Speakers' Biographies at Rog Forum
Inaugural panel: Soft Power in Hard Times: How Creative Collaboration Can Ease Global Tensions
Wednesday, 12 November 2025, 17:00 - 18:00
Saša ŠAVEL BURKART (Slovenia) Head of Slovenian Cultural Center in Berlin Mag. Saša Šavel Burkart holds a master's degree in anthropology of everyday life and is a graduated journalist. Since 2021, she has been the cultural attaché and head of the Slovenian Cultural Center SKICA Berlin, which operates within the framework of the Slovenian Embassy in Berlin. Prior to that, she worked as a journalist and presenter for more than two decades and was the editor of cultural programs at TV Slovenia between 2011 and 2019. Since January 2025, she has been chairing the EUNIC Berlin network. She is the author of numerous theoretical texts in the field of art and cultural studies. She was the recipient of the 2008 Europäische Journalisten Fellowship, a European journalism scholarship, at the Free University of Berlin.
Slowenisches Kulturinformationszentrum
Christoph THUN HOHENSTEIN (Austria) Artistic Director of Future Platform ReGenerativa DDr. Christoph Thun-Hohenstein is a cultural manager, curator and author as well as the artistic director of the new future platform ReGenerativa. From 1999 to 2007, he was the director of the Austrian Cultural Forum New York. Between 2007 and 2011, he served as the managing director of departure, Vienna’s Agency for Creative Industries. From 2011 to 2021, he was the general director of MAK, Austrian Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. In 2014, he founded the Vienna Biennale for Change and directed it until 2022. He also initiated the Vienna Climate Biennale. From 2022 to 2025, he was Director General for International Cultural Relations at the Austrian Foreign Ministry.
Christoph Thun Hohenstein (LinkedIn)
Quitterie DE BERNARDI (France) French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Quitterie de Bernardi began her career in the French cultural network in 2004 at the Alliance Française in San Francisco. In 2008 she joined the City of Paris Museums Office, where she was responsible for the needs of the 14 city museums regarding restoration and protection of works. She returned to the ministry in 2014 and held various position, including Deputy Secretary-General at the Permanent Representation of France to the UN in New York (2019-2022). She currently works in Paris on the future leader’s invitation program (PIPA) at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. At the same time, she carries out short assignments within the French cultural network, including Deputy Secretary General at the French Institute in London and Secretary General at the French Institute in Jordan.
French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Külli HANSEN (Estonia) Head of Tartu Centre for Creative Industries Külli Hansen is a respected leader in Estonia’s creative economy, drawing on her background as a creative entrepreneur, university lecturer, business advisor and mentor. She is Head of the Tartu Centre for Creative Industries, a key incubator and regional development agency, and directs the Tartu Regional Film Fund, bolstering the region’s international film presence. Külli helped develop the concept for European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 and organised one of its main events. Her work transforms the region from a geographical borderland into a vibrant cultural ecosystem that upholds European values and fosters entrepreneurial, cross-border thinking.
Tartu Centre for Creative Industries
Nataša KOS (Slovenia), facilitator Head of Department for Cultural and Scientific Diplomacy at the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Mag. Nataša Kos is a diplomat and head of the Department for Cultural and Scientific Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia. In her nearly twenty-year diplomatic career, she has worked at embassies in Rome and Belgrade and headed various organizational units, including the Strategic Communications Service during Slovenia's Presidency of the EU Council. Prior to that, she led international cooperation within the framework of the European Capital of Culture Maribor 2012 and developed the Cultural Embassies project in collaboration with numerous foreign partners. She is an active member of the European network EUNIC, where she fosters the international recognition of Slovenian cultural diplomacy and promotes creative partnerships.
Ministry of Foreign and European AffairsPanel 1: The Craft of Regeneration: The Role of Design in The Socio-Ecological Crisis
Thursday, 13 November 2025, 12:10-13:10
Ana GUBENŠEK (Slovenia) Researcher in Engineered Living Materials and Assistant at InnoRenew CoE Ana Gubenšek is a PhD student working in the field of engineered living materials. Her current research aims to contribute to the understanding of mechanisms behind fungal biodeterioration versus bioprotection of materials used in the built environment. She is particularly interested in developing living systems for material innovation. By exploring microbial interactions with construction materials, she seeks to enable the design of adaptive, bio-based solutions that enhance durability, support circularity and promote sustainable practices in architecture.
