Speakers Riga 2026 - Aftercare Forum Riga 2026

Aftercare Forum Riga

Speakers 2026.

We are excited that so many experts will take the stage in Riga’s Aftercare Forum.

Viktors Valainis is the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Latvia. He has been an elected member of the Latvian parliament since 2011. He has served as a parliamentary secretary at several ministries, including Transport (2013-2014) and Economics (2016). Moreover, Mr. Valainis has been a Member of the Board at the Foundation of Latvian House Managers’ Guild (2010 – 2011) and Executive Director at the Association of Large Cities of Latvia (2016 – 2023).

Minister holds a master’s degree in construction business and real estate management and a professional bachelor’s degree in real estate management and real estate economist qualification, both from the Riga Technical University.

Carolina Arriagada Peters is the main convener of the Aftercare Forum.
A prior FDI practitioner attracting investment to London, she is a senior FDI consultant who advises Investment Promotion Agencies across the world on how to leverage trade and investment as drivers for economic growth, with a focus on sustainable investment. She is the Managing Director of Cities & Collaboration where she works with many international organisations such as the IADB, UNDP, IFC, World Bank and UNIDO. She is the lead co-author of the only book about Aftercare titled “Investment Aftercare Explained, A Guide for FDI Practitioners and Policymakers on How to Grow and Retain Investors;” content which she shares in courses, workshops and executive coaching via the online portal fdiCampus. She is a recognized Aftercare thought leader and a driving force when it comes to advancing the frontiers of Aftercare at a global scale. In addition, she brings over a decade of working with the impact sector, mentoring impact makers.

Ieva Jāgere is the Director General of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) and an experienced investment and corporate finance leader with more than 20 years of experience across investment attraction, private equity, and M&A advisory.

She leads LIAA’s efforts to strengthen Latvia’s international competitiveness and attract high-value investment. Before taking on this role, she headed the Venture Capital and Private Equity Division at ALTUM, Latvia’s national promotional bank, where she oversaw approximately EUR 300 million in investments across Baltic venture capital and private equity funds.

Prior to that, Ieva advised on and led transactions with a combined value exceeding EUR 200 million, working with firms including Callidus Capital, Oaklins M&A Baltics, and Swedbank. Her professional expertise includes capital raising, valuation, due diligence, and strategic business advisory.

She holds an Executive MBA from the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, together with academic degrees in economics and marketing. She brings together deep transaction experience, fund-investment expertise, and public-sector leadership in support of innovation, growth, and investment.

Artis Ozolins hosts different types of events – both in-person and online, from corporate to entertaining, in Latvian and English. Improv comedy and hosting a radio show has given me the ability to moderate discussions and make people’s eyes sparkle. It is important to me that events go smoothly and people are enjoying themselves, because there is nothing more beautiful than sharing positive emotions. That’s why he approaches each event individually and with care to deliver a quality performance.

Oksana Sivokobiļska is the Chair of the Board at MILA, the Latvian Association for Artificial Intelligence. She is an experienced international executive and board member with more than 25 years of experience in the banking and financial sector.

Oksana specialises in strategy, risk management, and governance of regulated financial institutions, driving sustainable growth and long-term value creation.

Guntis Kalniņš is an experienced business partner and senior executive in the fields of IT and digital transformation, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence. He currently serves as a board member and CEO at AI Master Lab and works as an executive coach and trainer for leadership development. He has extensive experience in strategic leadership roles, including Industry Lead at Accenture Baltics and Country Manager at Oracle Latvia. Guntis supports organisations and individuals in driving growth and implementing emerging technologies.

He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Latvia, combining strong analytical expertise with outstanding cross-functional leadership and strategic planning skills.

Renata Strazdina is National Technology Officer for Microsoft’s North Europe Multi-Country Cluster, advising governments and enterprise leaders on how to transform organisations with AI securely and responsibly. With over 20 years experience across IT, consulting, and board roles — including EY and Swedbank — she sits at the intersection of agentic transformation, cybersecurity, and regulation. Renate holds a Doctorate in Computer Science from Riga Technical University and is completing an MSc in Cyber Security at the University of London.

