ADEL Bios

Apefa Adjivon is a social impact and inclusion leader whose work spans corporate strategy, nonprofit leadership, public policy, and international engagement. She develops and implements global inclusion strategies across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, leading initiatives focused on organizational culture, talent development, accessibility, and inclusive leadership.

Rakel Aguirre is Europe Lead for Elections and Regulatory Readiness at Meta. With nearly a decade of experience in the technology sector, her work sits at the intersection of technology, politics, and democracy, focusing on election integrity and regulatory risk management. She leads cross-functional initiatives across Europe, bringing together global teams, policymakers, and regulators to strengthen election preparedness and address emerging regulatory challenges.

Zahra Al Hilaly is a lawyer, journalist and activist working across human rights, climate justice and peacebuilding. As the Julia Gillard Next Generation Fellow, named in honour of Australia's first female Prime Minister, she recently led research into how to engage women in politics beyond election cycles.

Gopalika Arora is Deputy Director at the Centre for Economy and Growth at the Observer Research Foundation, where she leads the Centre’s work on climate and energy. Her research focuses on climate finance, energy transition, adaptation, and resilient and sustainable development pathways.

Gonzalo Bañez Villar is TV anchor, columnist and Head of International News Department at Todo Noticias (TN), Argentina’s leading news network, and a columnist at Radio Rivadavia. He has reported from wartime Ukraine, covered the Middle East crisis from several countries in the region and followed Latin American elections, among other events of global impact, such as the recent earthquakes in Venezuela.

Avery Barnett is the founder of Grid Guard Consulting, whose peer-reviewed Cyclone Impact Model stress-tests energy infrastructure against storm risk. She holds a PhD in Public Affairs (STEP) from Princeton University and holds a BA in Physics from Grinnell College. Her research interests include modeling electricity trading among Caribbean island nations, the sociopolitics of the region's energy transition, and how natural hazard risk shapes future energy mixes.

Alberto is a Costa Rican diplomat, journalist, storyteller, and social entrepreneur serving as Minister Counselor for Public Diplomacy and Political Affairs at the Embassy of Costa Rica in Washington, D.C. He is a children’s books author and the founder of Carretica Cuentera, an educational organization in Costa Rica that uses storytelling and literature to foster creativity, reading skills literacy, and social cohesion among children.

Khawla Benyahya is a governance and peacebuilding practitioner with extensive experience across the United Nations, the African Union, development cooperation and regional institutions. She currently supports regional democratic governance and electoral processes at the United Nations Development Programme Regional Service Centre for Africa in Addis Ababa.

Susanna Biancacci is an International relations specialist at Intesa Sanpaolo, with experience in banking, policy research, and international organizations, including the International Labour Organization in Geneva. She focuses on geopolitical analysis, international sanctions, and institutional relations, supporting global business strategy and market access.

Francisco de Arantes e Oliveira is the Senior Policy Advisor at the Atlantic Centre, where he coordinates engagement with its signatory states and supports cooperation with international organisations, Atlantic institutions and think tanks. He also serves as a Naval Officer for International Relations in the Portuguese Navy Staff.

Giovanni Maria Della Gatta is currently a Research Fellow at the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), where he contributes to the Geoeconomics Centre and PolicyLab. Previously, he worked as a Research Assistant at the AXA Research Lab on Gender Equality at Bocconi University. His research interests include international trade, economic coercion, and infrastructure projects.

Cynthia Di Leonforte is currently an International Cooperation and Programme Officer at the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), where she coordinates international cooperation initiatives and the Secretariat of RegulaE.Fr, an international network of 37 energy regulatory authorities. She also manages a World Bank-funded technical assistance programme supporting the institutional strengthening of Burundi’s energy regulator.