Speakers

Iliopoulou is passionate about creating vibrant spaces and communities. Since joining Foster + Partners in 2014, she has played a pivotal role in numerous international projects, driving the design process of large-scale masterplans, urban infills and neighbourhood revitalisation projects. She studied architecture and engineering at the National Technical University in Athens and earned a master’s degree in urban design from UCL’s Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment.

England is an award-winning architect, poet and artist who aims to give “poetry to the pragmatic”. During a distinguished career England has created a cannon of regionalist architecture, particularly in his native Malta, that is built from a strong sense of place and rooted in local materials. He is an Officer of the Order of Merit of Malta and was granted the Freedom of the City of London in 2023.

Agapi Sbokou is the co-owner and CEO of Phaea, one of Greece’s leading hospitality companies. As vice-president of the Greek Tourism Confederation and Marketing Greece, as well as a board member of the Greek Tourism Institute, she is an expert in luxury product development, operations and commercial strategy.

Taalas has more than 25 years of international experience in multilateral dialogue, crisis management and peace mediation. Before joining the CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation in 2021, he held various posts at the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, including special envoy to 2020 Afghanistan Conference, deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in New York and ambassador of Finland for Cyber Diplomacy.

With more than 20 years of experience working at the highest levels of government, Verjee now serves as executive director at Expo City Dubai. Her work is centred on driving strategic partnerships and collaborations, shaping the city into a global hub for sustainable growth. Verjee sits on the board of the UN Global Compact Network UAE as an advocate for the advancement of the UN’s sustainable development goals.

An adjunct professor at the Institute of World Politics, Corn is a former senior executive in the CIA. His 34 years in US intelligence, defence and foreign affairs included 20 years overseas in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. As well as several other roles employing his security expertise, Corn is co-founder of consulting and advisory firm Varyag, and CEO of Great South Bay LLC.

Ekrem Imamoglu studied business administration at Istanbul University before earning a master’s in human resources management. In 2009 he became the head of the CHP Beylikduzu district, then the municipality’s mayor in 2014. He was elected as the mayor of Istanbul in 2019, securing a second term in 2024, and subsequently became the president of the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye.

Sarper is the founding partner and head of design at Autoban, a multidisciplinary studio that has forged a reputation for thoughtfulness, experimentation and craftsmanship. Her work at Autoban covers everything from architecture and interiors to product and experiential design.

Erion Veliaj was re-elected for his third term as Mayor of Tirana in May 2023. Before joining the ranks of the Socialist Party of Albania in 2011, Veliaj was the leader and founder of the youth movement “Mjaft”, a civic organisation which gained huge popularity for inspiring peaceful protest. Veliaj has also worked with several international humanitarian organisations in the Americas, Eastern Africa and Kosovo.

As one of the first female submarine officers in the United States Navy, Taylor Sheppard has completed eight deployments and seven maintenance periods, including a stint in charge of the submarine’s nuclear reactor-plant. She works full-time for McKinsey & Company and serves as a uniformed project manager in the Office of Naval Research.

Aires’s Porto-based graphic design studio is known for creating the city’s visual identity in 2014. Among its clients are companies and institutions such as Esporão, The Portuguese Mint, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Amorim Group. In 2023, Aires directed the rebranding of the Portuguese government. Aires also develops self-initiated projects merging editorial and product design.

Mehmet Kalyoncu founded the Türkiye Design Council (TDC) with associates in 2016. TDC aims to contribute to the social and economic development of Turkey through a design-oriented approach. Kalyoncu is currently working to support the design-led revitalisation of Hatay and Adiyaman following the February 2023 earthquakes.

Koza Yazgan is the founding director of Zeyrek Cinili Hamam, where she now manages its museum and contemporary-art programming. She is leading the dialogue around the importance of the hammam to Istanbul’s cultural heritage. Koza also oversees collaborations and education programmes, ensuring that the site remains a vibrant centre for community exchange and learning.

Zeynep Fadillioglu founded her eponymous design studio in Istanbul in 1995. Known for her ability to transform local cultures into universal designs, she is credited with being the first woman to design a mosque – the Şakirin Mosque in Istanbul – which was nominated for the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture. She recently designed the elegant interiors of The Peninsula Hotel Istanbul.

