17-18 November 2025

Speaker Biography

COURTNEY FINGAR

Chairwoman of IME

Founder and Principal of Fingar Direct Investment

Courtney Fingar is one of the world’s foremost experts on foreign direct investment (FDI) and a business journalist with more than 20 years of media experience.

She has covered business stories in all major regions of the world and has been on assignment to more than 80 countries, interviewing heads of state and government ministers as well as business leaders. She has appeared on television and radio in dozens of countries as a commentator on international investment and has twice been called to give evidence to the UK Parliament about inward investment.
Most recently the editor-in-chief of Investment Monitor, a digital publication focused on cross-border investment, she previously spent 15 years with the Financial Times where she ran the group’s specialist FDI publication.

In early 2023, she set up Fingar Direct Investment, a boutique consultancy advising governments on investment promotion, location marketing and content creation.

In March 2023 she was appointed as senior advisor, Europe and communications, for the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA).

She is also a senior consultant with the Economic Innovation Practice Group (EIPG), an advisory group focused on economic development, FDI, market entry and trade; and a contributing editor for Real Asset Media, which provides market insight, thought leadership, strategy and research for a global audience of senior leaders in the real estate and real asset markets.

Ms Fingar has a BA in journalism from the University of Alabama in the United States and an MSc in International and European Politics from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

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Andreas Kieb

Advisor to Global Head of Real Estate, DREES & SOMMER SE, Germany

Aleksandra Božović

Head of the Department for International Cooperation and Investment Environment Development, Montenegro Investment Agency (MIA), Montenegro

Jürgen Schmitz

Office for Investment support, Business settlement projects and Cluster management, City of Mainz, Germany

Jens Manke

Director Germany and Central Europe

OCO Global

Bogusława Kruczek-Gębczyńska

Head, Silesian Investor and Exporter Assistance Center

Dr. Tobias Traupel

Director General, European, Legal  and Foreign Trade Department, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia

Besnik Vasolli

Managing Director of German - Kosovo Economic Chamber

Matthias Beier

President & CEO, Transatlantic Business & Investment Council (TBIC)

Theo Föllings

President, EURADA, Belgium

Steffen Rietzschel

Head of Economic Development Office, City of Dresden, Germany

Maryna Khlystun

Executive Director, UkraineInvest, Ukraine

Anne Eberhardt

Project Manager Commercial Sites, Rheinisches Revier, NRW.Global Business, Germany

Vanessa Völkel

Deputy Director, UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO), Germany

Gökhan Yücel

Head of the Communications Department

Investment Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye

Dr. Chloë Voisin-Bormuth

Managing Director, Paris-Île de France Capitale Économique (PCE), France

Spyros Kouvelis

Chairman, Verimpact/ Team Leader EU-GCC Cooperation on Climate Change and Energy/Senior Associate of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership/former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs/former MP

Jürgen Raizner

Director

Steinbeis Enterprises in Stuttgart (DE), Baku (AZ), Bucharest (RO), Uzhhorod (UA) and Vienna (AT)

Dušan Radonjić

Director of the International Cooperation Department, Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, Montenegro

Jan van Bilsen

Country Manager for Germany, the Nordics and Switzerland, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Germany

Dragoslav Pavlovic

Mayor City of Nis, Serbia

Andreas Lippert

COO, Investor Services at Saxony Trade & Invest Corp., Germany

Daniela Schmitt

Minister, Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture

Natalia Bejan

Director, Invest Moldova Agency

Rita Aloi

Director EMEA, ResearchFDI, Italy

Maryna Khlystun

Executive Director, UkraineInvest, Ukraine

Dr.-Ing Georg Leuteritz

Senior Director Trends & Innovations, hannoverimpuls GmbH, Germany

H.E. Mothanna Gharaibeh

Minister of Investment, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Patrick Breuer

General Manager DACH & Netherlands, HABYT, Germany

Joana Aguia

Project Manager, Invest Madeira

Regional Government of Madeira (Portugal)

Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson

Assistant City Manager, City of Austin, Texas, USA

Councillor Ray McAdam

Lord Mayor, City of Dublin, Ireland

Christopher Williams

Professor, ESSCA School of Management, France

Arnar Guðmundsson

Head of Foreign Direct Investment, Business Iceland, Iceland

Dr. Kai Bindseil

Head of Division Healthcare | Industry | Infrastructure, Berlin Partner for Business and Technology

Tigran Harutyunyan

Founder, Myler Mountain Resort, Armenia

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Dennis Schulmeyer

CEO and Founder

LADE GmbH

Charles A. FitzGibbon

Vice President of Sales

Conway Data, Inc.

