Dr Ricardo Giucci is the team leader of the German Economic Team, a project providing demand-driven, high-level economic policy advisory. Financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, it is currently active in seven partner countries, including Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia and Ukraine. Dr Giucci draws on more than two decades of experience in advising high-level government officials, focusing on macroeconomic policy, international trade and regional integration. 

Visar Paçarada has served as Chief Executive Officer of ProCredit Bank Kosovo since July 2023 and has been a Member of the Management Board since 2019. Having joined ProCredit Bank in 2007, he has played a key role in shaping its strategic direction, with a strong focus on SME development, credit risk management, and sustainable finance. Under his leadership, the Bank has further strengthened its market position and continued its growth trajectory. In his current role, Mr. Paçarada oversees MSME Banking, Human Resources, Asset and Liability Management, Sustainability, AML, and related control functions. In addition to his executive responsibilities, Mr. Paçarada serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Kosovo Banking Association and Vice Chairperson of the European Investors Council. Mr. Paçarada holds a degree in International Business Management from the University of Westminster, London, and is a graduate of the ProCredit Academy in Germany, where he specialized in Management.

Mimoza Kusari-Lila is a senior Kosovar political leader with over two decades of experience across government, business, and civic engagement. She currently serves as Minister of Trade, Industry, Entrepreneurship and Innovation of the Republic of Kosovo, while been elected for four consecutive term as a Member of the Assembly of Kosovo. She is the leader of the liberal political party Alternativa. Prior to her current ministerial role, Ms. Kusari-Lila held several high-level executive and legislative positions. She served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry (2011–2013), where she led key economic reforms and promoted private sector development. From 2013 to 2017, she made history as the first and only woman elected Mayorof Gjakova, focusing on local economic development, governance reforms, and post-conflict recovery. She served as the caucus leader of the largest parliamentary group, LVV, during the eighth legislature (2021 - 2025). Her political career began in 2003 when she was appointed Spokesperson and Political Adviser to Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi, later becoming the official Government Spokesperson. Over the years, she has been a prominent voice in Kosovo’s political landscape, known for her leadership in economic policy, environmental initiatives—including chairing the Parliamentary Green Caucus—and strengthening democratic institutions. Before entering politics, Ms. Kusari-Lila built a strong professional foundation in business and international development. She served as Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo, leading the organization to international accreditation with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., and the Council of European American Chambers in Brussels. Earlier, she worked as a business consultant for USAID’s Kosovo Business Support project and as the first local Project Manager of the American University in Kosovo Foundation. Her early career also reflects a strong commitment to humanitarian work. During the Kosovo War, she contributed as a translator for National Public Radio (NPR) and worked with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).Ms. Kusari-Lila has been a longstanding advocate for women’s empowerment. While studying in the United States, she founded and served as the first President of the Business Women Association at Duquesne University, promoting women’s leadership in business. Education:  MBA, Duquesne University, United States (Ron Brown Scholar)  Fulbright Fellow, Georgetown University (2009), specializing in capital market development in emerging economies  Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, University of Prishtina Throughout her career, Ms. Kusari-Lila has championed economic development,entrepreneurship, good governance, and gender equality, playing a key role in shaping Kosovo’s institutional and economic progress.

Dr. David Preisendanz is a German lawyer and Member of the German Bundestag for the Esslingen constituency in Baden-Württemberg. He has served in the Bundestag since 2025 as a member of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. He studied law at the University of Konstanz and the University of Lausanne and completed his doctorate in 2012. In the Bundestag, he is a full member of the Committee on European Union Affairs, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection, and the Subcommittee on European Law. He also serves as a substitute member of the Committee on Internal Affairs. Preisendanz has chaired the CDU association in Ostfildern since 2023 and has served on Ostfildern’s municipal council since 2024.

Peter Friedrich is Chief Executive Officer of the Stuttgart Region Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Managing Director of Handwerk International since March 2022. A graduate in administrative sciences from the University of Constance, he combines political leadership with international economic expertise. He served as Baden-Württemberg’s Minister for the Federal Council, Europe and International Affairs, and as a Bundestag member advocating for SMEs, skilled crafts, and liberal professions. He later became Managing Partner at GAULY Advisors GmbH, Frankfurt.