Pierluigi Catalfo is a professor of accounting and management at the Department of Economics and Business of the University of Catania one of the oldest Universities in Europe (1434). He has been a visiting scholar and professor at several universities in Europe, Switzerland, and the United States such as Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, USI in Lugano, TU of Clausthal-Zellerfeld, or New York University-Stern School of Business. He is a member of the PhD board in Management for the Public Sector at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. He is the director of the Interdepartmental Research Center on Territorial Governance at the University of Catania and president of the degree course of the University of Catania on Management for Sustainable Economics in Ragusa Ibla.

Since 1998 he has been interested in qualitative research on intangible resources with particular attention to issues related to the problem of representation and use of company data. He also carries out his research in the field of accounting and business and in corporate information and control systems. Over the last twenty years, he has engaged in the developing process on the topic of intangible corporate assets in the evolutionary direction of Intellectual Capital, following the transformations that have accompanied the development of corporate social responsibility and the themes of respect for the environment and the ethical use of resources in the direction of sustainability first and of circular bioeconomy.

He has been particularly interested in the evolutionary path of corporate information and new forms of corporate reports. In collaboration with the European Commission, through the implementation of the European Maritime Days, has strengthened the development processes of the blue economy in the south-eastern area of Sicily and led to the definition of territory development of policies. He also carries out advisory activities on issues of innovation in budget information in performance evaluation and has dealt with organizational restructuring and strategic direction for public administrations at regional and national levels supporting territorial resilience against the processes of depopulation of the internal areas of southern Italy.

As for auditing responsibilities, he takes part in a managerial staff of a relevant ecosystem for innovation, Samothrace, financed by the European Union and some institutional public and private companies. In June 2024 he was awarded a knighthood, the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for social merits. He participates in various roles in the management of foundations and associations that support social and urban redevelopment as well as socio-environmental sustainability.

Sladjana Cabrilo is a Full Professor at the Department of International Business Administration of I-Shou University (ISU), Kaohsiung, but also holds a few visiting positions in her home country Serbia, and EU countries. Sladjana is an accomplished academic and professional with a multidisciplinary background spanning engineering, technology, and management. She holds a PhD degree and MSc degree in Industrial Engineering and Management, and MSc degree in Electrical Engineering (Computer Science major) from the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. Holding advanced degrees across these fields, Sladjana combines a technical foundation with expertise in business, and innovation. This blend of skills allows her to bridge the gap between technical innovation and strategic management, driving impactful research, teaching, and practical applications in a digital era.

Sladjana has accumulated more than twenty years of work experience in academia in a wide variety of contexts in Europe and Asia, earning recognition for outstanding teaching and scholarly excellence. She has designed and led innovative courses in knowledge management, strategic management, technology, and innovation management, international business, and related disciplines, integrating cutting-edge practices such as technology-driven organizational strategies, digital transformation, and ethical AI integration into business contexts.

Her research experience includes participation in scientific and industry-related projects, publishing articles in top-tier scientific journals, books, and book chapters, and holding lectures and presentations worldwide. She is known in the field of intellectual capital and international business for insights from emerging economies and recently for using complexity theory, configurational analysis, and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) techniques to uncover complex relationships and patterns between intellectual capital and organizational performance. Her research has been awarded and recognized as most prestigious across knowledge clusters in ranked journals. Keeping the future in focus, she has searched for answers to fundamental questions related to the development of intellectual capital theory and practice, which are essential for sustainable growth and social well-being. In international business research, Sladjana aims to provide insights into the role of international business in advancing SDGs in emerging markets.

She is highly engaged in scientific and professional networks through editorial and reviewing work, and positions in editorial boards, program committees, research institutes and professional organizations and networks around the world. She is on the Editorial Board of several scientific journals, such as the VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, and The European Journal of Applied Economics, and on the Program Committee at the European Conference on Knowledge Management (ECKM), among others.

With a dynamic career trajectory that intersects technical and managerial expertise, Sladjana is dedicated to offering insights that help knowledge-intensive ecosystems navigate the challenges of the digital age and shape future leaders in the interconnected worlds of business, technology, and culture.

Julia Manzanas is a seasoned expert in the knowledge economy, intellectual capital management, and innovation strategy. Julia holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Barcelona and completed an international postgraduate program in Quantitative and IT Methods applied to Business Management, with studies across universities in Barcelona, Florence, Lisbon, and Paris-2. Currently, he serves as Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of COFI Solutions, a leader in intangible asset valuation. COFI Solutions is the creator of Futurlytics, an AI-powered analytics tool designed to standardize and automate company valuation processes, with a focus on intangible assets such as patents, trademarks, and proprietary technologies.

With over two decades of experience, Julia has been the EMEA Advisor for TYNAX (Patent Brokers & IP Strategists) since 2009 and collaborates with institutions such as Silicon Valley Business School and Value My Patent. He is the President of the Knowledge Economy and Innovation Commission at the College of Economists of Catalonia and Vice President of the Intangibles Commission at the Catalan Association of Accounting and Management (ACCID).

