As a co-founder of UNDP Alternative Finance Lab, Robert supports innovation in alternative finance mechanisms and in low carbon development . He co-founded the UNDP Crowdfunding Academy and UNDP Blockchain Academy, a training programs that have been implemented in over 100 countries worldwide and has helped in fundraising over USD $25 million through successful campaigns. He is a project manager for Tadamon / NGO Empowerment projects, focusing on NGOs in Muslim world.

Ievgen Kylymnyk is a Regional Project Manager for UNDP Europe and Central Asia, working on innovation and systems transformation in the region. Previously, Ievgen held roles as an Innovation Officer at the UN Secretariat and Head of Exploration at the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Ukraine, where he worked on innovative solutions for global peace and sustainable development. He also contributed to strategy and e-governance reforms in various positions within the European Union Advisory Mission to Ukraine and the Presidential Office of Ukraine.

Elina Järvelä is exploring opportunities around Strategic Innovation and Development Financing. She is determined to create a positive impact through her work and focuses on how the development work can be more impactful through better design and innovative financing especially in the times of growing complexity and uncertainty. She has been pioneering portfolio approach and systems thinking practices with cities and outcomes-based financing and impact investing in development.

Yaera Chung is a Regional Innovation Specialist at UNDP Europe and Central Asia, where she guides UNDP Country Offices and regional projects in building systems thinking portfolios for twin transition (digital and green), future of work and urban transformation. She is currently working with municipalities to apply systems thinking through building systems learning portfolios through the City Experiment Fund and Slovak Transformation Fund initiatives.

Svetla is the strategic communications lead with the Innovation Team at the UNDP Europe and Central Asia. She has an academic background in political science and communications/journalism, with a Master’s degree from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Svetla has over 12 years of experience in the field of communications,  creative campaigning and human rights, with a number of successful campaigns and initiatives in the region. She is also a 2018 Fulbright Scholar, and as part of the program, she joined Change.org to explore digital advocacy campaigning practices and people mobilization.

Teodor Petričević, with over two decades of experience, excels in impact business development and social entrepreneurship across Europe and the MENA region. At UNDP, he leads various acceleration programs and development initiatives, incorporating emerging tech solutions, including blockchain, to drive social impact and enhance operational and financial sustainability for numerous stakeholders. Teodor specializes in designing innovation ecosystems, strategizing impact ventures, advancing impact business development, and excelling in impact measurement and management. His leadership has significantly advanced the social and impact economy globally. Known for his visionary approach, dedication, and strategic partnerships, Teodor has established multiple collaborations with blockchain industry actors to develop initiatives such as the Blockchain Academy, UN Blockchain CoP, and the SDG Blockchain Accelerator. These efforts boost solutions like digital identity systems, cross-border payments, transparent supply chain management, and more. His work focuses on innovative mechanisms and models, particularly in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Africa.

Andreas coordinates the digital work within the innovation team, focusing on supporting Country Offices in their digital transformation journeys. He also works closely with internal teams to develop and deploy AI-powered tools while facilitating knowledge sharing across the organization’s global network.

Burcu Mavis is the Blockchain Academy and Accelerator Lead at UNDP, where she leverages extensive experience working with civil society across more than 35 countries and leading monitoring and impact activities. She oversees the Blockchain Academy, designed for the UN ecosystem, and manages its delivery to over 500 colleagues from 123 countries. She specializes in developing capacity-building programs that utilize innovative tools such as blockchain and acceleration initiatives to empower communities. Driven by a passion for sustainable development and social impact, she continuously seeks creative solutions to advance development initiatives and foster resilience.

Louise Skärvall is an Accelerator Lead, working for UNDP’s regional innovation team, supporting the City Experiment Fund and BOOST, a business acceleration program. Drawing on her experience with the Armenia SDG Innovation Lab, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, and IMC Worldwide, she uses innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to develop and finance high-impact initiatives

Aditi Soni is a Service Designer with the UNDP IRH Innovation Team. She specializes in developing services for digital transformation, community engagement, UNDP’s portfolio approach, and human-centred design. She focuses on designing tools, workshops, knowledge products, and learning experiences, and coordinates within the innovation programs with Country Offices and cities in the region. Her skill set includes service design, systems thinking, user research, facilitation, and proficiency with tools for creating digital experiences.

Shreya Krishnan is a Portfolio and Community Engagement Designer, specializing in urban innovation and community-centred approaches. She has over 10 years of experience in design strategy and is the co-founder of Better Design Foundation, a nonprofit that addresses urban development challenges through human-centred design. Shreya has an academic background in business and architecture.

Anton Sydorenko is the Communications Lead for the Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) Facility across Eastern Partnership countries. Before joining the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub, he worked with UNDP Ukraine and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). He has an academic background in international communications and foreign affairs.

Cynthia Khoury is a communication strategist and digital fundraising specialist with rich experience in international development and project management. As a Communication Analyst at UNDP, she leads crowdfunding initiatives, develops communication strategies, and strengthens stakeholder engagement for civil society organizations across multiple regions. She has successfully led Crowdfunding Academies across Africa and the Middle East, mentoring organizations, designing learning curricula, and launching high-impact campaigns. In addition, she works on initiatives that explore innovative financing models and digital solutions to advance social impact efforts. 

Manal Humedin, a Communication and Social Media Consultant, supporting innovation in blockchain, fintech, crowdfunding, CSOs empowerment and social entrepreneurship. With a background in international development and project management, Manal works on initiatives that explore alternative finance mechanisms and digital transformation that contribute to social impact projects by leveraging strategic communication and digital engagement to amplify key initiatives.

Simon Testot is a Policy and International Development Analyst with a background in development finance, international cooperation and public diplomacy across Europe, the Middle-East, and Latin America. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations & Development from Sciences Po Lille (France) and a Master’s degree in Economics from Universidad del Salvador (Argentina). He is currently interning with the UNDP Innovation Team, where he contributes to the Tadamon Food Security Accelerator, supporting CSOs acorss twelve countries and fostering innovative solutions to food security challenges. Bilingual in French and Spanish and with intermediate skills in Arabic, Simon is committed to leveraging innovation and alternative finance to drive impactful development solutions.