SHAPING THE FUTURE THROUGH INNOVATION AND POLICY | Powered by EKIP & IDGC
25/04
The “AI and Creativity: Shaping the Future Through Innovation and Policy” conference is a truly innovative four-hour event focused on exploring the intersection of AI, creativity and sustainability within the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). The conference seeks to engage policy makers, creators, industry professionals and tech enthusiasts in a dialogue around harnessing the duality of artificial intelligence and the power of creativity to address pressing societal challenges and redefine the future of Europe’s cultural landscape.
Speakers
Alvin Wang Graylin
Alvin Wang Graylin (汪丛青) is a recognized technology pioneer, entrepreneur, executive, and thought leader with 30+ years of experience delivering innovative products in the AI, XR and semiconductor industries. He is the co-author of Our Next Reality: How the AI-powered Metaverse will Reshape the World, published by Hachette Book Group. Having built his foundation in VR research at the Human Interface Technology Lab over 30 years ago, Alvin has also developed his expertise in AI and Natural Language Processing after extensive studies at the University of Washington and MIT.
In his recent professional journey, Alvin served as the China President of HTC (2016-2023) and continues to contribute as Global VP of Corporate Development at HTC, a global leader in the VR/AR space. His commitment to the immersive computing field is further reflected in his roles as Vice-Chairman of the Industry of Virtual Reality Alliance (IVRA), President of the Virtual Reality Venture Capital Alliance (VRVCA), and co-head of the ViveX VR Accelerator.
Alvin’s entrepreneurial spirit is evidenced by his founding of four venture-backed startups in areas ranging from AI-based natural language search, mobile social to big-data AI analytics, across China and the US. His broad operational experience also includes global P&L roles at multinational corporations like Intel, Trend Micro, WatchGuard Technologies, and IBM.
Alvin holds an M.S. in Computer Science from MIT, where he specialized in AI, and an M.S. in Business from MIT’s Sloan School of Management on the entrepreneurship and operations track. He also earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, focused on VR, AI, and CPU architecture. He was born in China during the Cultural Revolution and emigrated to the U.S. in 1980 as the country’s reform period started. Alvin has recently relocated back to the U.S. after almost 20 years working/living in China during its internet/mobile boom and is currently based in Seattle, Washington.
Camila Cela
With over a decade of hands-on experience in cultural management, my expertise centers on nurturing and expanding public and audience engagement. As the Creative Business Network Project Leader for ekip, I am dedicated to fostering vibrant communities and facilitating meaningful connections within the Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) sector. Our primary objective is to empower individuals and organizations to actively participate in the development of policies related to open innovation in creative eco-systems that shape the future of the CCI landscape.
Carlo Vuijlsteke
Carlo Vuijlsteke is an expert-researcher and policy advisor in cultural and creative sectors at IDEA Consult, an independent research agency based in Brussels. With a professional background of over twenty years in the cultural and creative sectors, he has developed special expertise at the intersection of culture and creative sectors with economics, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Charlotte Lorentz Hjorth
Passionate builder of innovation ecosystems including the CCI, coordinator ekip. Lund University and the innovation platform Future By Lund
Jasmina Nikolic
Regional Project Director
New Moment communication network, South East Europe
Passionate about infusing brand management, communication, and visibility principles into donor-funded projects, Jasmina boasts over 19 years of expertise in branding, advertising, PR, strategic communications, and client service domains. Recognized as one of Serbia’s most awarded communication professionals, her team leadership resulted in New Moment’s earning prestigious accolades including 8 Cannes Lions alongside a numerous of regional and international awards such as EFFIE, Golden Drum, Eurobest, Epica and the Lisbon International Festival, among others.
With a keen aptitude for fostering and guiding teams towards growth and innovation, Jasmina emerges as a proven problem-solver steadfastly committed to achieving business objectives. Her portfolio spans engagements with esteemed entities including the European Commission, Delegation of the European Union, Council of Europe, UNDP, GIZ, and an array of distinguished brands such as Coca-Cola, Nike, Huawei and more. Notably recognized by B&W MENA Magazine as one of the Top 5 Account Directors, Jasmina has also played a pivotal role in nurturing numerous start-up ventures towards success.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Jasmina serves as a lead lecturer at Molen Academy, spearheading modules on Brand and Marketing Management, while her expertise is frequently sought after in various capacities, from panelist to moderator, at esteemed events like the Data Science Conference (Belgrade), Global Creative Network Cup (Copenhagen), and Golden Drum (Slovenia), among others.
Jeroen van der A
Project Manager EU Research & Innovation Collaboration
Delft University of Technology, NL
Responsible for the strategy, acquisition, development and management of medium/large collaborative European Research and Innovation projects in the area of Industrial Design Engineering. Involved in the development of over 300 proposals and management of over 50 projects with a specific focus on the EU. Programmes Horizon Europe/2020, Interreg, EIT KICs and Erasmus+, but as well to Dutch and company funded research and innovation projects.