Jakob Hensing is Head of Political Economy at the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi), an independent non-profit think tank in Berlin, Germany. His work primarily explores how technology, power politics, and security concerns are reshaping the global economy and how Europe can navigate these developments. His writing and commentary have been featured in Foreign Policy, Wirtschaftswoche, and Newsweek, among others. Before joining GPPi in 2022, Jakob worked for more than five years in management consulting with McKinsey & Company and Orphoz Public, McKinsey’s public sector branch in Germany. He holds a doctorate and a master’s degree from the University of Oxford and a bachelor’s degree from Jacobs University Bremen.

Danuta Pīlapa is Deputy Director of the Investment Attraction and Business Development Department at the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA). There, she leads service development and investor aftercare initiatives, working with both foreign and domestic capital companies in Latvia to strengthen the business and investment environment, support company growth, promote export expansion, and help address development challenges and opportunities. Danuta plays a key role in developing aftercare strategies, enhancing investor services, and fostering long-term partnerships that drive reinvestment and innovation. She is actively engaged in building collaborative platforms that connect investors, institutions, and the broader business ecosystem. Danuta is also a member of this year’s Organising Committee.

Kim Leandersson is a technology and operations leader with over 20 years of experience transforming IT, shared services, and delivery operations across Europe. Currently GSBS Transformation & Riga Site Lead at RS Group, he has previously led large-scale nearshore centres at Tele2, Telia, and Cognizant, managing operations of up to 1,000 people spanning IT, finance, HR, and customer operations. Co-founder of ABSL Latvia, the GBS industry association in Latvia, Kim is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and brings a pragmatic, people-first perspective to enterprise transformation – believing technology only delivers value when organisations pair it with curiosity and a genuine willingness to experiment. His work sits at the intersection of GBS strategy, AI enablement, and the evolving relationship between shared services, headquarters, and local markets.

Sofia Karadima is Head of Market Intelligence and Community Engagement at Actum Group, where she leads value-creation research, thought leadership, events, product launches, social media, and community building across the private equity ecosystem. She is a researcher, investment writer, and event moderator, covering institutional asset management, private markets, foreign direct investment (FDI), ESG, and AI. Sofia has chaired and moderated sessions for organisations including MIPIM, UNCTAD, UNDP, New Statesman, GlobalData, Horasis, Platform Markets Group, and Boussias. She holds an MA in Journalism, Media, and Globalisation from City St George’s, University of London and Aarhus University plus degrees in Economics and Translation.

In addition, Sofia is a member of the Aftercare Forum’s Organising Committee Riga 2026.

Vinod Goel is Regional CEO for East Africa at Jumia, a leading pan-African e-commerce platform operating in 11 countries. Having joined Jumia in 2020 as Head of Fulfilment overseeing operations across all markets, he played a pivotal role in making Jumia Express faster and cheaper, doubling its size in 1.5 years, and established Dark Stores fulfilment operations. Earlier in his professional carreer, he worked as a software engineer in India and prior to Jumia worked in Strategy, Finance and Supply Chain at Lafarge Group, a French conglomerate, based in Europe, Asia, and Africa. He holds a B.S. in Engineering and a dual MBA degree from MDI Gurgaon, India and ESCP Europe, London.

Laura Štrovalde is Deputy Director General and Director of the Investment Promotion and Business Growth Department at the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA). With over a decade of experience at LIAA, she leads Latvia’s foreign direct investment attraction and business growth strategy, focusing on innovation-driven and high value-added sectors.

In 2025, under her leadership, LIAA launched 31 investment projects worth €1.01 billion, primarily in bioeconomy, smart energy, advanced manufacturing, and ICT, creating 1,350 new jobs across Latvia.

Laura holds an MBA and represents Latvia internationally, promoting a competitive, innovation-based investment environment.

Craig Turp-Balazs is Head of Insight and Analysis at Reinvantage, a consultancy focused on strategic transformation, investment competitiveness, and economic development across the Baltics, Caucasus, Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, and Central Asia. His expertise centres on three areas where he has led and conducted extensive research: investment promotion effectiveness, IT sector competitiveness, and business process outsourcing capabilities across the region. His work focussses on translating complex policy environments and market dynamics into actionable insights for governments, development agencies, and businesses. Craig was previously a travel writer and consultant, authoring several guidebooks and helping countries, regions, and cities develop their tourism promotion strategies.