InnoRenew CoE
Benito JUAREZ (Peru) Co-Founder of Fab Lab Peru and Floating Fab Lab Amazon Benito Juarez is the co-founder and president of Fab Lab Peru and the Latin American Fab Lab Network, promoting tech democratisation. This includes inclusive projects like the Floating Fab Lab Amazon, an initiative building a series of floating manufacturing laboratories throughout the Amazon rainforest to increase biodiversity and print food on demand in areas where malnutrition is prevalent. He is also the founder of REGEN, an initiative merging biodiversity, ancestral knowledge and artificial intelligence. His work bridges science, culture and technology with Amazonian native communities.
Fab Lab Peru
Aljaž PLANKL (Slovenia) Educator and co-founder of Naj raste! Aljaž Plankl is a permaculture designer, educator and co-founder of Naj raste!, a Slovenian initiative focused on creating edible ecosystems and regenerative landscapes. With deep roots in ecological farming and a passion for rewilding everyday life, he helps communities design forest gardens and permanent food systems inspired by natural patterns. After years of hands-on experience across Slovenian farms, Aljaž now lives and works on a self-sufficient homestead, where he applies agroforestry and holistic land stewardship. His work promotes food sovereignty, biodiversity and a renewed connection between people and nature.
Naj raste!Virginia SAN FRATELLO (USA) Design Activist, Professor and Chair of the Department of Design at San José State University, Co-Founder of Rael San Fratello Virginia San Fratello is a design activist, author and thought leader within the fields of additive manufacturing, architecture and interior design. She is the Chair of the Department of Design at San José University in Silicon Valley. She is the 2025 winner of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Award for Digital Design, an International Interior Design Association Educator of the Year recipient, and was the winner of the Beazley Design of the Year award in 2020. Her work drives innovation and transformation by leveraging disruptive technologies and alternative design ideologies to address social and environmental challenges.
Rael San Fratello
Jerneja PENCA (Slovenia), facilitator Researcher in Sustainability Governance and Environmental Social Science, Head of Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Studies at the Science and Research Centre Koper Jerneja Penca is a researcher in sustainability governance and environmental social science. She is committed to translating knowledge about the systems we live in into real-world transformations for sustainability and inclusiveness, particularly by bridging scientific and policy communities, and by weaving together local and expert knowledge with artistic practices and embodied experience. She is the head of Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Studies at the Science and Research Centre Koper, a transdisciplinary research department focusing on the Northern Adriatic.
Science and Research Centre KoperPanel 2: International Residencies: Creative Immersion or Rootless Design
Thursday, 13 November 2025, 14:00-15:00
Laure CHOQUER (France) Head of Design, Fashion & Crafts, French Insitutute Trained as a designer, Laure Choquer wishes to hand over the importance of design in our everyday lives. From 2019, she has been self-producing and curating the very first French-speaking podcast about design called dessin dessein. She has been working as a research officer at la Cité du design in Saint Etienne, and also as a design manager for different public organisations in the North of France. At the end of 2022, she joined the Artistic Creation & Creative Industries Department of the Institut français in Paris as a design, artistic crafts and fashion manager.
Institut Français
Anna RESEI (Austria, Germany) Designer, Designer in Residency 2025 at Center Rog Anna Resei is a designer known for her conceptual approach to interior objects, often working at the intersection of speculative fiction and narrative design. With a background in product and textile design, she holds an MA from Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Leading her own design studio, Anna collaborates with various companies to create innovative and forward-thinking projects. Alongside her practice, she lectures at universities, sharing her insights on design and storytelling.
Studio Anna Resei
Becky RICHES (Italy, UK) Project Manager, Materahub, Italy Becky Riches is an experienced project manager driving cultural projects with a focus on skills, sustainability, social inclusion and craft. She has specific experience in skills empowerment for creative professionals, inclusive cultural experiences and implementation of European Capitals of Culture programmes (Matera 2019). Representing Materahub, she also coordinates initiatives driving the use of micro-credentials in support of the creative and cultural industries and leads a working group on this topic under the European Commission’s flagship initiative, Creative Pact for Skills.