Julia has worked extensively in evaluating and strategizing high-impact projects in various sectors, including healthtech, deeptech, and biopharma. His career highlights include leading the assessment of notable projects such as Vilynx (acquired by Apple), Ultrasion (Eurecat Group), and SIMON Electric (a leader in the electrical sector). Additionally, he has coordinated services for the European Commission, such as Horizon Results Booster and IP Booster, supporting cutting-edge research institutions like i2CAT and IDIBAPS.

Julia actively contributes to several innovation-focused organizations, including Barcelonaqbit, Impulsa Talentum Foundation (Patron), and the Sitges Innovation Club. He is an accredited advisor for ACCID in Strategy and Innovation and serves as an evaluator of urban mobility projects for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

Under his leadership at COFI Solutions, Julia continues to drive innovation in intangible asset valuation, leveraging AI to support clients in financing, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic decision-making.

Institutional Affiliations: COFI Solutions, College of Economists of Catalonia, ACCID, New Club of Paris.

Waltraut Ritter is the founder of Knowledge Dialogues, and works on transdisciplinary, applied research projects on societal transformation which requires new forms of engagement and communication between different stakeholders, organizations, institutions, and individuals.

Ritter is an information scientist specializing in applied research on knowledge-based society at Knowledge Dialogues, which she founded in 1997. Research areas include urban and regional innovation systems, public sector innovation, data governance in digital/smart cities, and sustainable urban mobility. She regularly contributes on these topics to working groups of international and multilateral organizations within the UN system.

She is a member of the Euro-Asia Management Studies Organisation (EAMSA), the European Women’s Management Development Network (EWMD), the International Council on Knowledge Management (ICKM), and is a founding member of the New Club of Paris.

Lina Uziene is an associate professor at the School of Economics and Business, the Kaunas University of Technology, where she implements research and consulting projects and delivers courses in Intellectual Capital Management, Strategic Management, Digital Organization Management, Business Valuation & Investor Relations Management, and others. Since 2005 she holds a Ph.D. degree in Management and Business Administration. Since 2009 she works as an associate professor at the University. She has been acting as a director of Management Study Programs at the university in the period of 2016-2019. She is one of the coordinators of the Open Innovation Research Cluster at the University, responsible for the research stream on open innovation measurement and metrics. Her research activities focus on national policy-making based on the effective management of intellectual resources and the development of innovation-oriented infrastructures. Societal innovation and digital transformation are the key issues of her recent scientific research.

Lina Uziene is a member of different scientific committees and bodies responsible for the development of methodologies and transfer of knowledge from educational systems to business practice, such as the Baltic Management Development Association, the International Society for Professional Innovation Management, the International Association of Knowledge Management, KM4Dev, as well as the board member at the New Club of Paris.

She acts as a national and international expert on knowledge and intellectual capital management. Lina is an author of more than 40 academic publications, books, and chapters, a consultant, a research project manager, and a speaker to promote the knowledge economy and intellectual capital development via educational forums and platforms.

Professional expertise: Associate Professor in Intellectual Capital Management, Knowledge Management, Corporate Digital Transformation, Strategic Management, Business Valuation & Investor Relationship Management, etc., Director of Management Study Programs, Researcher, Project Manager, and Business Consultant.

Institution: Kaunas University of Technology.

Ahmed Bounfour, Professor at the Université Paris-Sud, and Holder/Coordinator of the European Chair on Intellectual Capital Management. His researches focus principally on the ability of leading international corporates to create value from intellectual capital, and on the definition of innovation policy for major national and international research programmes.

Ahmed Bounfour has published many articles in academic and business reviews, including R&D Management, Journal of Intellectual Capital, Management of Business Excellence, International Journal of Remote Sensing, Telecommunications Policy, Revue Française de Gestion, Futuribles, Revue d’Economie Industrielle, Chroniques d’Actualité de la SEDEIS, Analyses de la SEDEIS and Tribune de l’Assurance.

He has also coordinated intellectual capital, knowledge and innovation special issues for many national and international academic reviews, including Intellectual capital for communities, the next steps for the Journal of Intellectual Capital (2009), Innovation and Intangible Assets for R&D Management (March 2005), Gestion des Connaissances for Systèmes d’Information et Management, (2000) and La gestion de l’immatériel, une nouvelle approche de la gestion for Revue Française de Gestion (issue 130, 2000).

Institution: Université Paris-Sud

Website: http://www.chairedelimmateriel.u-psud.fr/en/

Leif Edvinsson is a key pioneering contributor to the theory and practice of Intellectual Capital (IC). The World’s First director of IC in 1991. The World’s First Professor of IC at Lund University as well as Polytechnic University. Prototyping in 1996 the Skandia Future Center as Lab for Organisational design. In 1998, awarded by Brain Trust “Brain of the Year” award, in the UK. Listed in Who’s Who in the World. Associate member of The Club of Rome.

