zambia's Ministry of Education.

Asier Erdozain

Liaison Officer | ETF

Asier Erdozain is a Liaison Officer at the European Training Foundation (ETF). He has over 20 years of international experience in development cooperation, EU external action and investment programmes. Before joining the ETF in 2026, he spent six years at the European Commission's former DG NEAR, working on international partnerships and investments, and earlier held positions at UNDP and UNIDO. 

An economist by training, he holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Milan, where his research focused on global poverty and aid effectiveness.

Tanja Faller

Director of Technical Assessment and Monitoring | Council of Europe Development Bank

Tanja Faller is Director of Technical Assessment and Monitoring at the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and a member of its Management Committee, having joined in March 2024. She has over 20 years of experience in policy advisory work and project finance, with roles at the World Bank, the African Development Bank and Munich Re's MEAG focusing on social infrastructure investment. At GIZ, she led teams on sustainable infrastructure and advisory services in education, microfinance and health. 

She holds a master's in International Finance and International Development from Johns Hopkins SAIS.

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Julian Frede

Co-Founder and Managing Partner | evolutiq Impact Advisory

Julian Frede is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of evolutiq Impact Advisory. As an expert on skills and development finance, he supports the ETF, multilateral development banks and the European Commission on the Joint Orientation Note on Skills Integration in Investment Operations. He has over 15 years of experience in impact management, working with investors and banks including the EIB and KfW. At KfW DEG, he led evaluation work and co-led a skills gaps study for the World Bank Group's Let's Work initiative. 

He holds a PhD in development economics.

Francisco Gaztelu Mezquiriz

Director | DG MENA, European Commission

Francisco Gaztelu Mezquiriz is Director for North Africa at the European Commission's Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf (DG MENA). He previously served as Director for the Southern Neighbourhood and Türkiye at the former DG NEAR, where he earlier headed the Migration Unit. His Commission career also includes senior posts in migration, budget and Asia-Pacific relations, and as Deputy Head of Cabinet to the Vice-President for the Internal Market, Defence and Space. 

He has a background in engineering and microeconomics.

Ayako Inagaki

Deputy Director General, Sectors Department 3 - Human and Social Development, Finance, and Public Sector Management and Governance Sectors Group | Asian Development Bank, Philippines

Ayako Inagaki is Deputy Director General of Sectors Department 3 at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which covers finance, public sector management and governance, and human and social development. She joined ADB in 2001 as an Education Specialist and has since held progressively senior roles, including Senior Director of the Human and Social Development Sector Office. In these roles, she led knowledge initiatives and cross-sector collaboration to advance ADB’s work on education, health and social protection. 

She holds a Master in Education from Keio University, Japan.

Joyce Liyan

Head of Division | European Investment Bank, Luxembourg

Joyce Liyan is Head of the Advisory Division at the European Investment Bank (EIB), leading the Bank's activities in this area outside the European Union. Since joining the EIB in 2006, she has held roles in strategy and investment operations, and now focuses on using advisory support and partnerships to develop investment opportunities and advance strategic policy priorities. She has also served as Strategic Economic Advisor to the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean.

She pursued postgraduate studies at Saint-Joseph University in Beirut, Sciences Po and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Mario Nava

Director-General | DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Mario Nava has been Director-General for DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) at the European Commission since June 2024. He previously led the Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) from 2020 to 2024 and held senior posts in financial regulation and supervision, including a period as President of Consob, Italy's financial markets authority. Earlier, he was a member of President Romano Prodi's Group of Policy Advisers. 

He holds a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics.

Biljana Radonjic Ker-Lindsay

Associate Director, Head of Access to Skills and Employment, Gender and Economic Inclusion | EBRD

Biljana Radonjic Ker-Lindsay is Associate Director and Head of Access to Skills and Employment in the Gender and Economic Inclusion team at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Her work focuses on human capital development in green and digital economies, gender equality and the economic inclusion of young people, people with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups. She previously headed the EBRD's civil society engagement and led implementation of its first Gender Action Plan. 

She has over 20 years of international experience across around 40 markets.

Nikola Radovanovic

Human Capital Development Expert | ETF

Nikola Radovanovic is a Human Capital Development Expert at the European Training Foundation (ETF), focusing on innovation, skills intelligence and the partnerships that connect skills development with labour market needs. He works with development banks to integrate skills into investment projects and explores how vocational excellence can support competitiveness and innovation. 

He previously led a team at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre supporting smart specialisation strategies in the Western Balkans and the EU's neighbouring countries.

Pilvi Torsti

Director | ETF

Pilvi Torsti has been Director of the European Training Foundation (ETF) since 2023. A Finnish education policy expert with a PhD in social sciences, she brings experience from government, academia, business and civil society. She previously served as State Secretary in three Finnish ministries – Education and Culture; Economic Affairs and Employment; and Transport and Communications – and as a Member of Parliament (2017–19). An adjunct professor at the University of Helsinki, she founded Helsinki International Schools (HEI), an early education company, and co-founded the United World College in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

She also hosts the ETF video series In Conversation with Pilvi Torsti, discussing the role of skills in promoting fairer, more sustainable and inclusive societies.

Georgios Zisimos

Head of Policy Advice Unit for Human Capital Development | ETF

Georgios Zisimos is a senior education expert and Head of the Policy Advice Unit for Human Capital Development at the European Training Foundation (ETF). His career combines international policy leadership, teaching, union representation and education research. At the European level, he served as a member of a European Commission cabinet and sat on scientific committees on curriculum reform and literacy. In Cyprus, he was Secretary General of the Cypriot Teachers' Union. 

A former Technology teacher in England and Cyprus, he has authored various publications on education.