ECIE Biographies

Below are the ECIE Biographies of the Conference and Programme Chairs, Key Note Speakers and Mini-Track Chairs.

Conference and Programme Chairs

Dr. Iwona Lupa-Wójcik - Doctor of Economic Sciences, Assistant Professor at the Department of Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation at the University of the National Education Commission, Krakow (Poland). Author of books and several dozen scientific articles on social media, marketing, new technology (including AI), and social entrepreneurship. Member of many research and teaching projects related to social entrepreneurship, including INN@SE - Innovative Social Entrepreneurship with youth engagement (Erasmus+) or Responsible Business – from East to West.

Prof. Dorota Murzyn - Associate professor and head of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation at the University of the National Education Commission, Krakow (Poland), chair of the council of economics and finance scientific discipline at UKEN. Author of many publications on EU policy, innovation and social entrepreneurship. Expert and advisor on EU funds, cooperating with the Joint Research Center (European Commission), Polish Ministry for regional development, companies and NGOs. Manager and contractor of numerous projects co-financed by the EU, including INN@SE - Innovative Social Entrepreneurship with youth engagement (project coordinator).

Dr. Marta Czyżewska - doctor of economic sciences, assistant professor at the Department of Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation at the University of the National Education Commission, Krakow (Poland). Team member of internationational projects such as INN@SE - Innovative Social Entreprenuership with youth engagment, SeGoesGreen - Integrating Nature-Based Solutions into higher education towards exploiting the transformative potential of Social Economy for a green and inclusive future. Author of several publications on entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and venture capital. Mentor and advisor for startups under incubation and acceleration processes.

Dr. Wojciech Maciejewski - assistant professor of economics, author of publications and books in the area of ​​entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, education for entrepreneurship, decision-making process. He took part and is taking part in international research and development projects such as INN@SE - Innovative Social Entrepreneurship with youth engagement, SeGoesGreen - Integrating Nature-Based Solutions into higher education towards exploiting the transformative potential of Social Economy for a green and inclusive future.

Keynote Speakers

Prof. Zoran Wittine is an Associate Professor at the Department of International Economics, Vice-Dean for infrastructure and business processes at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business and a member of the University Senate. In addition, he is also a member of the Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation within the International Chamber of Commerce; member of International project management association (IPMA) and a senior member of the International Economics Development and Research Center. His areas of expertise include international business, international entrepreneurship, social innovation education, social entrepreneurship and risk management. He is a member of the editorial boards of several international scientific journals and was a member of the organizational and technical committee of many international conferences. He was a leader of many international/EU-funded projects, of which most of them were focused on the topics of education development, digitalization, social innovation, social entrepreneurship, innovation, skill development and capacity building. In addition, he was an associate on many professional projects and had an active role in creation of the “Industrial strategies of The Republic of Croatia 2014-2020”. Before taking up a position at the University of Zagreb, he worked as a management consultant at McKinsey&Company, where he worked on projects of corporate restructuring, corporate integration processes, improvement of corporate efficiency, etc

Mini Track Chairs


Nasser Abouzakhar is an entrepreneur and the director of an award-winning SME Anzar Property Investment Limited, which he founded in 2017. He is the author of the books AI for Businesses, Smart Money Management and Real Estate Investment. Nasser is a TEDx speaker, award-winning author, and a regular guest on the BBC TV channel for over 100 live TV interviews, including the Homes Under the Hammer TV show. Between 2004 and 2019, he worked at different universities in the UK as an academic, teaching and researching different technology-related subjects. Nasser has a good understanding of the property investment business and finances. He has firm relationships with professionals in banking, legal, accounting, and real estate valuation, assisting with his responsibility as the company director. He leads a highly professional and experienced property management team.


Paul Coyle is the Director of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Network, a global community of practice, with members in 107 countries, and special interest groups for the application of the entrepreneurial mindset in business, education, healthcare and social entrepreneurship. The Network’s vision is that everybody, not just entrepreneurs, can benefit from having an entrepreneurial mindset including employees in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. An entrepreneurial mindset enables each person to make their unique contribution to the world. Paul is an expert in the entrepreneurial mindset, innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership and organisational change.

Valerie Priscilla Goby, PhD (Business, Finland), PhD (Communication, Australia), FHEA, SFHEA, professor at Zayed University, Dubai, has published across a range of disciplines including ethics, leadership, cross-cultural communication, CSR, and gender studies in journals such as Journal of Business Ethics, Leadership and Organisation Development, and Women’s Studies International Forum: https://scholar.google.ae/citations?user=dESP3_8AAAAJ&hl=en

Marco Lamas is a Post-Doc in Education (Entrepreneurship), with a PhD in Education (Entrepreneurship) and Bsc in International Relations. He is a Senior Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Management and Technology in Porto, Portugal where he Leads the Business and Innovation LAB (BIL). He is a founder member of SHINE - Scaling Higher Education Innovation for Europe (https://shine-project.eu/) and he is recognized as an EntreComp Practitioner.

Carlos Miguel Oliveira has a Ph.D. in Management. He is a Coordinating Professor and Director of the School of Management at ISLA – Polytechnic University of Management and Technology. He is editor-in-chief of the Management in Review Journal and a collaborating member of CEOS.PP – Centre for Organisational and Social Studies. In recent years, he has published several articles in journals and conferences. He is a reviewer in some journals in the management area.

Dr. Mitt Nowshade Kabir is an adjunct professor of Digital Transformation at Ecole de Management Léonard De Vinci. He is a serial entrepreneur, knowledge evangelist, business accelerator, and investor. Dr. Kabir has a master’s degree in computer science, an MBA, a Ph.D. in Information Technology, and a DBA in Management. His current interests include AI, innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic management.


Verena Karlsdóttir is a lecturer in the Business Department at the University of Akureyri and a guest lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück and the University of Iceland. She holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Iceland. Her teaching focuses on methodology, management, and innovation. Her research primarily contributes to innovation within universities, as well as university policy and organisation.