Giselle Gonzales is the Founder and CEO of EqualReach, an award-winning social enterprise connecting vetted teams of refugee and local tech talent with dignified digital work. Having previously worked for global companies including Amazon.com, AWS, the Walt Disney Company, and National Geographic, Giselle leverages technology, storytelling, and impact sourcing to empower displaced communities and build bridges between the public and private sectors.

Starting as a freelancer herself back in 2015, Giselle has been working with displaced communities for the last 10+ years, spending the last six researching and advising on the rise of digital work among refugees. She built Amazon’s first team-based impact sourcing solution to send digital work to refugee talent and her experience overcoming the most common hurdles that both businesses and refugees face, led her to start EqualReach to address these challenges arm-in-arm with industry leaders.

Thomas Fanning is a senior FDI executive with experience in business development, corporate strategy, and public policy. Formerly the Head of Strategy at IDA Ireland, he has worked with major multinational companies across diverse sectors and represented the Irish government in initiatives such as Ireland’s proposal for the European Medicines Agency and the National Planning Advisory Forum, which reviewed significant proposed changes to Ireland’s planning legislation. Thomas also serves as a board director at NIBRT (Ireland’s National Institute for Bioprocessing Research & Training) and previously helped develop a new strategy for the Shannon Development Agency. Prior to FDI, Thomas worked in the private sector as Head of Business Development for Europe for Deutsche Bank and State Street Fund Services.

Anne Andersone loves building social movements, currently actively leading two:
1. StartSchool – a new type of education to create the next generation of tech leaders and technical co-founders in Latvia;
2. Riga TechGirls – women empowerment and community to support more women joining the tech field.
Her background spans entrepreneurship, project management, product development, marketing strategy and planning, pitching and investor relations, and startups.
She is also co-founder of the Uzņēmēji Mieram initiative supporting Ukraine and startups berta.me and froont.com, on the advisory board of Madara Cosmetics, and actively promoting digital skills development and equality.

Juan Pablo Alcantar is Director of the Economic Development Department for the City of Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico. He holds the Certified Economic Development Professional (CEcD) designation and bring experience in both the public and private sectors. Juan Pablo served on the Board of Directors of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in Washington D.C., and works as an economic development consultant with projects, IPAs, and EDOs worldwide. For the past 13 years, he has managed business and economic development projects across multiple countries, focussing on economic diversification, innovation, job creation, investment and talent attraction, and investment and revenues growth. He has also published multiple economic development research reports.

Christine Graham is a Partner in Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s global Antitrust and International Trade Team. Apart from advising on the broad spectrum of competition issues, a core part of her practice involves advising clients on foreign direct investment (FDI) screening reviews in the context of corporate transactions. Christine is widely recognised in the field of FDI: she is Vice-Chair of the ABA Antitrust Foreign Investment and National Security Committee, co-founder of the EU FDI Association, and a member of the UK government’s Expert Panel on the UK national security and investment regime. Her insights on FDI screening processes are regularly featured in leading publications and speaking engagements.

An economist by training, André Tremblay has specialised in economic development for more than 30 years. During his 25 years as Manager, Business Development at Investissement Québec International, he built and maintained contacts with business leaders around the world and across Canada in an effort to stimulate and increase foreign investment.
For the last 3 years, André has served as Business Development Manager at Finance Montréal, where he has coordinated the development of global offerings tailored to business needs and negotiated with partners to create solutions that enable project execution.
He has led numerous investment projects throughout his career.

Larissa Batista is a Business Manager at Invest Minas, the Investment and Trade Promotion Agency of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. She has extensive experience in investment attraction, economic development, and business support initiatives for municipalities and companies. Larissa has been working at Invest Minas since 2013, initially as a Business Analyst and currently as an Investment Attraction Manager. She holds a degree in Economics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas).

Jennifer Upton is a former British diplomat with over 20 years’ experience influencing decision-making in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. She has operated in high-pressure environments from Pakistan and Egypt during periods of instability to negotiations at the UN Security Council, specialising in strategic communications and influence.
Since leaving government, she has worked across the private sector helping organisations and leaders navigate complexity and win support for difficult decisions.
She is the founder of How to Diplomat, where she teaches the practical skills of influence – how to build trust, read the room, and shape decisions before they are made.

