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My career reflects robust financial expertise with a track record of delivering sound and strategic business and policy recommendations, informing key decision-makers across various institutions. In the corporate divisions of the renowned international banks where I worked, for example, I was engaged in the realization of development credit lines, which successfully achieved their impact goals thanks, among other things, to my teams’ dedication to deliver on time targeted results. My recent consulting engagements include: EIT Climate-KIC and European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).

 

My research expertise comprises empirical finance and macro-econometric analysis, using both time series and panel datasets. I specialize in quantitative data research across diverse fields such as macroeconomics, fiscal parameters, macro-financial linkages, finance, banking, socioeconomics, international economics and international migration. My recent research engagements include: Carinthian Institute for Higher Studies and Scientific Research (KIHS) and International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

 

I am fluent in multiple languages and skilled in communicating complex ideas effectively. My extensive professional experience in synergy with my success in doctoral studies ensures high quality and credibility of given recommendations.

 

For more information visit my professional website: www.kpopovic.com.

 

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(Re)designing sustainable cities is a major issue, requiring cooperation, exchange of best practices, innovative design, training, empowerment, participation, strategy and tactics. Be it city planning or urban metabolism, climate or biodiversity, social or generational gaps, digitalization or production issues, European cities play a key role. A systemic and multiscale approach is necessary to imagine and implement appropriate public policies. 

My career path as a senior civil servant, for French Goverment and local authorities, led me to design and manage challenging projects, involving stakehoders from different backgrounds (public-private, SMEs-large companies, charities, research centers...) and nationalities. The search for common good, relying on a collective intelligence approach, is my guideline.

I believe that URBACT is a very relevant framework to address the unprecedented issues we are faced with and make Europe a worldwide reference in city management and sustainability.

Willing to bring my experience and knowledge to the community and to learn from peers, I would be happy to know about your projects and maybe work on them. Thanks for your attention.

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⚙️ With a solid academic background on mechanical and energy engineering, especially during my master education in Energy for Smart Cities, I bring together several years of experience in the energy transitions sphere, tackling it at different and broader levels.

🇪🇺 Thanks to work experiences in Italy, France, Spain and, now, Belgium, I was first Project manager and LCA/LCC evaluators in multiple EU projects, under Horizon 2020, related to sustainable energy and mobility and, secondly, as Energy consultant, I accompanied trade association, research centres and NGOs in achieving sustainability assessment and energy analyses.

🌱 Currently, I am in an environmental NGO - ECOS - leading the work on heating decarbonization in buildings, a key challenge in EU cities, focusing not only on the electrification rollout but also on bioenergy and hydrogen topics, liaising with many national and European partners, thanks to coalitions I steer, such as Coolproducts and The Cool Heating Coalition.

💪🏾 My strength is my motivation. Doing my best is natural to me in anything at which I am truly believing. I am challenge-seeker, which brought me to looking forward to such a new adventure, by assisting and supporting cities to embrace transitions needed in many aspects in a just, efficient and resilient manner.

➡️ Don't hesitate to look for further details, available on my CV or portfolio.

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Elisa is a project manager and consultant of international and European projects in the field of territorial development, knowledge economy and innovation eco-systems.

Elisa supports public administrations and regional stakeholders in the design and implementation of innovation-related policies.

She worked for the European Commission in the field of Smart Specialisation, Cohesion Policy and structural funds. She collaborated especially with regional administrations and national institutions of Italy, Spain, Croatia, Bulgaria, Poland, and the Western Balkans.  

She was part of the Secretariat of the Joint Programming Initiative for Cultural Heritage under the leadership in Ministry of Culture in Italy and took part in the project management of Interreg and Eu projects.  

She has a solid experience with regional and local public administrations in strengthening dialogue among territorial stakeholders, promoting territorial excellence and sustainable development. 

I am an expert in European networking and knowledge exchange, the URBACT method, communications and integrated approaches to sustainable urban development. I offer networks and cities a broad range of relevant skills and experiences to support their URBACT journeys.  

I have worked closely with the URBACT programme since 2018, including as co-moderator of the 2022 URBACT City Festival and lead author of two studies of the Integrated Action Plans (IAPs) of URBACT cities (2023+2019).

I was also engaged as an expert trainer on integrated approaches to SUD at a European Urban Initiative (EUI) capacity building event for cities and hope to have the opportunity to support URBACT IV cities to deliver stronger and more integrated IAPs based on the lessons of the two studies.

Previously, under URBACT III, I was mobilised as an Ad Hoc Expert for the BeePathNet-Reloaded network, supporting the planning and creation of the new Bee Path Cities network, which now sits within the URBACT Knowledge Hub on food.