Gordon Einstein

Founding Partner

CryptoLaw Partners – specializing in crypto and blockchain

Honoré Achille Simo

Executive Director, Value and Risk Advisory, JLL

Ms. Simone Hartog

Representative for Abacus (Seychelles) Ltd.

Ovidia Caba

Director of Regional Policies, Programs Unit

RDA Centru, Romania

Faraz Rojid

Director

Economic Development Board (EDB) of Mauritius

KOSTIANTYN LISNYCHYI

Strategic Advisor to UkraineInvest, Business Development

Christoph Kannengießer

CEO, Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft e.V. (German-African Business Association)

Holly Garforth

Business Development Head – Lead Generation

Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) - Government of Ras Al Khaimah

Chigozie Nweke-Eze

CEO, Integrated Africa Power (IAP)

Board Member, Hydrogen-Africa

Philipp Lemmerz

Partner

Government & Public Services practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers Middle East

Mr. Rifat Hyseni

Director of Information Technology Department In Tax Administration of Kosovo

Aminta Zettel

Strategic Country Manager Europe and the United Kingdom

Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) - Government of Ras Al Khaimah

Jürgen Barke

Minister of Economics, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy and Deputy Prime Minister of Saarland, Germany

Jürgen Raizner

Director

Steinbeis Enterprises in Stuttgart (DE), Baku (AZ), Bucharest (RO), Uzhhorod (UA) and Vienna (AT)

Jens Manke

Director Germany and Central Europe

OCO Global

Theo Föllings

President

EURADA

PROF. PETER PLATZER

Secretary General of EUREKA, Co-Founder of 3rd School of Austrian Macroeconomics

Günther Fehlinger

Austrian Economist, Management and Development Consultant

Rakan I. Algaraawi

Office Director - Central/Eastern Europe

Saudi Investment Promotion Authority

Carmelo Corral

Investment Promotion Manager

IPEX Spain

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Gordon Einstein

Founding Partner

CryptoLaw Partners – specializing in crypto and blockchain

Levon Ohanesyan

CEO

Enterprise Armenia

Jürgen Raizner

Director

Steinbeis Enterprises in Stuttgart (De), Baku (AZ), Bucharest (Ro), Uzhhorod (UA) and Vienna (AT)

Micheal Perschke

CEO

Quantron AG

Chigozie Nweke-Eze

CEO, Integrated Africa Power (IAP)

Board Member, Hydrogen-Africa

Subhashini Chandran

Vice President Social Impact Asia Pacific

Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

PILAR MADRIGAL

Director Investment Advisory

CINDE – Invest in Costa Rica

Dr. Ahmed Bennis

Managing Director, Tanger Med Zones and

Secretary General, Africa Economic Zones Organization (AEZO)

Svilen Rangelov

Co-Founder and CEO

Dronamics

Achim Hartig

Managing Director,
Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI)

Chair of OECD Network of Investment Promotion Agencies,
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Dr. Nurettin Tekin

Hydrogen Product Management

KAWASAKI Gas Turbine Europe GmbH

Heike Freimuth

Head of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group Office in Germany

PROF. PETER PLATZER

Secretary General of EUREKA, Co-Founder of 3rd School of Austrian Macroeconomics

Mohammed Juma'a Al Musharrakh

CEO

Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah)