Cofounder and Founding Chairman of The New Club of Paris. In 2013 awarded the Thought Leader Award by European Commission, Intel, and Peter Drucker Association. In 2015 appointed Advisory Board to JIN – the Japan Innovation Network. Appointed 2016 to the Advisory Board of Norway Open Innovation Forum. In 2017 Awarded the KM Award, in Geneva at the UN, by www.km-a.net.

Stefan Gueldenberg is a Full Professor at EHL and Academic Director at EHL’s Graduate School. Before joining EHL he worked as a Full Professor in International Management and Director of the Institute of Entrepreneurship at the University of Liechtenstein, as a Professor and Director of the Department of Human Resources and Organization at WHL (a private University in Germany), and as a Professor for Strategic Management and Management Control at WU Vienna. Stefan Gueldenberg studied Business Mathematics, Philosophy, and English at the University of Ulm, and holds a Ph.D. as well as Habilitation from the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU).

Visiting Professorships abroad led him, among others, to Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the National University of Singapore. He is the current Vice President of Practice of the European Academy of Management (EURAM) and President of the New Club of Paris, a think tank and agenda-setter for the knowledge economy.

Stefan has more than 25 years of working experience in strategy research, strategy consulting, and as an expert platform founder. He conducts research and teaches courses in strategic management, sustainable leadership, and knowledge management. He is on the Editorial Board of several scientific journals, including EURAM Sparks, the Journal of Knowledge Management, and the Journal of Digital Economy.

During his career Stefan Gueldenberg was honored with the Knowledge Management Award for the further development of Knowledge Research, Knowledge Policy and Knowledge Management, the CEO of the Future Award from Manager Magazin and McKinsey & Company, the Stephan-Koren Award granted for the best doctoral thesis of the year and the included scientific research from the Association of Professors at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, and numerous best paper and top publication awards.

Institution: EHL Campus Lausanne.

Publications and more details: https://www.ehl.edu/en/faculty-research/our-faculty/guldenberg-stefan

Noboru Konno describes himself as a knowledge ecologist and an “amphibia” as he belongs to both academic and practice worlds, and design and management fields. His background is in architecture (B.A. in Architecture, Waseda University). Previously he has worked as a planner and marketing director at Hakuhodo, Inc., for global clients, urban projects, etc. Parallel to his business career, he taught design economics at the Graduate School of Engineering of Chiba University and knowledge science at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) as Adjunct Professor. He received Ph.D. (Management Information Science) from Tama Graduate School (2007). He has been a Professor at the Tama Graduate School of Management (MBA) since 2007.

His recent studies and projects include workplace for knowledge creation (concept of “Ba”), Future Center studies, and Purpose Engineering. He also has been a juror of the Good Design Award (The Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization, JIDPO) for 2004-2011 and other design awards. He is a President of Japan Innovation Network (JIN) and Future Center Alliance Japan (FCAJ), both groups of large Japanese enterprises and ministries that have an interest in innovation management and its environment. He has been an advisor for Nikken Sekkei, the Japanese largest architectural practice. His books include Intellectualizing Capability (coauthor with I.Nonaka, 1995, Global Best Business Book Award by Financial Times); An Encouragement of Knowledge-based Management (coauthor, 2000); and Methodology of Knowledge Creation (co-author, 2003, Toyo Keizai), Design Thinking For Business (2010), The Principles of Knowledge Creation Management (co-author 2012), Purpose Engineering (2013).

Professional expertise: As a knowledge ecologist, he has been involved in numerous consulting projects including knowledge strategy projects, scenario projects, change management for design organizations and professional service firms, workplace design for knowledge industries, and development of research labs.

University / academic affiliation: He is a Professor at Tama Graduate School of Management (Tokyo) and a Specially-appointed Professor at the Graduate School of System Design and Management (SDM) of Keio University.

Websites:
http://www.futurecenteralliance-japan.org/en
https://ji-network.org/en/
http://www.knowledgeinnovation.org/info/KIRO_eng.html

Dr. Carol Yeh-Yun Lin (PhD, the University of Texas at Austin) is Distinguished Professor of Department of Business Administration at National Chengchi University. Dr. Lin published extensively on strategic HRM, SME management, intellectual capital, and corporate social responsibility. In addition to over 50 academic referred journal papers and 90 conference proceedings, Dr. Lin also published 14 books in English with Springer New York. The most recent one is The Impact of Societal and Social Innovation.

Dr. Lin also held several administrative positions, including the Dean of International Cooperation, Director of Creativity Center, Dean of Student Affairs, Director of International Exchange and Education, also the Founding Director of English Taught International MBA program in Taiwan. Before changing her career to academia, Dr. Lin served as Customer Service Manager in Singer Sewing Machine Companies for two years, and Office Manager in K-Mart Taipei Purchasing Office for six years.

Professional expertise: Human resource management, intellectual capital, social innovation, and social responsibility

University / academic affiliation: Dept. of Business Administration, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan

Website: http://www.ba.nccu.edu.tw/en/faculty/%E6%9E%97-%E6%9C%88%E9%9B%B2-33141737