Prof. Mario Spatafora is the General Secretary of Effebi Association and the European Projects Coordinator within EFFEBI Association, responsible for identifying project ideas and appropriate Partnerships. He has been Professor – by the Department of Training Sciences at the University Roma Tre – in organisational development with a specific course on the European instruments for the long-life learning (EQF/ECVET/EQARF). Previously, after a brief working experience in the Study Department of the European Commission in Luxembourg, he worked for ABI – the Italian Banking Association – and was in charge of the General Secretariat and then of the Organisational Development and Human Resources Department.

Josep SOLER-ALBERTÍ, CEO, IEF; Founder and Chairman EFPA 2010-2018, Executive director EFPA Spain

Is CEO of IEF http://www.iefweb.org , the leading Spanish banking and financial trainer;  founder in 2000, Chairman since 2010 to 2018 and Board member of the European Financial Planning Association (EFPA) http://www.efpa-eu.org/.  and Executive director of EFPA Spain http://www.efpa.es/, at present the largest Spanish professional association in the financial sector with over 30,000 full certified members. Josep is a leading promoter of financial literacy in Spain through the coordination of EFEC http://www.efec.cat/ .

Josep acts as independent director of several money management firms –TreaCapital http://www.treacapital.com/es/index.php , Mediolanum Gestión, Mediolanum Pensiones, etc, and manages as well his own firm of financial advice and planning.

He is at present member of the CWG of the Investor Protection and Intermediaries Standing Committee of ESMA (European Securities and Markets Authority) https://www.esma.europa.eu/

He is a regular contributor at several economic newspapers, as well as frequent lecturer at seminars and conferences.

He holds a BSc in Economics (Barcelona University), a BSc in business administration and an MBA at ESADE, and a research Diploma at the London School of Economics (LSE).

Mr. George Petrou, qualified in Financial Planning, Development and Management of vocational training programmes. His qualifications include the development of training materials and tools while he holds extensive experience in learning, teaching, training or youth work and personal development. He holds a master’s degree in Adult Education and he has followed seminars and post-graduate specialisations in subjects such as: training and consultative support and open & distance training for groups at risk of exclusion, diversity, integration and gender equality. He has a long experience in managing and co-ordinating EU projects mainly in the area of Lifelong Learning, local development, youth, vulnerable social groups and employment. In representing “DIMITRA”, he has participated in a wide range of networks, organisations and Board of Directors.

Prof. Dr. Volker Wittberg has been Professor of SME Management at the Fachhochschule des Mittelstands (FHM), Bielefeld, since 2001, and is Prorector for Research and Development at this HEI.
As visiting professor at the University of Gloucestershire, he is responsible for the extra-occupational doctoral programs offered in cooperation with this British university.
At the same time, since 2010 he has stood before the National Centre for Red Tape Reduction (NZBA), where he has carried out numerous research projects in the field of Better Regulation, among others, on behalf of – and with the support of – various federal ministries.
In 2014, he also took over the management of the FHM-based Centre for Sustainable Governance (CSG).