Gilbert Ewehmeh

Investment & Innovative Finance Expert

Chairman, Accelerate Africa

COURTNEY FINGAR

Chairwoman of IME

Founder and Principal of Fingar Direct Investment

FERNANDO BALLESTA

Director of Foreign Trade, Investments and Industrial Infrastructures

Murcia Regional Development Agency

Sergiy Tsivkach

Executive Director

UkraineInvest

Gül Ertuğ

Finance and Accounting Leader - CFO

Ford Otosan

Vahan Kerobyan

Minister of Economy

Government of the Republic of Armenia

Christian Kingombe

Co-Founding Managing Partner

4IP

Günther Fehlinger

Austrian Economist, Management and Development Consultant

Dr. Henrik Meincke

Chief Economist

German Chemical Industry Association (VCI)

Lionel Grotto

CEO

Choose Paris Region

Emmanuel Rutagengwa

Head, Transport Policy & Planning

Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency

Jens Manke

Director Germany and Central Europe

OCO Global

Dr. Alexander Blass

Head of Operations

NEURA Robotics

Dr. Manuel Kallweit

Chief Economist

German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA)

Ferruh Parmaksız

Country Advisor of Germany

Invest in Türkiye

Alexandra Dublanche

Chairwoman

Choose Paris Region

Frank Beckmann

CEO / Investment Advisor

GVI Germany GmbH

Georg Schattney

Group Head of ESG / Sustainability Officer

CORESTATE Capital Group

Mathias Fillon

COO

ANIMA Investment Network

H.E. Dr. Sania A. Ansari

CEO

Ansari Group Ltd. and Strategic Partner for SGD Cities Initiative

Reinhold von Ungern-Sternberg

Director International Markets

German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (BVMW)

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Fabio Righi

Minister of State for Industry, Handicraft and Trade, Technological Research and Regulatory Simplification of the Republic of San Marino

Marcin Woźniak

CEO at Swarmcheck | President of the board at Optimum Pareto Foundation.

Dr. Ahmed Zaid Al Hussain

CEO of the Royal Commission Jubail within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

ACADEMICIAN PROF. DR. MILAN KRAJNC

Psychotherapist, Nobel Prize nominee and Author of the Dynamic Leadership Model

Jens Manke

Director Germany, OCO Global

Johannes Jung

Head of Department 5 Strategy, Law, Foreign Trade and European Affairs Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism, State of Baden-Württemberg

Magdalena A. Kolka

Deputy Director of Investors Assistance Department, Katowice City Hall

Jon Whiteaker

Editor, Investment Monitor

Phina Jerome

Research and Planning Manager, Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC)

Moshe Bar Zvi

Principal of Love Israel Venture Capital

Alice Mashingaidze

Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe in Berlin, Germany

Mateusz Wachowski

Senior Inspector in the Investors Assistance Department, Katowice City Hall

Douglas van den Berghe

Founder and CEO, NxT Zones

DIPL. ING. HEIKO SCHNEIDER

CEO and Managing Partner GoGaS Goch GmbH & Co. KG

Heike Freimuth

Head of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group Office in Germany

GUNTHER FEHLINGER

Secretary General CEE-BC

H.E. Mulu Solomon Bezuneh

Ambassador, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of F.D. R. of Ethiopia to F. R. of Germany

Guy Van der Beken

President of EUREKA

MR. MARKUS LEHNER

Principal of LEHNER INVESTMENTS

JÜRGEN RAIZNER

CEO | Administrator / Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Ost-West-Kooperationen

Sarah Jaax

Senior Consultant, FDI Center

Professor Stefan Liebing

Chairman, German-African Business Association

Prof. Peter Platzer

Secretary General of EUREKA, Co-Founder of 3rd School of Austrian Macroeconomics

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Dr.-Ing. Nurettin Tekin

Hydrogen Product Management, KAWASAKI Gas Turbine Europe GmbH

Reinhold von Ungern-Sternberg

Director International Markets

Ksenija Cipek

Ministry of Finance, Tax Administration of the Republic of Croatia.