I have also worked for several years on communications contracts for both URBACT (2019-2022) and the European Urban Initiative (2022-2024) giving me an excellent and broad understanding of both. My work covered the development, implementation and monitoring of communications strategies, particularly the planning and production of written content for both web and printed media.

More broadly, I have worked in European networking and knowledge exchange since 2002, in roles covering policy work, communications, moderation, event planning, monitoring and evaluation - and covering diverse policy sectors such as urban development (URBACT, EUI, UAEU), rural development (ENRD, SmartRural21), education and training (ETF, PES Network), anti-poverty and homelessness (EAPN, FEANTSA), energy, climate change, and nature protection (LIFE+, CEMR).

I have co-authored an organisational Knowledge Manifesto and a new methodology for measuring knowledge uptake and have a strong understanding of the process, opportunities and challenges of transferring good practice in Europe.

I hope to have the opportunity under URBACT IV to support Europe's towns and cities to network and exchange effectively, transfer good practice and develop stronger and more integrated action plans, confirming the specific added value of the URBACT Programme.

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I have more than 25 years of professional experience in Italy and the UK on urban regeneration and development projects, in major consulting firms, as freelance and public manager. My approach is focused on strategic integrated urban planning, with a view to sustainable local economic development, social inclusion and innovation, cultural development. I am a skilled programme manager, communicator and facilitator. I enjoy supporting challenging projects that require effective exchange, learning e innovative cooperation between different stakeholders, locally and internationally.

I was the Director of Associazione Torino Internazionale. I developed two major strategic plans: one for the metropolitan area of Turin and one for the peri-urban area of Eporediese, in Piedmont. I designed, facilitated and implemented the whole process of involving hundreds of local stakeholders and experts through many commissions and working groups.

I was Director of Development of the Urban Regeneration Plan at the City of Milan. I sistematically involved several City Departments, neighbourhood authorities, public institutions, community organisations, foundations and private companies. I designed the Urbact CITIES4CSR project and set up the professional start up Valore Urbano Condiviso, aimed at growing the active role of companies and anchor institutions in community projects.

I am very active in Torino Città per le Donne, NGO dedicated to promoting gender equality at the local level. I have led the production of a research paper on international strategies in this field. I currently coordinate the networking collaboration of approximately 70 community-based organisations.

Recently, I was senior researcher for an Italian government major study on Spazi di Comunità, the new hybrid community hubs up in unused buildings, that are spreading across Europe.

I am currently also part time Head of Business Development at Kalatà, a company dedicated to the promotion of cultural heritage through innovative visits.

I am an architect and urban planner by training, with a degree from the Politecnico of Turin. I have integrated my design and placemaking skills with economic, financial, and public policy expertise through an MSc at the London School of Economics and various professional assignments on social and technological innovation, real estate development, tourism, and retail.

I look forward to supporting Urbact change-makers across the EU, by applying the innovative Urbact method. Please feel free to get in touch!

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I consider myself above all a geographer with experience in integrated urban development. Holder of an MSc in Cities, Space and Society from the London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor's Degree in Geography from the University of Aegean, Greece, with a professional experience of over 20 years in EU projects submission, management and implementation as a free-lance consultant, 19 years of which as an advisor to the Mayor of Kavala ( Greece).  

My expertise lies in successfully introducing civic participation and co-designing complex strategic documents. An expert with a particular interest in trying our new, pilot and innovative urban solutions driven by excessive and inclusive civic participation. A professional with strong interpersonal skills, advanced personal motivation, and a proven ability to build and work collaboratively. Thus, my prior experience working at a city level, collaborating, proposing, and experimenting with urban innovations, and concertizing goal setting aiming at sustainable urban development gave me an understanding and appreciation of the importance of a job well done.

My current responsibilities as Kavala's Mayor's advisor in EU-funded projects (cross border, interregional projects) allowed me to successfully address questions on urban challenges, civic participation, public ethics, management of conflicts and mainstreaming of bottom-up processes in decision-making as an urban practitioner. My current duties include organizing stakeholder workshops, co-designing urban agendas, and coordinating transnational exchange of experience events. Furthermore, working with the UNESCO Chair Con-E-Ect allowed me to gain valuable skills in developing multidisciplinary projects, including their results in integrated urban agendas. 

Based on these activities, I have worked as a ULG coordinator in several URBACT networks (LUMASEC, TOGETHER, Making Spend Matter, and URGE), coordinating and animating stakeholder-engaging workshops, organizing and participating at knowledge exchange partner events as well as  supporting and drafting integrated urban plans.

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” – Richard Buckminster Fuller

 

 

 

 

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