Desk members

See also  

Board members
Founding members
Desk Members

Discover our Desk members

Svetlana Klessova

PRESIDENT

Dr Svetlana KLESSOVA

Director, Research and Innovation Partnerships, G.A.C. Group

Svetlana Klessova is Director, Research and Innovation Partnerships at G.A.C Group, based in Sophia Antipolis, France. Since 20+ years, she has had leading roles in over 60 projects around the world: in European Union, Eastern Partnership countries…

…India, ASEAN, China, USA, Western Balkans, Mediterranean region… Svetlana was coordinator of 10 EC-funded projects (FP6, FP7 and Horizon 2020), and she is leading GAC impact maximisation team, specialised in scaling European innovations globally. Svetlana is now coordinator of ENRICH in the USA initiative https://usa.enrichcentres.eu/, supporting internationalisation of European firms in the USA, and manager of LOTUS project www.lotus-india.eu, developing and demonstrating EU-Indian innovative and affordable solutions in water management.  Svetlana is advisory board member of Wiley IEEE book serie “Technology management, innovation and leadership”, and is lead co-editor of the book “ICT Policy, Research and Innovation” published in December 2020 by Wiley/IEEE. The book takes the lens of international collaboration and considers IoT, cyber physical systems, big data, 5G, and policy topics.

Filipe Miguel Cassapo

VICE-PRESIDENT FOR EXPANSION

Filipe Miguel CASSAPO

President, ENRICH in LAC, Brazil

Filipe Cassapo is the President of Enrich in LAC, an initiative supported by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 framework, which aims at strengthening partnerships between Europe and Latin American and the Caribbean, for Science, Technology and Innovation.

He is also an elected Director at ANPEI – the National Association of Research and Development of Innovative Companies, in Brazil, since 2012. Filipe is also the Director of the Senai Institute of Innovation in Electrochemistry, in Brazil. He served as the Director of the International Innovation Center of the Federation of Industries of the State of Paraná, in Brazil, which he co-created in 2009. He was the director of the Senai Technological and Vocational School of Curitiba. He was the leader of the Knowledge Management Process of FNQ – the Brazilian National Quality Foundation. He was a Knowledge Manager at Votorantim Industrial, and Information Technology Manager at Siemens, where he was responsible for knowledge and information management for the MERCOSUR Region.

Born and raised in France, Mr. Cassapo has 20 years of experience in strategies, innovation, impact entrepreneurship, research and development, organizational change and professional education. He is a speaker and consultant in Brazil and abroad, in projects of the Federation of Industries of the State of Paraná, the Luxembourg Development Agency (LuxDev), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the European Union.

Blandine Chantepi Kari

VICE-PRESIDENT FOR EDUCATION AND SECRETARY

Blandine CHANTEPIE-KARI

Program Manager, International and ENRICH in the USA Programs Temple SBDC, USA

Blandine Chantepie-Kari, international strategist with 15+ years of experience, specializes in international trade, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) attraction programs and ecosystem building. This March 2020, Blandine joined Temple University…

…– Small Business Development Center as an Instructor & International Business Consultant, and to support the new International Incubator. Since February 2016, Blandine is the Vice President, University & Entrepreneurship – Soft Landing Programs of the European American Enterprise Council, member of the Enterprise European Network and consortium partner of ENRICH in the USA (European Network of Research and Innovation Centers and Hubs) and Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs initiatives – funded by the European Commission. Blandine was the initiator of the Global Startup Accelerator (GSA) and under the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians directed this EDA-funded initiative in partnership with the University City Science Center. Previously, Blandine served as Co-Director of Trade Services for the Philadelphia Chapter of the French American Chamber of Commerce (FACC). In that role, she launched the first soft-landing program to welcome French trainees (under the VIE program) in U.S. incubators. Over the years, in Europe, Canada, and United-States, Blandine has acquired valuable experience in a wide range of industries, including Biotech/MedTech, CleanTech, IoT, SmartCity, Manufacturing, and Consumer Goods. Since July 2018, Blandine is delighted to serve on the FACC Philadelphia’s Board of Directors.

Marcela Flores

TREASURER

Marcela FLORES

Executive Director, ANPEI – National Association of Research and Development of Innovative Companies, Brazil

Marcela Flores collects extensive knowledge in innovation, from management to articulation of public policies, through open innovation, promotion, and intellectual property. Graduated in business administration, Marcela also has experience…

…in bilateral international relations, finance, and controllership. Process oriented based on goals and results, highlighting the work performed at ANPEI since 2016, where she managed to reduce costs, assemble a high-performance team, and increase the association’s net worth in the first two years.