Wed 30 Jun, 2021
13:36 GMT
EBN Board of Directors appoints Cristina Fanjul as next President
EBN News
June 30, 2021 | BRUSSELS — European Business and Innovation Centre Network, AISBL (EBN) — Cristina Fanjul, Director of the Spanish Asturias-based CEEI, will become EBN’s next President effective of July 1, 2021, Laura Lecci, EBN CEO, Brussels, announced. She succeeds David Uhlir, JIC, Czech Republic, a long-time member who since 2019 served as EBN’s President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, as he hands over after providing leadership and stability to the organisation in the challenging period marked by the Covid-19 pandemic.
'The Board of Directors is pleased to have voted unanimously naming Cristina Fanjul, former Vice President of EBN, as its next President. Throughout her career, Cristina has demonstrated a commitment to the association community and EBN, and a proven ability to drive alignment and result in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment,' Uhlir said.
'I am honoured to build upon the successful foundation of EBN. In this unprecedented period of uncertainty, we need to be ready for anything. My ambition, which I believe we all share, is to strengthen the network making it more open, dynamic, and more inclusive. And as much as possible, where the pandemic allows it to seek connections and collaborations. The ecosystem has changed a lot with newcomers in the startup and innovation world and we need to be prepared to facilitate strong connections with those agents and actors. The startup and innovation community deserves the most powerful and effective version of ourselves [EU|BICs and Associate Members] so we need to do everything wr can to meet this ambition' Fanjul shares.
'Cristina is an experienced and forward-looking leader who will lead EBN into the next evolution of the community,' shares the EBN CEO, Laura Lecci. 'We are excited and honoured to have Cristina chair this leading innovation Association we cherish. Her skills, dedication, and commitment will build upon the already solid foundation of the EU|BIC community.'
Director of CEEI (Centro Europeo de Empresas e Innovación) Cristina Fanjul has been a member of the EBN Board of Directors for five years. She is also an expert evaluator of the EIC Accelerator startup support initiative of the European Commission, member of the Advisory Group EU Marie Sklovodowska-Curie actions supporting researchers, sits in the Board of the Spanish National Associations of CEEIs/Business Innovation Centres and participates in numerous projects and events of the European entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem.
Cristina Fanjul will be the first woman to lead EBN as President in its 36-year history. Since February 2020, with the appointment of Laura Lecci as CEO, EBN acts as one of the many much-welcomed examples of female leadership, seeking to pave the way for women in the innovation industry.
In addition to Cristina Fanjul, the Board of Directors also newly appointed:
- Diego DE BIASIO, Director, Technoport, Luxembourg as Vice President EBN.
- Martin HOLUBEC, Ing., BIC Plzen, Member of the Board of Directors representing the Czech Republic.
- Andrea DI ANSELMO, Vice President, META Group, Italy, Member of the Board of Directors representing Associate Members.
About EBN
EBN is a non-profit serving a pan-European community of people who use innovative business as a driver for regional (sustainable economic) development. EBN's initiatives include EU|BIC certification, development and distribution of quality business support programmes, facilitation and initiation of project collaborations, global networking, and advocacy for excellent business support actors like the EU|BICs. More than 130 quality-certified EU|BICs and 46 Associate Members in over 30 countries are shaping our global EBN network.
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