Meet the Speakers

Voices shaping the future of Mediterranean cities

MedaCity Forum 2025 brings together a diverse and inspiring group of leaders, innovators, and experts from across the Euro-Mediterranean region. From institutional representatives to entrepreneurs, urban planners to financial strategists, our speakers are united by a shared vision: building more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient cities.

Through keynotes, roundtables, and interactive sessions, they will share insights, experiences, and solutions to the pressing challenges facing Mediterranean urban territories today — from climate action to housing innovation, sustainable tourism to mobility and port integration.

Discover the voices behind the conversations shaping tomorrow’s Mediterranean.

(*) Speakers marked with an asterisk are pending confirmation

Haykel AKROUT

Director, Royal Azur and Bel Azur Hotel (Tunisia)

Gaetano ARMAO

Professor, University of Palermo (Rector’s Delegate for Insularity)

Domenico BAGALA'

Special Commissioner of the Sardinian Sea Port System Authority

Dimitrios F. BAKALIS

Project Manager, Ilia Chamber of Commerce, Greece

Hamza BENABDALLAH

President, Fès-Meknes Chamber of Commerce

Simonetta CENCI

General Director, Atelier Alfonso Femia

Antonello CHESSA

Operational Management Director , Interreg NextMed Programme

Massimo DEANDREIS

General Director, SRM Research Center

Salvatore DEIDDA

President, Transport Commission, Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament *

Maurizio DE PASCALE

President, Chamber of Commerce of Cagliari-Oristano

Ahmed EL WAKIL

President, ASCAME
President of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce (Egypt)

Alaa EZZ

Secretary General, Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce and CEEBA

Gianfranco FANCELLO

Professor, University of Cagliari

Massimo FAIFERRI

Professor, University of Cagliari

Raffaele FITTO

Executive Vice-President, European Commission and Commissioner for Regional and Cohesion Policy *

Antonello FONTANILI

Director, Uniontrasporti

Maria FRONTERA

Tourism Committee President, Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca*

Moez HASSEN

Director, Chamber of Commerce of Cap Bon (Tunisia)

Matteo LECIS COCCO ORTU

Councillor for Strategic, Urban and Environmental Planning, Municipality of Cagliari

Maria Crisina MANCINI

Vice-Mayor, Municipality of Cagliari

Ariadna MIQUEL AMENGUAL

Strategic Planning Director, Barcelona Council

Efe ONER

Architect, Dept. Urban Regeneration, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality

Leoluca ORLANDO

Member of European Parliament, Vice-President, Delegation for Relations with the Mashreq Countries

Marco MURA

Program Officer, Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.

Alessandra PRIANTE

President, Italian National Tourism Board – ENIT *

Eduard RODÉS

Director, Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport

Andrea PRETE

President, Unioncamere

Giannis ROUSSOS

President, INSULEUR and Cyclades Chamber of Commerce

Rabih SABRA

Director General, Beirut-Mount Lebanon Chamber of Commerce

Stefano SANNINO

European Commission, Acting Director General, Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf

Barbara SERRA

Italian-British Journalist (moderator)

Ghada SHALABY

Executive Director at Egyptian Hotel Association and Former Vice Minister for Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt