Speaker update for the 17th EFDN Conference in Liverpool

Speaker update for the 17th EFDN Conference in Liverpool

The European Football for Development Network (EFDN) will host its 17th EFDN ‘#Morethanfootball’ Conference as from 09-11 May 2022 in the home city of two EFDN members in Liverpool on the 9th and 10th of May 2022. EFDN members Liverpool FC and Everton FC will host the Conference in Anfield and Goodison Park. 

This conference is the perfect platform for organisations of all shapes and sizes to share ideas and develop new concepts. EFDN is excited to meet its members and partners again in person at the largest gathering of Community and Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance( ESG) experts in European professional football. You can read more about the topics the participants at the 17th EFDN Conference will be able to learn and exchange about here. It will be an excellent occasion for your organisation to join these experts and broaden your network on CSR in football.

This news article will give you an impression of some more of the knowledgeable and competent speakers in the fields of project conception, developing meaningful partnerships, strategy, future opportunities and collaborations – who we have contacted to share their expertise with you:

FILIPPO VEGLIO – UEFA

Filippo Veglio, Senior Expert in UEFA’s Football and Social Responsibility (FSR) Division, is the next confirmed speaker at our 17th EFDN #Morethanfootball Conference in Liverpool on 9 & 11 May 2022.

Filippo Veglio is Senior Expert in UEFA’s Football and Social Responsibility (FSR) Division since September 2021. He supports the Division Director in developing and implementing the organisation’s Football Sustainability Strategy 2030, which aims to initiate, inspire and accelerate collective action to respect human rights and the environment within European football. Filippo leads cross-divisional projects designed and implemented in partnership with stakeholders across the football ecosystem. Previous to joining UEFA, Filippo spent 16 years at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a CEO-led community of 200 of the world’s leading businesses, where he was a member of the Senior Management Team. Filippo was formerly a professional tennis player.

Last December, UEFA announced their Football Sustainability Strategy 2030, with the ultimate goal to inspire, activate and accelerate collective action to respect human rights and the environment within the context of European Football. The strategy is titled Strength Through Unity to signify that complex issues can only be addressed and solved if we work in close collaboration with all our football stakeholders, agree on a shared agenda, use a common language, and adopt a consistent approach.

The strategy advocates that sustainability supports the success of European football. It is formulated around 11 policies, seven of them focused on human rights, and four on the environment – each supported by a 2030 ambition, targets and key performance indicators (KPIs), and is being implemented in five areas of action: UEFA internal organisation, UEFA events, UEFA member associations, the football ecosystem (clubs, leagues, players, referees, officials, coaches, volunteers), and partners and society (sponsors, fans, suppliers, media, local communities, governments and global institutions).

ROSS ALEXANDER – ASTON VILLA FOUNDATION

Ross Alexander, the Foundation and Community Partnerships Manager at the Aston Villa Foundation, is the next confirmed speaker at our 17th EFDN #Morethanfootball Conference in Liverpool on 9 & 11 May 2022.

Ross Alexander is the Foundation and Community Partnerships Manager at the Aston Villa Foundation and is passionate about support those who are unrepresented in areas of high need. His background is in youth and community work within the public sector and more recently in supporting the governance, training and development of organisations working in the charitable sector.

Ross joined the Foundation in June 2019 and has played key role is the strategic growth and organisation development, including financial and structural growth, project development, implementation and partnership relations.

Ross and his colleague Guy Rippon will present on the Aston Villa Foundation ‘Sector Skills Academy’ initiatives, which support the employability agenda across a range of industries. The presentation will focus on the Aston Catering Club project, which provides skills, qualifications and routes into employment for people with an interest in the hospitality and catering industry. The presentation will cover the journey from project conception, developing meaningful partnerships and exit routes, delivery, impact, future opportunities and collaborations – as well as discussing some of the challenges faced along the way.

GUY RIPPON – ASTON VILLA FOUNDATION

Guy Rippon, the Head of Foundation at Aston Villa, is the next confirmed speaker at our 17th EFDN #Morethanfootball Conference in Liverpool on 9 & 11 May 2022.

Guy Rippon is the Head of Foundation at Aston Villa, having joined the organisation in October 2016. Guy has overseen a significant growth in the size and reach of the Foundation over the last five years and sits on the club’s Executive Management Board.

Previously Guy had been a director at Coventry City’s community charity for five years and held regional management roles for both the Football League Trust and the Football Foundation dating back to 2008. Prior to his involvement in the football industry, Guy worked in local government overseeing sport for good projects for young people in inner-city areas for several years, before moving into senior management sport and leisure local authority roles.

Alongside leading the Aston Villa Foundation, Guy is the executive lead for Aston Villa for environmental sustainability and is studying a part-time master’s degree in Business Administration at Aston Business School.

Guy and his colleague Ross will present on the Aston Villa Foundation ‘Sector Skills Academy’ initiatives, which support the employability agenda across a range of industries. The presentation will focus on the Aston Catering Club project, which provides skills, qualifications and routes into employment for people with an interest in the hospitality and catering industry. The presentation will cover the journey from project conception, developing meaningful partnerships and exit routes, delivery, impact, future opportunities and collaborations – as well as discussing some of the challenges faced along the way.

MARC-ANDRE BUCHWALDER – SCORT FOUNDATION

Marc-Andre Buchwalder, Co-founder and CEO of the Scort Foundation, is the next confirmed speaker at our 17th EFDN #Morethanfootball Conference in Liverpool on 9 & 11 May 2022.

Marc-Andre Buchwalder is based in Basel/Switzerland, where he is playing a key role in developing multi-stakeholder partnerships and advocacy. In his earlier professional life, Marc has served in the NATO Mission SFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1997 as well as a scientific assistant in the “Research Team Olympia” of the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz. In this role, he conducted sociological studies at the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002 and Athens in 2004. Marc later joined the United Nations as UN sports advisor for the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport in Kosovo (UNMIK).

During his time in Kosovo, 2004 to 2006, Marc specifically promoted the rights of ethnic minorities, monitored good governance of the Sports Department in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and helped find solutions to include Kosovo sports into the international arena. He gave thought to the question of how professional sports (especially football) could get linked more sustainable and more systematically with the international community in the field of international development cooperation. In January 2007, this resulted in the formation of the Scort Foundation and the partnership programme “Football Club Social Alliance”, a network of socially committed professional football clubs. The aim of the foundation is to support young people in post-conflict environments through specific football initiatives and leadership education.

Get your ticket for the 17th EFDN Conference in Liverpool here.