Over 25 years of experience built up in several positions in the quadruple helix related to business development, innovation consulting and R&D&I management at DAF Trucks, management consultancy firms including Bax&Company, ABN-AMRO Bank, Chamber of Commerce and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). Specific focus on sustainability, digitisation, health and mobility.
Active collaboration with partners in vast European and Global network of leading Academics, R&D departments of industry, startups, EU, national and regional governments, societal organisations, consultants and designers in projects creating scientific, business and societal impact.
Leonidas Christopoulos
Leonidas Christopoulos took over as President and CEO of EKOME SA in July 2023. He was the Secretary General of Digital Governance and Simplification of Procedures of the Ministry of Digital Governance, from July 2019 to July 2023, and had EKOME under his supervision. During this period, significant improvements were made to the cash rebate scheme for audiovisual works in Greece, while the Tax Relief incentive was reactivated, and the Fund of Guaranteeing Loan for Companies Producing Audiovisual Work was established, in collaboration with the Development Bank.
Moreover, he was responsible for planning and implementing Greece’s digital strategy through the Digital Transformation Bible, the strategy for Artificial Intelligence and digital skills, the new Operational Program “Digital Transformation” of the NSRF 2021-2027, the upgrading of KEP and the policy for the simplification and digitalization of procedures through Gov.gr and the National Register of Mitos Procedures.
He has worked in the Ministries of Development, Finance, Education and Religious Affairs, Environment and Energy and Interior, while in the period 2016-2019 he was an advisor to the President of the Official Opposition on issues of State, Public Administration and Education. He holds a BSc. in Political and International Studies from Panteion University of Political and Social Studies, Athens, and an M.A. in International Political Economy from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom, where he studied Political Economy of Mass Media. He is, also, a graduate of the National School of Public Administration and Local Government of Greece.
Marcin Poprawski
Marcin Poprawski, Humak University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki. His research, publishing, teaching and managerial activities span the fields of cultural management, cultural policies, audience engagement and aesthetics. He is particularly interested in the diversity of organisational cultures in creative process-driven organisations, including those active in the arts, heritage and creative sectors. He recently published a book, Festivals and Values (Springer 2023).
Maria Vytinidou
Maria Vytinidou presents a long-standing, diverse and active engagement with the public, businesses and education. She studied Chemistry at the University of Crete and Fashion Designer at Central Saint Martin’s and London College of Fashion. He holds an MBA and actively contributes to the development of Young Entrepreneurship as a Business Instructor internationally. She founded AthensFashionClub Group which includes the Fashion School “AthensFashionClub”, the 1st Fashion Incubator in Greece “The Fashion Gate”, the fashion brand <<Maria Vytinidou Conscious Brand>> and runs as Director the Portuguese Incubator “Grow Sustainable in Portugal” with the support of the Portuguese Embassy in Athens.
Premiere Vision in Paris highlighted her as the most innovative Fashion Designer in Greece for Wearable Technology, while at the same time the global accelarator Startupbootcamp High Tech XL in Eindhoven established her company as one of the best 20 high-tech fashion companies in world for the Wearable Technology garments she designs. Vogue Italia has featured her for her innovative approaches in fashion. She is the Executive Producer and TV Hostess of the TV show <<Fashion Fly>> with the subject of the Creative Industry and enterprises and a speaker at several conferences of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Technology and Fashion globally. She is an International Trainer at Modtissimo trade fair in Portugal, the European S4Fashion program and the global NEXT MBA platform.
Martijn van der Mark
Martijn van der Mark works for the cultural department of the City of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. As policy advisor he developed the Rotterdam policy on architecture, on film and media, and on creative industries. With these policies the city supports events like the Rotterdam Architecture Month, the Sustainable Fashion Week and runs the Rotterdam Film and Media Office.
Michalis Stangos
Michalis is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and ecosystem builder. He is the President and Partner of L-Stone Capital, an impact-driven seed and series A fund. He has been an active investor for the last 10 years.
He co-founded Industry Disruptors Game Changers, a pioneering organization that ignites innovation and growth in 64 countries; Future Agro Challenge, a global leader in agrifood transformation and the empowerment of farmers, working closely with FAO UN for ecosystem building in the NENA region (Agrination Startup Cup); He is also the co-founder and Vice President of SmartAgroHub, an innovative company for smart farming. Additionally, he co-founded SciCo, an organization for scientific engagement, and founded MSCOMM Group, an integrated communication agency with a presence in 10 countries.