Mihkel Karg likes to do things that are: 🌟 New 🌟 Cool 🌟 Smart 🌟Efficient 🌟Profitable 🌟Real 🌟 Sustainable.
Those are the things that we can do every day in Estonia #investinestonia

Diana Girdenytė is a Strategist at Invest Lithuania, specialising in Lithuania’s economic development through foreign direct investment strategy. With more than seven years of experience in business consulting, exports, and investment attraction, she has worked closely with international companies expanding into Lithuania and later led aftercare strategy initiatives for established technology companies operating in the country, supporting their long-term growth and ecosystem development.

In her current role, Diana contributed to the co-development of Lithuania’s newly released five-year national FDI strategy and focuses on strengthening the country’s investment environment for the technology and business services sectors. She works closely with international experts and public sector stakeholders on topics related to innovation, competitiveness, and AI, including engagement with global AI companies, discussions on AI ecosystem development, and the practical implementation of the EU AI Act in Lithuania.

Yann Sinquin is General Manager at SIA AXON CABLE in Latvia. He has been based in Latvia since 2006 and brings long-standing experience from his work with SIA AXON CABLE and AXON CABLE. In 2022, the high-tech company Axon Cable opened a new cable production facility in Daugavpils, further strengthening its long-term presence in Latvia.

Aļesja Kirčenkois the Director at Epson European Business Services centre, and Chairperson of Association of Business Shared Services Latvia (ABSL). She is an accomplished business services executive with over 15 years of leadership across Baltic and Nordic markets driving strategic growth and operational excellence for multinational organizations.

Reinhold Schneider is the CEO of SCHWENK Northern Europe. He joined SCHWENK in 2019, bringing more than 25 years of experience in building materials production across Europe. He holds a degree in Engineering Physics from Technical University of Munich.
Under his leadership, SCHWENK has become one of the most forward-looking cement producers in the Baltics, with a strong commitment to the full decarbonization of its Brocēni plant. In 2025, the company launched Latvia’s first carbon capture pilot facility, testing advanced CO₂ capture technologies that could eliminate up to 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually and represent one of the largest industrial investments in Latvia.
Beyond his role at SCHWENK, Reinhold serves as Chairperson of the Board of the Foreign Investors’ Council in Latviaand as President of the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce, making him a leading voice for international business and sustainable investment in the Baltics.

Subhash Chandra Jose joined the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) as Managing Director of Information Technology in September 2023.

He previously held senior IT leadership roles at ING, leading technology transformations across Europe and Asia and delivering business change in corporate and retail banking, and he headed core banking product development at Tata Consultancy Services, supporting major banks worldwide with banking and payment transformations.

Subhash holds a BTech in Computer Science and Engineering from the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology. Awards include HotTopics Global CIO 100 (2025), with recognition from IDG, Foundry, Dataquest and Celent.

Margarita González is responsible for Aftercare services at ICEX-Invest in Spain, the Spanish Investment Promotion Agency. She holds a degree in International Economics from the Complutense University of Madrid and completed PhD courses at the same university.

Among other additional studies, she has a Master’s Degree in Marketing from ESADE Business School. In 2016, she was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of the Civil Merit, which recognises the merits acquired by public administration personnel. She has over 25 years of experience collaborating with different industries and companies in their international expansion.

Daniel Gómez is part of the Business Climate Directorate at PROCOMER, Costa Rica’s Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, where he works on initiatives focused on strengthening the country’s investment climate and competitiveness. Throughout his experience in Establishment, Aftercare, and Business Climate, he has supported foreign direct investment companies in navigating complex cases with public institutions, facilitating solutions through strategic public-private coordination.

His work has focused on regulatory improvement, investment facilitation, and institutional articulation aimed at reducing operational barriers and enhancing the investor experience in Costa Rica. Daniel brings a practical perspective on how investment promotion agencies can evolve beyond facilitation roles to become strategic partners in improving the business environment and fostering long-term investment growth and reinvestment.

María Martín specialises in internationalisation and strategic analysis and currently works in the Aftercare Department at ICEX Invest in Spain, where she supports international companies by facilitating reinvestments, connecting them with public institutions, and identifying regulatory or operational barriers.
Maria holds a degree in Psychology and an MBA in International Management from ICEX-CECO & University International Menendez Pelayo. She previously served as an International Trade & Investment Advisor in Ghana, supporting Spanish companies entering the Ghanaian market. Prior to that, she gained consultancy experience at Excelia, where she focussed on process improvement and strategic business decision-making.