Materahub
Suriawati QIU (Indonesia) Co-Founder of CushCush & CushCush Gallery (CCG) Designer trained Suriawati Qiu is the co-founder of CushCush & CushCush Gallery (CCG) and an avid believer in creative education for a better future. Based in Bali with more than twenty years of experience, CushCush works with the island’s artists, artisans and craftsmen using local natural materials to produce contemporary design pieces. Conceived as a multi-functional space, CCG organises exhibitions, residencies, workshops and collaborations throughout the year and facilitates exchanges between international and local artists as well as creative communities.
CushCush Gallery
Eva KRALJIČ (Slovenia), facilitator Project Manager of EU projects, Studios and Residencies, Center Rog Eva Kraljič is a cultural producer and project manager with a background in the arts and the NGO sector. She holds an MA in Fine Arts from Slade School of Fine Art (2021). Since April 2025, she has been working at Center Rog as a project manager, where she coordinates European projects and oversees residency and studio programmes.
Center RogPanel 3: The New Commons: Community as Caretaker of the Rural Space
Thursday, 13 November 2025, 15:30-16:30
Aleksandra BAŠIĆ (Serbia) Architect and member of TEN Studio Aleksandra Bašić is a practicing architect based in Belgrade. She holds MA degrees from the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Architecture and the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. She is a member of TEN Studio, a collective working between Zürich and Belgrade, that aims to develop innovative and sustainable design solutions, focusing on collaborative processes, reuse and the social and environmental impact of buildings. Within TEN Studio, she has contributed to a range of projects across the globe, often engaging with themes of sustainable, affordable and adaptive building. She maintains a strong interest in architectural drawing as both a tool for investigation and design, and as a form of expression. She is also involved in academia through collaborative teaching initiatives.
TEN Studio
Josh DOBLE (Scotland) Dr Josh Doble’s role is to lead on policy advocacy and development to ensure that the benefits of community ownership and further land reform are understood at a national and regional level. Part of this role is to promote the connections between land reform and various key national policies in Scotland, such as the Just Transition to Net Zero, the response to the climate crisis, Community Wealth Building, Human Rights and the Wellbeing Economy. Josh has experience in research and policy within government and academia. His research background as a historian of decolonisation, with an interest in the politics of land and race in postcolonial societies, means he is particularly interested in the opportunities for progressive land reform within Scotland.
Community Land Scotland
Martina MALEŠIČ (Slovenia) Art Historian and Curator at the Museum of Architecture and Design Martina Malešič, PhD, is an art historian employed as a curator for architecture at Ljubljana’s Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO). Her research focuses on Slovenian architecture, design and urbanism in the 20th century, with a special emphasis on residential culture. She has curated a number of exhibitions. Among other projects, in 2021, she was a member of the curatorial team that prepared the exhibition in the Slovenian pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, entitled Together in Community. Seventy Years of Cooperative Housing as Social Infrastructure. The project received the Brumen Award for exhibition and spatial infographics in 2022 and the Plečnik Medal for enriching spatial culture in 2023.
Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO)
Ege YILDIRIM (Turkey) Dr. Ege Yıldırım is an urban planner with 25 years of experience in heritage conservation and management, both in Turkey and internationally. Her expertise spans cultural heritage policy, advocacy and governance, UNESCO World Heritage and sustainable development. She is the founder of Terra Mudurnu, a social venture focused on cultural and natural heritage-based development. Ege has served as the ICOMOS Focal Point for the Sustainable Development Goals (2016–2020) and was the key expert in the EU-Turkey Anatolian Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Institute project (2019). She was also a Fulbright Scholar at Pratt Institute in New York (2006–2007).
Terra Mudurnu
Meta ŠTULAR (Slovenia), facilitator Director of Strategic Development and Programmes, Center Rog With over 20 years’ experiences in the cultural and creative sectors, Meta Štular focuses on social innovation, public space regeneration and sustainable creative ecosystems. She led the development of Ljubljana’s Center Rog from concept to implementation, earning her team the Eurocities Innovation Award 2018 for inclusive planning involving over 7,000 stakeholders. She has shaped cultural policies and strategies and collaborated with institutions including the European Commission, UNDP, UNESCO, the Slovene Center for Creativity, the European Cultural Foundation, the French Ministry of Territorial Cohesion and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. Her work bridges cultural development, strategic planning and community engagement at both local and international levels.
