Speakers Rural Academy 2022, Spain

The women selected by the Jury to be the recipients of one of the 15 full scholarships available to participate in the programme were part of a unique learning experience. Experts in rural development, entrepreneurship, and public policy offered them a first-class educational experience, addressing everything from new technologies to business growth. They learned about gender equality, sustainability, and rural economics, and explored how they could be agents for change in their region.

The sessions took many different formats to ensure that the programme was stimulating and lively. Participants listened to expert speakers, joined panel discussions, exchanged views with mentors, and worked on projects with their peers.

The speakers for the 2022 Women’s Academy for Rural Innovation in Spain are listed below.

Iratxe García Pérez

MEP, Chair of the S&D Group in the European Parliament; Honorary President, The Women’s Academy for Rural Innovation 2022

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

Former Prime Minister of Spain

Margaret Bateson-Missen

Deputy Director-General, DG AGRI, EU Commission

Pilar Alegría

Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Government of Spain

Mary Coughlan

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland

‪Aleksandra Przegalińska

Vice-Rector and Associate Professor, Kozminski University Poland

Berta Herrero

Director, Schools for Female Leadership in the Digital Age & The Women’s Academy for Rural Innovation; Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Huawei EU

Pilar del Castillo

Member of the European Parliament

Luc Hindryckx

Director General, ecta

Begoña Pérez Villarreal

Director, EIT Food South

Atidzhe Alieva-Veli

Member of the European Parliament

Sandrine Kergroach

Head of SME and Entrepreneurship Performance, Policies and Mainstreaming, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities

Bridget Cosgrave

Managing Director, Every European Digital (t/a ADIMO srl), SINCH ab Non-Executive Director,  SOPRA STERIA GROUP, EU Public Affairs Advisor

María Eugenia Rodríguez Palop

MEP, First Vice-Chair; FEMM Committee; Member, AGRI Committee

Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak

Secretary of State for Development Funds and Regional Policy, Government of Poland

Miriam Burgués Flórez

Director, EuroEFE

Vicky Yuan Zhang

Vice President of Corporate Communications, Huawei

Karina Angelieva

Former Deputy Minister for Innovation and Growth, Government of Bulgaria

Luisa Baldini

Co-Founder, Composure Media; former Royal Correspondent, BBC

Hosuk Lee-Makiyama

Director, ECIPE (European Centre for International Political Economy)

Núria Salán

President, Catalan Society of Technology; Professor, UPC-Terrassa

Therese Jamaa

Vice President, Huawei Spain

David Luquin

Director-General for Digital Advancement, Government of La Rioja (Spain)

Andreana Atanasova

Chairperson of the Managing Board, Alliance of the Technology Industry

Hui Cao

Head of Strategy & Policy, Huawei EU

Gesine Tuitjer

Scientist, Institute of Rural Studies, Thünen Institute

Cristina Almeida

Co-Founder & President, Women4Cyber Portugal

Beth Dooley

Agri-Environmental Policy Analyst, EU CAP Network CAP Implementation Contact Point

Chiyo Robertson

Senior Journalist, Media Advisor and Trainer

Teresa López

President, Federation of Rural Women's Associations (Fademur)

Nuno Machado Lopes

Leadership Coach, SingularityU Faculty

Patricia Álvarez

Global Talent and People Development Manager, Desigual

Inga Henriksen

Co-founder, Lilja app

Árdís R. Einarsdóttir

Co-founder, Lilja app

Ann Kristin Baum

Head of Research and Development, Immotech Austria

Giorgia Epicoco

Senior EU Public Affairs Manager, Huawei EU

Nuria Borrás

International Volunteers Manager, Life Terra

Luis Suárez

Reforestation Technical Manager, Life Terra

Isabel Silva

EUClimate Pact Ambassador, Lecturer Hygiene - Food Safety

Piero Maieli

Regional Counselor, Sardinia (Italy)

Aikaterini Liakopoulou

Business Coach for Deep-tech Startups backed by the EU Commission

David Rodríguez Guillén

Policy advisor at the European Parliament

Carlos Montesino Garro

Mayor, Candeleda Municipality

Aashna Puri

Senior Manager, Strategy & Sustainability, CyrusOne

Velichka Atanasova

Project Coordinator, Startup Village Chengene Skele, Burgas Municipality

Emina Abrahamsdotter

CEO, GoGender

Sofía Gabasa

Technical Officer, Federation of Rural Women's Associations (Fademur)

Lisa Varga

Founder, The Digital Collective; Director, Strategic Operations at UpSkill Digital

Marco Arca

CEO & Co-Founder, Siendas Academy

Beatriz Magro

Co-Founder & CEO, Komvida

Chen Chen

 CEO & Founder, Xpolore

Silvia Sanchez

CropLife

Marta Bulik

Founder Wellbelicious, Certified wellness coach and Yoga teacher 

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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