Andras Krolopp is Senior Researcher based in Belgium. He joined The Nature Conservancy in 2012 as Senior Policy Advisor for TNC’s Africa Region, Focusing on EU policy issues. He is now with the Europe Region, covering European governmental relations with special focus on the EU in support of TNC’s policy, conservation and public funding priorities. Currently he is a Program Director for the “Balkans” component of the Enterprise grant and managing an EU funded project on how private land owners could play a complementary role in nature conservation. He was also seconded to the Hungarian Government during its EU presidency and covered Biodiversity finance in preparations and during CBD COP in 2010. Before working for IUCN he was working with various NGOs, like the CEEweb (an NGO network covering Central and Eastern Europe), Global Nature Fund (Germany) and the European Centre for Nature Conservation (Netherlands). Andras has the MSc in Environmental Management and degrees in Biology and Geography. Besides his Hungarian mother tongue, he speaks English, German and has basic knowledge of Dutch and Russian languages.
Christina Forster is co-founder and managing director of Heartbeats Innovation & Communication a boutique consulting agency with offices in Austria and Slovenia. Sheserved as strategic consultant to opinion leaders, organizations, companies and institutions in CEE and Western Balkans. Christina believes that every business, brand or product has a story to tell. Christina’s experience in creating positive integrated social impact through marketing and communications spans sectors, including corporate brands, impact-driven startups, international networks, innovative nonprofits and small foundations. She has worked in the field of entrepreneurship building in the region of WB and CEE as well as sports, music, fashion, media and IT industry with clients such as Mondi, Boden, Red Bull, Nivea, Labello, Cisco Austria, Feelif Slovenia, Impact Hub Vienna, GSEN and many more.
Goran Jeras, Manager of Cooperative for Ethical Financing, organisation working on the foundation of the European Ethical Bank in CroatiaAfter studying physics in Zagreb, Goran moved to The Netherlands and started working as a consultant for large financial institutions. In 2013 he moved back to Croatia and together with a team of experts from various fields started the process of creation of an ethical bank based on innovative scalable and replicable open-source platform, aiming to become the financial backbone of the solidarity economy and sustainable development in Croatia and Europe. From 2015-2018, Goran was a member of GECES (EC Expert Group on Social Entrepreneurship) and since 2016 Fellow of German Marshall Fund of the United States. He is an expert on sustainable local-oriented development, new technologies including Fintech and alternative finance.
Lucija Marovt, Co-creator, Project Director Circular Change Slovenia. She joined Circular Change in 2020 to co-create and support circular economy partnerships and projects bridging together different sectors and expert fields. Last ten years she has been an external team member and consultant in international program Eco-Schools Slovenia (globally run by FEE –Foundation for the Environmental Education). A coordinator for international Young Reporters for the Environment program in Slovenia and also a coordinator of FEE Eco-Campus Slovenia (both also run by FEE) through which she is actively involved to the global network. She has been involved in the development of the first circular economy project in the program Eco-Schools internationally and introduced the project in Slovenia. She is a moderator and facilitator as well as author of sustainable development and circular economy contributions with focus to stakeholder’s involvement and raising awareness.