Center RogPanel 4: Children as Equal Partners in Shaping Our Planet's Future
Friday, 22 November 2024, 12:00-13:00
Alenka KREČ BRICELJ (Slovenia) Designer and Activist, Co-Founder of the Smetumet Design Collective Architect & Consultant for Kindergarden Architecture at World Bank Alenka Kreč Bricelj is a designer, activist and project coordinator dedicated to socially engaged and sustainable design. Since 2020, Alenka has been an active member of the 8th March Institute, where she coordinates field networks and designs graphics and promotional materials for campaigns focused on social justice, solidarity and political participation. She is also the co-founder of Smetumet, a cultural-ecological initiative that transforms discarded materials into thoughtful products and awareness campaigns. Her work is deeply informed by her lived experience with disability, which has shaped her strong competencies in crisis management.
Smetumet
Maja LALIĆ (Serbia) Architect, Gender Equality Advocate, Founder of Mikser Creative Platform and Festival Maja Lalić is an architect, gender equality advocate and expert in regenerative urban development. She is the founder of Mikser, a Belgrade-based cultural organisation and creative platform that mobilises the regional creative community to drive social innovation and sustainable design. Recognised by The New York Times as “one of Belgrade’s most progressive architects”, Maja’s work explores how creativity can strengthen solidarity and empower communities to co-create more inclusive and resilient urban futures.
Mikser Festival
Fredrick SINO SANTANA (Kenya) Curator at Kibera Arts District, Nairobi Sino Santana is the programme coordinator at Kibera Arts District, a vibrant community-led creative space born from the heart of one of Nairobi’s most densely populated informal settlements. Kibera Arts District is designed to challenge stereotypes about the area by amplifying local talent and showcasing a broad range of creative disciplines, from murals and fine art to craft, sculpture, fashion and performance.
Kibera Creative Arts
Annelys DE VET (Belgium, Netherlands) Designer, Researcher and Co-Founder of Disarming Design from Palestine Annelys de Vet, PhD, is a designer, educator and researcher engaged in participative design for social and political change. She teaches at Sint Lucas School of Arts and obtained her PhD in participative design at ARIA (Antwerp Research Institute for the Arts). She co-founded Disarming Design from Palestine, a platform that uses design as a tool for solidarity and resistance, developed with Palestinian artisans and designers. Her work explores how design can empower, challenge dominant narratives and foster collective agency.
Bureau Devet
Bor Pungerčič (Slovenia), facilitator Designer Bor Pungerčič graduated in architecture from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Ljubljana. After completing his degree, he pursued further studies in contemporary dance and performance at the international Nomad Dance Academy. Since then, his work has spanned large-scale architectural projects, socially engaged communication campaigns, scenography and lighting design for contemporary performances, and editorial work for architectural magazines. His interdisciplinary practice connects spatial design with artistic expression and social responsibility.
Pro Bauhaus (magazine)Panel 5: Community Kitchens: How Migrant Cuisines Redefine Culinary Borders
Friday, 14 November 2025, 14:00-15:00
Hawa HASSAN (Somalia, USA) Chef and Author of In Bibi’s Kitchen, Founder of Basbaas Hawa Hassan is a James Beard Award winner, the host of Food Network’s Hawa at Home and Cooking Channel’s Spice of Life, the acclaimed author of In Bibi’s Kitchen, and founder and CEO of Basbaas, makers of African-inspired sauces and condiments. As an acclaimed speaker and presenter, Hawa has been covered by major international media including The New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, The Seattle Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Thrillist, Ebony, The Ringer, San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes, The Washington Post and New York Magazine.
Hawa Hassan (Instagram)
Lim Yuet KIM (Malaysia) Founder of Social Enterprise PichaEats Lim Yuet Kim is the co-founder and CEO of PichaEats, a Malaysian social enterprise that empowers refugees by helping them earn sustainable incomes through food entrepreneurship. Under her leadership, PichaEats has gained international recognition, winning the Chivas Venture Malaysia and the Allianz Future Generations Award in Munich, and was named a Top 10 finalist in Booking.com’s Booster Program. Yuet Kim has been honoured with The Edge Inspiring Young Leaders Award, featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Asia Tatler’s Generation T, and was selected as an Obama Foundation Leader.
