Mehrnoosh is Head of Alumni Relations at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), an intergovernmental life sciences institute supported by more than 30 countries. Over the past 20 years, she has grown EMBL’s alumni relations from a small initiative into a strategic programme central to the organisation’s mission, with a growing focus on alumni fundraising and institutional advancement. She has advised emerging life science institutes on building alumni programmes and is committed to strengthening the advancement profession across Europe through collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Mehrnoosh has over 30 years’ experience in higher education and holds an MA (Hons) and PhD from the University of Edinburgh. She is Chair of the CASE Europe Council.

Juan Pablo Garrido is a senior advancement leader with more than 25 years of experience in fundraising and philanthropy across higher education and the non-profit sector in Canada and Spain. He currently serves as Director of Development at UIC Barcelona, where he leads the University’s fundraising and engagement strategy across academic divisions and university clinics. Since joining UIC Barcelona, he has built the Development and Engagement Office and overseen sustained growth in philanthropic support, including multiple principal gifts and successful research, scholarship, and capital initiatives.

Juan Pablo leads UIC Barcelona’s Advisory Board, coordinating its committees and initiatives to strengthen institutional engagement, external relations, and philanthropic impact. He is also a member of CASE Europe’s Regional Council and contributes to the advancement profession as faculty for CASE institutes in educational fundraising.

He holds a Master’s degree in General Management from IESE Business School, as well as Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in History from the Université de Montréal and McGill University. Juan Pablo also holds a Certificate in Fundraising Management from the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University

With many years’ experience in internationalization of higher education in different capacities, Martine Torfs is dedicated to developing global stakeholder relations strategies serving higher education institutions' advancement. As Head of the Alumni Team at the KU Leuven Fundraising and Alumni Relations Office, Martine has designed and implemented worldwide alumni engagement programmes aligned with the university’s strategies. Intercultural relations, with multlingualism, art, literature and education at its core, have been a driver throughout her life.

Martine is Chair of the CASE Continental Europe Cabinet.

Building on fundraising, partnership development and strategic communications experience in the think tank and foundation sectors, Carsten moved into higher education development in 2015 working at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Queen Mary University London and currently the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. 

At LSE, Carsten worked with HNWIs, foundations and corporates. Their funding enabled research, scholarships, infrastructure investment and public engagement, including the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa created with a ten-million-pound endowment. In its first 18 months, Carsten helped to establish the new institute as a multidisciplinary hub for research and policy engagement. He helped to raise almost twenty million pounds in philanthropic support and over six million in research council funding. 

At Queen Mary, in time for the launch of the university’s Strategy 2030, Carsten oversaw the rebuilding of a fundraising team for this Russell Group member and lobbied for a stronger alumni relations and fundraising function across the organisation. At Frankfurt School, as development director, he is overseeing the launch of a fundraising strategy in line with the ambition of this top-ranked, fast-growing business school. Previously, Carsten worked at the Robert Bosch Foundation, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. 

Having studied political science, law and political economy at the Free University Berlin and in Würzburg, Carsten also holds a M.A. in International Studies (Asia-Pacific) from the University of Birmingham (2006) and a M.Sc. in International Development (Africa) from LSE (2018). He continues his research in cross-border giving and the role of philanthropy in higher education, research and think tanks.

Inés Teressa-Palacio is a global education specialist, advisor and consultant with 17 years of experience in marketing, communications, student recruitment, business development, alumni engagement, fundraising and internationalization targeting both B2C and B2B audiences. She has held senior roles at UK and Spanish institutions and has led successful strategic projects in multiple countries including the UK, South Asia, Latin America, Spain and rest of Europe. Inés is currently based in Barcelona, Spain and works with clients and organizations worldwide. 

Inés has been directly responsible for developing positioning, go-to-market, growth and engagement strategies in all those countries and has also initiated, cultivated and negotiated strategic partnerships with foreign governments, funding organizations, businesses and donors. Her senior leadership experience alongside her international background makes her highly adaptable to multicultural settings, commercially astute and able to engage with stakeholders at all levels from all the advancement disciplines and from different regions. 

Inés is a former member of the CASE Europe Council and the UK Universities Marketing Forum, and she currently sits on the Planning Committee for the 2024 CASE Summit for Leaders in Advancement. She has presented at CASE All Districts Conference (US), CASE Europe Annual Conference (UK), and CASE ToGather events (Spain). She is a Fellow of the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing, a member of the UK Chartered Institute of Public Relations, IESE graduate and UCLA scholar.

Santiago Fernández-Gubieda works at the University of Navarra, Spain, where he is Chief Reputation Officer and Executive Director of the Centre for University Governance and Reputation, which is dedicated to training, research, and consultancy in university governance and reputation projects. In addition to being a member of CASE, he is also a member of the World 100 Reputation Network Committee, a professional association that promotes training, research, and best practices in university reputation. He serves on the academic committee for and is an organiser of the University of Navarra’s reputation and strategic management courses for higher education leaders. He holds a doctorate degree in communication from the University of Navarra, with the thesis, “Conceptual Framework of Reputation: Implications for University Management.”

Sara Di Lullo is Director of Client Engagement at Veritus Group UK & Europe. She brings over 20 years of experience in bridging the gap between organisational needs and funding opportunities. Sara has raised substantial funds for international NGOs, universities, foundations, and numerous non‑profits through authentic donor relationships and strategic partnerships with corporations and private funders.

She served as Head of Philanthropy at UIC Barcelona, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, in Spain, leading fundraising and strategic partnerships initiatives. 

As the former Head of Public and Private Fundraising for the International Network of Médecins du Monde, she worked with NGOs, fundraisers, and donors worldwide, specialising in designing and scaling mid and major gift programs and strengthening institutional fundraising capacity.

Sara is also a regular speaker at fundraising congresses and professional conferences, and a guest lecturer on high-value fundraising and donor engagement. She has led workshops and spoken at international Skillshares and events hosted by organisations such as Save the Children International, Médecins Sans Frontières or the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, sharing insights on relationship‑based fundraising and sustainable growth strategies for mission‑driven organisations.

Olaya has been passionate about education management for more than 15 years, loving the challenge, having positive conversations, and helping institutions and individuals to reach their goals. Olaya accomplishes this through Strategy, Negotiation, Business Planning, Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship, International Business, Corporate Relations, and Fundraising.

Virginia Luzón Fernández is an Associate Professor (Profesora Titular) in the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), where she teaches and directs educational initiatives such as courses and master’s programs related to communication and creative documentary.

Since 2016, she has served as Vice-Rector for Communication at UAB, leading the university’s internal and external communication policies as well as its institutional positioning. Throughout her career at UAB, she has held various academic management roles, demonstrating her experience in strategic and organizational coordination within the institution.