Smet has more than 25 years’ experience in government in Belgium. He first served as commissioner general for refugees and stateless persons but has since worked extensively across mobility and public works in the Brussels capital region. During this time he spearheaded the transformation of Brussels from a car-centric city to a people-first city by placing a bigger emphasis on public transport and space for cyclists. He is now a member of the regional Brussels Capital Parliament.

Freitag founded his eponymous recycled-accessories brand in 1993 with the aim of “connecting committed people and good design to create a bright green future”. As an advocate of public transport and a keen cyclist, he then launched Flinc, which produces compact, cargo bicycles. Freitag is also the co-founder of the Made in Zürich Initiative, which helps support local producers.

Barbara Nadel is the award-winning author of the ‘Cetin Ikmen’ series of crime fiction novels set in modern Istanbul. These have been recently adapted for television as The Turkish Detective, which was broadcast by the BBC. A psychology graduate, Nadel worked in mental health, both in hospitals and the community, until she became a full-time writer in 2010.

Designers and sisters Basak and Defne Kocabiyikoglu make clothes with a narrative tied to femininity and Turkish heritage. Nackiyé, named after their great-grandmother, is an ode to the women of their family, as well as the cultural legacy of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Elected as Chefchaouen’s mayor in 2009, Mohamed Sefiani is working to make the Blue Pearl the world’s first tourist eco city. He is a special envoy for food systems for the United Cities & Local Governments network and ambassador for Africa for the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy. An engineering graduate of Mines Rabat, he is passionate about Africa’s role in driving innovation.

Eray is an award-winning architect, urban designer and design technologist. He is a partner at Sour, a global design firm that aims to address social and urban problems, as well as a faculty member at the New York Institute of Technology and the School of Visual Arts. Eray also advises various international start-ups in robotics and sustainable construction materials.

An economics graduate and former business strategist, Baras joined MSA, Istanbul’s culinary arts academy, in 2009 and “doesn’t remember a dull moment since”. For MSA, she develops focused culinary-education programmes. As a member of the Discover Your Food and YEDI Istanbul conferences, she invites national and international influencers, chefs, researchers and editors to raise awareness about food.

Now serving as Switzerland’s ambassador to Türkiye, Scheurer previously represented his country in Morocco, Ukraine and Moldova. He joined the diplomatic service in 1992 and held positions including deputy head of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and deputy chief of mission at the Swiss embassy in Washington.

Budapest-born Sandra Sándor founded luxury womenswear brand Nanushka in 2005. With craftsmanship and subversive detailing as core tenets, Sándor believes that if a garment is designed to function well, “it will, by definition, be beautiful.” With flagship stores in London, New York, Budapest and Shanghai, Nanushka brings Central European design to the forefront of the fashion industry.

Building on entrepreneurial ventures in IT and hospitality, Baldaszti has been the co-owner and CEO of Nanushka since 2016. Since then he’s spearheaded the brand’s international growth. In 2020, Baldaszti founded the brand’s parent company Vanguards, which acts as a platform to nurture founder-led creative visions by providing tailored business strategies for the luxury market.

Rasmus Astrup is partner and design principal at the renowned Danish design studio SLA. A leading specialist in “city nature”, Astrup is currently spearheading innovative landscape-led projects on four continents, including the framework plan for Toronto’s 520-acre Downsview development project, the Al Fay Park in Abu Dhabi and Earl’s Court in London.

Tomohiro Fujii is co-founder and CEO of Kessaku, a co-inheritance platform dedicated to preserving and revitalising heritage architecture by turning it into art that you can co-own and stay in. With a focus on sustainability and community, Kessaku is transforming historic architecture into unique, design-centred experiences that connect global audiences with Japanese cultural treasures.

Allen is known for her roles in The Turkish Detective, Strike Back, the film Water and Fire and the Turkish historical drama Magnificent Century. She was born to English parents and raised between Turkey, England and Australia and speaks both Turkish and English. Allen is currently in a production of Neil Simon’s Last of the Red Hot Lovers, playing all three female characters, and is shooting a TV series for Netflix.

Dr Erdogan's advanced skills and experience in medical tourism management led him to co-found Smile Hair Clinic in 2018. With more than 4,000 successful procedures and an ISHRS certification, the practice plays a leading role in implementing innovative techniques in hair transplantation.

Weiss’s career revolves around creating the best conditions for comfortable living. He is the co-founder of The Embassies, a hospitality concept changing the way that we perceive getting older