Jessica Neumann

Investment and Technology Promotion Expert at UNIDO ITPO Germany

Jens Deutschendorf

State Secretary, Hessian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy, Transport and Housing

Aïssata Lam

Director General - Investment Promotion Agency of Mauritania (APIM)

Dr. Rüdiger Meyer

Application Expert Energy Storage, Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG

Markus Exenberger

German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ)

Dipl. Ing. Heiko Schneider

CEO and Managing Partner GoGaS Goch GmbH & Co. KG

Paul Soubry

President & Chief Executive Officer, NFI

Vanessa Völkel

Deputy Head, UNIDO ITPO Germany

Dr. Philipp Steinberg

Head of Economic Policy Department, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

H.E. Laila Rahhal El Atfani

Founder & President at Business Gate / Global President CEC-UK

Prof. Dr. Armin Willingmann

Minister for Economy, Science and Digitalization of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Academician Prof. Dr. Milan Krajnc

Psychotherapist, Nobel Prize nominee and Author of the Dynamic Leadership Model

Yassir Ahmed

Advisor Sudan, UNIDO ITPO Germany

Ms. Zoë Harries

Senior FDI & Economic Zones Advisor I Partner & Director, EZDA I Founder & CEO, Impact Zones & Impact Advisory Middle East I Project Director, World FZO I Lecturer & Public Speaker

Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart

Minister of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

Professor Olga Mroz, Dame of Honour

Al-Khalifa Business School

Miguel Solis

Trade Counsellor, Embassy of Guatemala in Berlin

Jürgen Raizner

CEO | Administrator / Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Ost-West-Kooperationen

Dr. Maike Schäfer

Minister for Climate Protection, the Environment, Mobility, Urban and Housing Development for the city-state of Bremen, Germany

Adekunle Olusile

Advisor Nigeria, UNIDO ITPO Germany

Her Excellency Lady Elizabeth Kelly

Businesswoman in Dubai (UAE)

ALBIN KURTI

Prime Minister of Republic Kosovo

H.E. Dr.Dr.h.c. Raphael Nagel

Chairman at The Abrahamic Business Circle

Prof. Dr. Claudia Dalbert

Minister for the Environment, Agriculture and Energy of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Mr. Markus Lehner

Principal of LEHNER INVESTMENTS

H.E Denisa Gokovi

Founder & CEO at Hoinser Magazine | Speaker| Philosopher| Writer| Musician| | Award - winning| Sovereign Ambassador.

ROSE DOREE BOKELEALE EBETA

Deputy Managing Director of the National Investment Promotion Agency (ANAPI DRC) of the DR Congo

Gustavo Weigel

Managing Director, WEIGEL Finanzas Corporativas, Uruguay

Douglas van den Berghe

CEO of NxtZones and FDI

Prof. Heinz-Peter Platzer

Co-Founder at the 3rd Austrian School of Macroeconomics and Secretary General of Eureka.

GUNTHER FEHLINGER

Secretary General CEE-BC

Heiko Staubitz

Senior Manager Investor Consulting Hydrogen & Energy Infrastructure, Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI)

Carlos Andrés Alvarez

Senior Advisor Foreign Investment, PROCOLOMBIA

Nuno Maposse

Senior Investment Expert, Mozambique Investment and Export Promotion Agency (APIEX)

André Steinau

Co-Chair Clean Energy Partnership

Dr. Simone Burel

CEO of LUB GmbH

Mr. Daouda Sangaré

Advisor Côte d'Ivoire, UNIDO ITPO Germany

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Andreas Stephan

Dipl. -Geophys., MBA SPRINT! Energy Consulting GmbH

Dr. Corinna Franke-Wöller

Director Agency for Economy and Development

Ms.Yeva Zeynalyan

Country Coordinator for PPD Network, Armenia

Mr.Sheku Lexmond N. Koroma

CEO at Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency

Ms Božica Lapić

Director for Investments, Agency for Investments and Competitiveness of Croatia

Ricardo Pedroza

Director Europe, PROCOLOMBIA Frankfurt

Mr. Norbert Barthle MdB

Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

Sering Bamba Saho

Founder and CEO, M + S Piano-Express GmbH

Mr. Aleksejs Stecs

Vice Chairman of Rezekne city council on development and investment

Prof. Julien Chaisse

School of Law | City University of Hong Kong – Hong Kong SAR

Mr.WANG Shunqing

Generalkonsul at Generalkonsulat of People

Mr.Nikola Jankovic

Senior Investment Advisor, Serbian Development Agency

Wolfgang Leidig

Director and Project Manager of the Innovation and Training Park ITP in Prizren Kosovo