PichaEats
Léna CARDO (France) Founder of La Réfectoire Léna Cardo is the co-founder of Le Réfectoire, a community hub located in La Cabucelle, one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in Marseille and Europe. After studying social sciences and pursuing an early ambition to become a journalist, she lived in Paris, London and the United States, exploring innovative community models. Following the Covid pandemic, she returned to her home district with a desire to improve living conditions. In 2021, she co-founded the 13 Solidaires association, which transformed a former restaurant into Le Réfectoire, a space of respite, connection and support that hosts socio-cultural events and fosters inclusion and mutual aid.
13solidaires (Instagram)
Jure GOMBAČ (Slovenia), facilitator Researcher in the Field of Migration (ZRC SAZU) Jure Gombač is a researcher in the field of migration, with a particular interest in the practical challenges of integrating migrants into society and the labour market. He works at ZRC SAZU, where he tries to connect people, local communities and people who come to Slovenia through various projects, activities and spaces. He is particularly interested in migrant entrepreneurship, which is why he is one of the founders of the Trubarjeva na dlani initiative.
Slovenian Migration Institute (ZRC SAZU)Panel 6: Fashion Futures: Between Craft, Community and Sustainability
Friday, 14 November 2025, 15:20-16:20
Daniel HARRIS (UK) Weaver and Textile Consultant Daniel Harris is a weaver and textile advocate. Harris collects discarded textile-making machinery, restoring them to weave new textiles. His original mill, the London Cloth Company, was the first to open in the city in over 100 years. This niche-sized factory grew to become a thriving vertical business, weaving and co-producing high quality fabrics and products for a global clientele. Now situated in wild West Wales, the London Cloth Company has a new home in one of the last fully operational woollen mills. Since 2018, Daniel has worked as a textiles consultant throughout Europe, helping people rebuild their textile industries.
London Cloth Company
Andrea REYES (USA) Fair Trade Advocate, Director of the NYC Fair Trade Coalition, Founder of A. Bernardette Andrea Reyes is a fair-trade advocate, educator and sustainable fashion mentor. She is the Executive Director of the NYC Fair Trade Coalition, a network of small ethical business owners and advocates. She founded the Sustainable Fashion Community Center, an educational center and swap shop, and is the founder of A. Bernadette, a sustainable fashion mentorship firm which aims to educate and incubate businesses to include more sustainable practices into their business activities. She is the author of Apparel Costing, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, and a doctoral candidate at Pace University.
A. Bernardette
Tamara SCHOON (Netherlands) Reseacher of Circular Textiles and Creative Networks, Lecturer at Inholland University of Applied Sciences Tamara is a researcher and lecturer in the Sustainable Business Innovations group at Inholland University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. With a background in social anthropology, her work bridges culture, sustainability and business. She focuses on how circular and sustainable initiatives in the fashion and textile ecosystem spread, evolve and grow, with a special interest in creative hubs and collaborative networks. By connecting designers, entrepreneurs, local communities and industry across borders, Schoon explores how collaboration and friction can spark innovation, support craftsmanship and customisation, and open pathways toward more sustainable futures and wellbeing.
Inholland Hogeschool
Tanja Vidic (Slovenia) Fashion Designer Tanja Vidic is a Slovenian fashion designer known for her experimental and innovative approach to knitwear and garment construction, creating work that merges technical precision, sensuality and sculptural form into a distinct material and emotional language. Sustainability and craftsmanship remain central to her process, emphasising longevity and respect for tradition while continuously challenging convention. Her designs have been worn by the likes of Cardi B, FKA twigs and Rihanna, and featured in magazines like Vogue, ELLE and Rolling Stone.
Tanja Vidic Fashion
Uroš TOPIĆ (Slovenia), facilitator Fashion Designer, Head of Textile Lab, Center Rog Uroš Topić is a fashion and textile designer focusing on contemporary reinterpretations of historical garments, prints and jacquard fabrics. As head of the textile lab at Center Rog, he strives to foster creativity, sustainability and quality of the final products made by users of Center Rog. He is particularly passionate about enhancing traditional techniques with modern technologies and exploring the limits of contemporary production facilities.
Center Rog