Alex Sanchiz is a climate finance advisor at the EU Delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, where he works with regional entities and governments to facilitate climate finance access and implementation frameworks. An international development specialist with expertise in technical advisory, economic analysis, and program management, he has reported to diplomatic and international institutions on investment policy, private sector development, and climate interventions across developing countries. His career spans the Inter-American Development Bank in Barbados, the World Bank’s Investment Climate Global Unit in Washington D.C., and the Spanish Embassy in El Salvador, where he served as trade and investment advisor.

Laura Michell José holds a degree in International Business from Universidad APEC and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Commercial Management and Marketing at CEF – UDIMA Spain. She has professional experience in commercial management, investor relations, and strategic partnership development, particularly through her role as Business Executive at ProDominicana, where she has supported foreign investment companies in growth and expansion processes. Her career has developed in dynamic environments linked to business development and commercial management. She has a strong interest in marketing, strategic communication, and the creation of initiatives that generate impact and added value.

Lars Lin Villebæk is a transformative leader specialisng in organisational innovation at the intersection of technology, business, and societal impact. With over 30 years of experience spanning Fortune 500 corporations and with six tech startups across five continents under his belt, Lars thrives when helping organisations navigate exponential change through human-centric approaches. As a certified transformation consultant and adaptability coach with a background in microelectronics and software algorithms, he designs, implements, and manages AI powered aftercare services at Copenhagen Capacity, in addition to his role as Senior Investment Manager.

In addition, Lars is a member of the Aftercare Forum’s Organising Committee Riga 2026.

Edin Erkocevic is an international business development and investment promotion professional with over 15 years of experience working across Europe, the Nordics, the Western Balkans, and Türkiye. Having lived and worked in Sweden, Spain, China, Austria, Germany, and Türkiye, he brings a strong cross-cultural perspective to public-private collaboration, market entry strategy, and stakeholder engagement. Edin has led complex projects at the intersection of government, business, and investment, supporting companies in international expansion and advising institutions on strategic partnerships and growth. He speaks fluent English, Swedish, German, Spanish and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian. At the Forum, he is responsible for shaping a world-class programme that connects IPAs, policymakers, and technology leaders.

In addition, Edin is a member of the Aftercare Forum’s Organising Committe Riga 2026.

Vanessa Gibson has worked at CINDE Costa Rica for over 20 years; she started out as an economics researcher, three years later she assumed the position of manager for the Services Sector. Since 2009, she has led l the Aftercare area and is now the Investment Climate Director managing the strategy of competitiveness of Costa Rica for the attraction of foreign direct investment.

Vanessa is an Economist and holds her licentiate degree in Economics and a Master’s in Development Program and Project Evaluation from the University of Costa Rica, where she graduated in 2006.

Prior to her time at CINDE, she worked at the Central Bank of Costa Rica as an economic assistant to the Agricultural Economics Department.

Vanessa Gibson is also a member of the Aftercare Forum’s Organising Committee Riga 2026.

We are thankful for everybody who contributes to making the Road to Riga an unparallel gathering centered in growing FDI Aftercare.

Aftercare Forum Riga

Speakers 2026.

Viktors Valainis

Carolina Arriagada Peters

Ieva Jāgere

Artis Ozoliņš

Oksana Sivokobiļska

Guntis Kalniņš

Renāte Strazdiņa

Jakob Hensing

Danuta Palipa

Kim Leandersson

Sofia Karadima

Vinod Goel

Laura Stovalde

Craig Turp-Balazs

Giselle Gonzales

Thomas Fanning

Anne Andersone

Juan Pablo Alcantar

Christine Graham

Vinod Goel

Larissa Batitsa

Jennifer Upton

Mihkel Karg

Diana Girdenytė

Yann Sinquin

Aļesja Kirčenko

Reinhold Schneider

Subhash Chandra Jose

Margarita González

Daniel Gomez

Margarita González

Alex Sanchiz

Laura Jose

Lars Lin Villebæk

Edin Erkocevic

Vanessa Gibson

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