A Most Distinguished Jury

The 20 participants are selected by a distinguished Jury composed of business leaders, decision-makers, experts in rural economics and sustainability champions.
They look for well-rounded candidates with a demonstrable track record in driving forward new ideas and seizing opportunities in their rural communities. The Jury is interested in applicants’ future plans and ambitions, as well as in their curiosity to better understand the potential of technology in driving equality and opportunity in their area.

The composition of the Jury of the 2024 Women's Academy for Rural Innovation can be seen below.

To see the Jury members of the previous Academy and Schools, please check the 2024 Summer School2023 Summer School, 2022 Rural Academy2022 Winter School, 2022 Summer School and 2021 Summer School pages.

Dr. Violeta Bulc

Curator & Founder, Ecocivilisation Movement; Vice President, Europe – Asia Centre; former EU Commissioner for Transport & Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia

Maria Sipilä

Vice-Chair, European Women on Boards (EWOB), Jury Member, European Innovation Council (EIC); Founder & CEO, Sipila Consulting

Rebeca de Sancho Mayoral

Senior Policy Officer, Access to Finance Innovation, European Commission

Tsvetelina Penkova

Member of the European Parliament

Inga Henriksen

CEO & Co-founder, Lilja App

Fernala Sejmen-Banjac

President, Women4Cyber Bosnia and Executive director, DISTI doo

Radka Vladyková

Executive Director, Union of Towns and Municipalities

Ana Prica

Member of the Executive Bureau, Women4Ethical AI Platform, UNESCO

Aleksandra Przegalinska

Senior Research Associate, Harvard University

Androulla Vassiliou

 Former European Commissioner for Education & Health and former MP

Mary Coughlan

Chairperson, Rural Transport Network; Chairperson, CLG Dun na nGall; Former Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland

Fiona O’Leary

Board Member, Rural Youth Europe

Alicia Perez-Porro

Head of Policy Engagement and Institutional Relations, CREAF; Member, EU Science Diplomacy Working Groups, European Commission

Prof. Dr. Itir Erhart

Dean, Faculty of Communications, lstanbul Bilgi University

Ricardo Marvao

Co-founder, Beta-I; Strategic Council Member, Startup Portugal

Egle Ciuoderiene

Founder & CEO, Duevo; Expert Evaluator, European Commission

Cécile Voigt

Senior Consultant in financial inclusion and digital finance

Yehor Cherkun

Digital Transformation Project Portfolio Manager, Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine

Petra Kotuliakova

CEO, AjTyvIt

Ana-Maria Matejic

Director, Cybersecurity Services and Operations in Nexova Group Belgium; Member of the Advisory Group at ENISA

Emőke Péter

Group Head of Public & Regulatory Affairs, Worldline

Lucia Risoli

Education Manager, xFarm Technologies

Urška Bux

Senior Program Manager

Dr. Audrey-Flore Ngomsik

CEO & Co-Founder, Trianon Scientific Communication; Governing Board Member, European Policy Centre (EPC)

Sabina Ciofu

Associate Director - International, techUK

Marc Angel

Member of the European Parliament

Inga Ros Gunnarsdottir

Chief Data Officer, City of Reykjavík

Valasia Iakovoglou

Director, Ecotourism Sector of the UNESCO Chair Con-E-Ect, International Hellenic University (IHU)

Carina Zehetmaier

President, Women in AI Austria

Elma Hot Dervic

Researcher, Supply Chain Intelligence Institute Austria

Lidija Kralj

Education Analyst, Expert for AI & Data, EduConLK

Prof. Cecilia Danesi

Researcher at the Institute of European Studies and Human Rights, Pontifical University of Salamanca

Akseli Koskela

Deputy Director, Technology Industries of Finland; former State Secretary for Security and Migration of Finland

Carla Rebelo

Global Head of Permanent Recruitment, SVP, Adecco

Dubravka Bosnjak

Head of the Open Regional Fund for South East Europe - Energy, Transport and Climate Protection at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Mann Nguyen

AI Communication Specialist, European Commission

Katarina Roth Neveďalová

Member of the European Parliament

Chrysi Chrysochou

Deputy Data Protection Coordinator & Cybersecurity Ambassador, European Commission

Dr. Brigita Serafinavičiūtė

Research Attaché, Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the EU

Suada Hadzovic

Expert, Telecom Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Eva Bernard

Principal – Gender, Inclusion and Climate Action, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Faduma Aden

Senior DEI & Social Impact Specialist

Ece Ciftci

Standing Committee Member of the Conference of INGOs, Council of Europe

Ardijan Mavriq

Founder of Ulcinno ; Chairman of the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly (Montenegro)

Iva Tasheva

Co-founder and Cybersecurity Lead, CyEn; Member of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Enterprise Security, ENISA

Caritta Seppa

Co-Founder at Tespack, Investment Manager at Spintop Ventures

Bojan Glavasevic

Former MP, Vice-Chair of the EU Affairs Committee, Parliament of Croatia

Monika Stanisheva

Board Member, Scientific Council, COP29 Presidency

Anna Theologou

Former Member of Parliament, Parliament of Cyprus

Claudia de Castro Caldeirinha

Senior Leadership Advisor, Redscope

Participating in the "Generative AI: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead" panel at the European Leadership Academy was a truly transformative experience. Meeting 29 incredible young women from diverse backgrounds was both humbling and inspiring. The Academy showed me firsthand the immense impact that can be achieved when young women are given the right opportunities and a platform to grow. I left the Academy feeling more empowered and optimistic than ever.

Maro Manoli

CEO & Co-Founder, E-mbracelet

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It may sound cliché, but the best part of the European Leadership Academy were the caring and passionate people who contributed to it, after the end of the European Leadership Academy, I now feel the most confident and passionate that I have ever been. Importantly, the program was completely free of charge, as an ambitious young woman whose family has always struggled financially, the European Leadership academy was a dream come true in many ways.

Veronika Anna Denner

Student. Represented Austria at the 2024 Summer School in Warsaw

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This transformative journey has prepared me for anything life may throw my way. What touched me most was the opportunity to connect with girls who, like me, share the same dreams yet are wonderfully diverse. They truly inspired me in countless ways. I learned so much about myself throughout this process; the school has impacted every facet of my identity, teaching me self-confidence and the imporance of colaborartions with others.

Lara Markelj

Student. Represented Slovenia at the 2024 Summer School in Warsaw

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I knew that the Summer School for Female Leadership in the Digital Age was going to be an incredible experience but I didn't expect it to be life-changing! With a jam-packed week full of both interesting and challenging discussions, panels, masterclasses & workshops, I left each day feeling inspired and invigorated. I would encourage any young woman interested to apply regardless of your background and experiences - the European Leadership Academy provides an environment for all young women to thrive in.

Amy Calleja

Student. Represented Malta at the 2022 Summer School in Prague

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Sisterhood, support and inspiration are just some of the aspects that we have experienced! The European Leadership Academy is an exceptional and priceless program which opened our horizons for the future. For me, one of the best characteristics of the program was its holistic approach. The range of speakers and experts was extraordinary just as their kindness and openness to answer our questions and connect with us.

Katharina Hertel

Student. Represented Germany at the 2022 Summer School in Prague

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