Michalis advocates for open innovation mechanisms, focusing on building a corporate-startup engagement platform to create value for the economy and society. He is a top-tier strategist and designer of innovative policies, services, and products, working with the European Commission, European Parliament, EIT Food, SRSS, and the Committee on World Food Security of the United Nations.
Michalis has served twice in the Greek Government. He is a visiting Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Alexander Fleming Biomedical Sciences Research Center and the Athens Medical School. He has traveled to more than 80 countries on six continents.
Dr. Paul Hekkert
Dr. Paul Hekkert is full professor of Form Theory at the school of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft. Paul conducts research on the ways design impacts human experience, values and behavior. He co-authored Vision in Design: A guidebook for innovators (2011) and Designing for Society (2019). Paul is Captain of Science of the Dutch Creative Industries sector.
Ragnar Siil
Ragnar Siil is the Founder and Director of Creativity Lab, the leading cultural policy and creative industries think tank and consultancy in the Baltic Sea Region. He is a former Estonian Undersecretary of Arts and a Member and Chairman of several EU Working Groups in the field of culture and creative industries. Ragnar is a doctoral candidate in management at the Estonian Business School.
Rasmus Wiinstedt Tscherning
Rasmus Wiinstedt Tscherning is the founder and managing director of Creative Business Network (CBN), and he leads a global initiative that connects, supports, and empowers entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors from the creative industries with the mission to promote entrepreneurship and cross-sector innovation as key drivers of economic and social development, especially in emerging markets and regions.
Stelios Aggeloudis
Stelios Aggeloudis is a politician and lawyer, and mayor of Thessaloniki from January 2024. He has been a legal advisor at ERT3, has served as Special Secretary for Sports of Macedonia and Thrace of the Ministry of Culture and Secretary General of Commerce of the Ministry of Development. He also served for ten years as President of the Handball Federation of Greece. In 2001 he participated as executive representative in the Hellenic Olympic Committee. He was the founder of both the National Olympic Academy and the Thessaloniki Olympic Museum.
During his tenure in these positions he has created many sports infrastructures in Thessaloniki, most notably the Poseidonio and the Kappa which is the only sports and cultural centre for people with disabilities in Europe. He was also a designated consultant for the organisation of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. In 2010 he took over as President and CEO of O.L.Th.
Valentina Auricchio
Assistant professor of the Design Department of the Politecnico di Milano, focused on Design Methods and managing strategic design projects with small and medium industries including Design Thinking processes. Her main interest is in design processes, methods and tools and their application within different sectors for strategic innovation. Member of Polimi DESIS Lab and of the international DESIS Network.
Dr. Yannis Assael
Dr. Yannis Assael is a Staff Research Scientist at Google DeepMind specialising in Artificial Intelligence. He is featured in “MIT’s Innovators Under 35” and “Forbes’ 30 Under 30” lists of distinguished scientists in Europe, and serves as a Special Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the Hellenic Ministry of Digital Governance. In 2013, he graduated from the Department of Applied Informatics of University of Macedonia. With full scholarships, he completed an MSc in Computer Science at the University of Oxford, finishing first in his year, followed by an MRes in Machine Learning at Imperial College London.
In 2016, he returned to Oxford to pursue a DPhil degree, and after a series of research breakthroughs and entrepreneurial ventures, he started as a researcher at Google DeepMind. His contributions span audio-visual speech recognition, multi-agent communication, as well as AI for Culture and the study of damaged ancient texts. His research has been featured on the cover of the scientific journal Nature, and focuses on expanding and contributing to the greater good.
Yvonne Ramdin-Trip
Programme manager innovation ecosystems
Department of economic affairs
Municipality of Rotterdam
For more info of what we do:
Welcome to Rotterdam Innovation City.
Zora Jaurová
Zora Jaurová is a culture expert and Member of the Slovak Parliament. She is the President of the Slovakian Creative Industry Forum and specializes in cultural policies and international cultural cooperation. Zora works as a film producer and partner at MPhilms, as well as an advisor to the Mayor of Bratislava, Matúš Vallo. Additionally, she serves as an expert on cultural policy and the creative industries in Slovakia and abroad. Furthermore, she holds the position of President of the Slovak Creative Industries Forum and is a member of the European network of film producers, Ateliers du Cinéma Européen (ACE).
Alexandre Lotito
Alexandre Lotito is Senior Consultant for the Brussels office of Technopolis Group. Specialised in European Research & Innovation policies and their role on industrial ecosystems, Alexandre analyses & evaluates public interventions to best advise governments and public authorities.
Birgitta Persson
Birgitta Persson, project manager at the innovation platform Future by Lund, has almost 30 years experience of the European cultural and creative sector. As the Secretary General of Trans Europe Halles network for 12 years, she was driving the development of cultural networks and repurposing of industrial sites into creative and community-based centers.
