Welcoming remarks and introduction

Sergio Arzeni
President, the International Network for SMEs – INSME
Francesco Guido
General Manager, South Italian Regions, Intesa Sanpaolo 
Antonio Lucarelli
Director Machinery, Energy and Environment Office, Italian Trade & Investment Agency – ITA

Panel I – Fintech opportunities for SMEs

This Panel will examine how Fintech can overcome SMEs’ financing challenges and how technology can reshape the market with new players and new solutions.

Panellists will discuss the following issues:

• To what extent do Fintech-related solutions provide new ways to secure funding for SMEs?
• Does Fintech require new regulations and policies?
• Which opportunities may arise for SMEs from this digital wave?

Chairman:

Salvatore Zecchini
Former Chairman, OECD Working Party on SMEs and Entrepreneurship

Panellists:

Kris Boschmans
Policy Analyst, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE)
Maurizio Casasco
President, Italian Confederation of Small and Medium-sized Industries – CONFAPI
Helmut Krämer-Eis
Chief Economist, Head of Research & Market Analysis, European Investment Fund – EIF
Patrick Meinhardt
President, Foundation of Small and Medium Enterprises & Head of Politics, BVMW The German Mittelstand
Captain Samuel Salloum
Co-chairman, Global Coalition for Efficient Logistics – GCEL

Panel II – The wider impact of digitalization on SMEs

This Panel will dig into digital innovations such as blockchain solutions and examine how digitalization is impacting on SMEs and fostering entrepreneurship.

Panellists will discuss the following issues among others:

• In which way are Fintech innovations (e.g. blockchain, crowdfunding, mobile payments, etc.) reshaping the market?
• What is the impact of blockchain solutions on SMEs?

Chairman:

Jay Mitra
Professor, Essex University Business School

Panellists:

Su-Hyun Berg
Senior Advisor, Seoul Energy Corporation
Raimund Broechler
Senior Research & Innovation Manager, Head of Innovation, Services Lab & Factories of the Future Lab, INTRASOFT International
Mauro Minenna
General Director, ACI Informatica
Roberto Parente
Global Leader, International Council for Small Business – ICSB
Gaetano Patrimia
Innovation Project Manager, Prima Industrie S.p.A.
Nuno Varandas
Co-founder, F6S Network

Panel III – Competences and skills in the era of Fintech

This Panel will analyze competences required to support the technological change. It will include discussions on both the company and the human capital sides.

Panellists will discuss the following issues:

• Which relation between the education system and the business system could guarantee the development of skills and competences needed? 
• Which are the soft and hard skills needed to master the technological change?
• To what extent are digitalization and automation a threat for employment or an opportunity for high tech companies?

Chairman:

Giovanni Zazzerini
Secretary-General, the International Network for SMEs – INSME

Panellists:

Andrea Di Anselmo
Vice-President & Founding Member, META Group
András Hlács
Vice-Chair, OECD Committee on Digital Economy Policy
Nadine Levratto
Director of Research, CNRS-University Paris Nanterre Research Unit
Maily Anna Maria Nguyen
Expert of internationalization & Member of the The Italian Association for Quality Culture – AICQ Industry 4.0 Steering Committee
Pierluigi Rivieccio
Innovation Project Manager, NovaFund S.p.A

INSME General Assembly (INSME Members only)
– Financial statements approval
– Governing Body Election

Planned Speeches:

Partnership with the Observatory on Practices of Entrepreneurs and Enterprises (OPEE), Nadine Levratto, Director of Research, CNRS-University Paris Nanterre Research Unit

Launch of the INSME Education Committee, Patrick Meinhardt, President, Foundation of Small and Medium Enterprises & Head of Politics, BVMW The German Mittelstand

INSME Best Practice: Business Performance Monitoring Tool, Dinkar Kishor, Deputy General Manager and Faris Al Harty, Senior Project Specialist, Sharakah
Discussant: Roberto Santolamazza, Managing Director, t2i – technology transfer and innovation

Report on the outcomes of the Fintech session

Digital benchmark trade lanes to boost SMEs trade
Gregory Bird, Deputy Secretary General, Global Coalition for Efficient Logistics – GCEL

Panel IV – Logistics for SMEs in the Mediterranean region

This Panel will discuss how logistics and supply chains are restructured considering digitalization and changes in international trade flows.

Panellists will discuss the following issues:

• How do digital innovations in logistics and supply chains (trading platform, trade finance, e-commerce, etc.) impact on business?
• How can logistics better support SMEs internationalization and their participation to global value chains?

Chairman:

Massimo Deandreis
General Manager, Italian Research Center for Economic Studies related to Intesa Sanpaolo Banking Group – SRM

Panellists:

Despina Anastasopoulos
Research & Innovation Manager, INTRASOFT International
Alessandra Colpo
Administration and Fincance Director, Carpisa
Simona Lertora
Managing Director Marketing & Business Development, DHL Express
Mario Mattioli
President, Italian Shipowners’ Association – CONFITARMA
Hamsa Thota
President, Innovation Business Development – IBD

Closing Remarks
Giovanni Zazzerini, Secretary-General, the International Network for SMEs – INSME, Italy

Networking Lunch