Local Organizing Committee

PAOLO BONARI
Head of the Tourism Bureau of the Municipality of Siena, the first City of Art in Italy to be certified as a sustainable tourist destination based on GSTC standards. “Our daily commitment is to transform Siena into a modern tourist destination with well-organized services focused on environmental, cultural, and socio-economic sustainability.”

Veronika WOBBE
Employed by the Tourism Bureau of the Municipality of Siena, which promotes the tourism in the City of Siena and its surroundings through a combination of activities: destination development based on the GSTC criteria of sustainability, which aim to grow environmental, social, cultural and economic benefits for Siena’s sustainable tourism and its surrounding area. In this context Veronika collaborates with other public bodies and private touristic operators, and supports Siena’s european and towntwinning projects.

Daniele VETTORATO
Daniele leads a research team in urban and regional energy systems in the institute for Renewable Energy at EURAC Research, based in Bolzano, Italy. He holds a PhD from the University of Trento, focused on sustainable energy in cities and regions. Daniele has co-authored over 50 and has been invited as lecturer and speaker in more than 50 events.

Mariapiera FORGIONE, Ananse Communication
Communication and events consultant for the Municipality of Siena. Degree in Communication Sciences. Marketing and communication consultant, project planning and fundraising specialist, she works with public administration, also for European projects, and non profit organizations.

Iuri BRUNI
Head of the Culture and Tourism Directorate of the Municipality of Siena

Daniela OCCHIONERO, Fine Life
Founder of FINE LIFE, a DMC and Tour Operator that provides tailor-made travel design and MICE services. After graduating in Law, she spent 8 years in China working in Communication and Hospitality. Once back in Siena, 12 years ago, she decided to establish FINE LIFE with a local partner to combine an international approach to a deep knowledge of the Region.

Fernando NARDI, University of Rome Tor Vergata
Fernando Nardi, hydraulic engineer and hydrologist, is associate professor at the Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Science of University of Rome Tor Vergata. He is visiting professor at the Institute of Environment of Florida International University (FIU) and member of the FIU UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Water Security in Miami. Dr. Nardi is a water engineering expert with relevant experience in the coordination and execution of EU and international research and innovation programs fostering climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and resilient urban planning. His major academic publishing and technology transfer achievements relate to hydro-meteo risk, floods and droughts, numerical data and models, geospatial and earth observation intelligence, nature based solutions, NATCAT models for insurance and real estate risk mitigation. Prof. Nardi most recent efforts focus on transdisciplinary projects fostering synergies of engineering and earth sciences with social sciences and humanities. His work is aiming to engineer quantitative citizen-centered technological, policy and behavioural change valuing stakeholder engagement, citizen science, Water Energy Food Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus approaches.

Niccolò FIORINI
Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Business and Law at the University of Siena. He holds a PhD in Economics, Markets, and Institutions from the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca. His international academic background includes periods at the University of Cambridge, Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, and University of Applied Management Studies (HdWM). Dr Fiorini is an accomplished lecturer at several Italian universities, where he also supervises theses and serves on multiple scientific committees. His research expertise lies in entrepreneurship, business, marketing, and innovation management. He is the Editor of Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal, and has an extensive record of publications in peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, he has been actively involved in a broad range of research projects and consultancy engagements.

Mattia BARANA

Communication and event consultant for the Municipality of Siena.
Degree and specialization in Art History; co-founder of belong.in, a start-up within the Department of Excellence in Political, Cognitive, and Social Sciences at the University of Siena, recognized as a university spin-off.
The start-up manages the communication for numerous prestigious cultural institutions in Siena and Florence. These include Teatri di Siena (up to 2924), Fondazione Musei Senesi, the “Pietro Farulli” Music Center, the international event “Saranno famosi nel vino,” several medical and clinical centers and various University Master’s Programs.