Mr.Flamur Kuçi

Ceo of ADVICE, Management Consulting Albania

Sarah Jaax

Location marketing, Ministry of Economics, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture Rhineland-Palatinate

Ali Mehrez

Director in charge of Industrial sectors at AMDIE – Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency (AMDIE)

Ángel D. Morales Castillo

President, German-Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Mr.Stefan Günther

Manager regionale, Projekte Invest in Bavaria – Die Ansiedlungsagentur des Freistaates Bayern

Franka Ismer

CEO – persönlich + gesellschaftlich + unternehmerisch

Mr.Jacopo Dettoni

Editor of fDi Magazine – Financial Times Group

Jürgen Raizner

CEO | Administrator / Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Ost-West-Kooperationen

Paola Suárez Buhrmann

Manager at FDI Center

Ms.Olga Mroz

Dama of Honour

Mr.Michael Voigt

Wirtschaftsförderer, Wirtschaft und Tourismus Villingen-Schwenningen GmbH

Dr. Eyup Vural Aydin

Chairman – Istanbul PPPCoE

Francisco Mackenney

Consul General of Chile in Frankfurt

Ms.Saida Kahouli

Deputy director in Foreign Investment Promotion Agency-FIPA TUNISIA

Mr.ERIC MENGES

President & CEO FrankfurtRheinMain Region

ARSHI AYUB MOHAMED ZAVERI

CEO – TrustWithTrade Group | Senior Advisor Royal Family Office, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate

Christian Weber

Executive Director Representative Office Mexico, Bayern International

Justus Vitinius

Director Corporates Latin America, German Investment and Development Corporation (DEG)

Ms. Mariyana Nikolova

Deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Demographic Policies in Bulgaria

Georgi Petrov

Regional Manager – ECA PPP Transaction Advisory, IFC

Courtney Fingar

Editor-in-chief, FDI, at New Statesman Media Group

Fellanza Podrimja

Public relations, economic and educational advisor to the Mayor of Prizren Municipality

Yofi Grant

CEO, Ghana Investment Promotion Center

Mr.Eric Menges

CEO of FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH

Arlind Zeqiri

Head of International Office Bern, Agency for Foreign Investments and Export Promotion of the Republic of Macedonia

Kadio Fofana Diop

Investment Direcor for APIX SA

Teodor Bate

Chief architect of the Dambovita county, Romania

Carolin Welzel

Senior Consultant International Organizations, Agency for Economy & Development (AWE), Berlin

Ms. Tessa Jacques

President of the Caribbean Association for Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA)

Gustavo Weigel

Managing Director , WEIGEL HALLER CORPORATE FINANCE (Uruguay)

Miguel Solis

Commercial Advisor, Embassy of Guatemala

Dr. Martin J. Worms

State secretary at the Ministry of Finance of Hessen

Ikechukwu Okoli

Head of Advisory and Investment, Kiakia Gas Limited

Hans-Joachim Hebgen

Senior Consultant for financing, policy issues develoPPP.de and textile industry

Hon. Dennis Waweru

Vorsitzender, Kenya Investment Authority

Sarah Russis

Director, fDi Intelligence – Financial Times Group

Mr.Alush Gashi

Minister and Functions in the Assembly of Kosovo

Albin Kurti

Former Prime Minister of Republic Kosovo

Mirko Twardy

Head of Business Development Finance and Promotion – Dr. Kakuschke & Partner AG, Berlin

Mr.Mirsad Jašarspahić, dipl.ing.maš.

President, Chamber of Economy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ms.Mariam Kuchuloria

Deputy CEO of EBA Georgia

Gunther Fehlinger

Secretary General CEE-BC