Sorcha Edwards has been the Secretary General of Housing Europe, the European Federation of Public, Cooperative and Social Housing, since 2014. Housing Europe represents public, cooperative, and social housing providers across Europe who share a vision of a continent where everyone has access to decent and affordable housing in socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable communities. The sector manages 25 million homes and delivers more than 200,000 new homes and renovations each year.

Sorcha leads the Brussels-based team and coordinates the network’s advocacy and research efforts, aiming for better regulation, better knowledge, and better finance for housing in European and international policymaking. Under her leadership, Housing Europe has become a key reference point for sustainable housing systems in Europe and beyond.

Her academic background includes business and languages at Dublin City University, the University of Salamanca, and the University of Ulster, a Master’s degree in European Studies from the University of Leuven, and a postgraduate diploma in sustainability in the built environment from the University of East London.

Petr Kulhánek is the Minister for Regional Development of the Czech Republic, a position he has held since October 2024. His work focuses on supporting regions affected by natural disasters and stabilising the digitalisation of the building permit system.

Born in Karlovy Vary, he graduated from the University of Economics in Prague, specialising in business management. He began his career as Director of HOPI Logistic (1998–2000) and later led the Promenáda publishing house (2000–2013). In 2005, he became Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists and Travel Writers (FIJET) and co-founded the Karlovy Vary Civic Alternative (KOA).

He has been active in regional and local politics for nearly two decades — serving as Mayor of Karlovy Vary (2010–2018), member of the Karlovy Vary Regional Council since 2012, and later as Governor of the Karlovy Vary Region (2020–2024). His professional background also includes experience in human resources and consulting.

Matthew Baldwin is the Head of the European Commission’s Task Force on Housing, established in February 2025, reporting to Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen. He also serves as Deputy Director-General in the Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER).

With over twenty-five years of experience in the European Commission, he has held senior leadership roles in energy, transport, and trade, including Deputy Director-General in DG MOVE, where he led the Mission for 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 and served as the EU Coordinator for Road Safety and Sustainable Urban Mobility.

He previously directed the Task Force on phasing out Russian energy imports and has also served as Director for Aviation and Director for Market Access.

Matthew has worked in three Commission cabinets, including those of Commissioner Pascal Lamy, President José Manuel Barroso, and Commissioner Jonathan Hill.

His professional focus includes housing, energy, and climate policy, and he is a strong advocate for the role of cities in driving positive change.

Tomáš Boček is Vice-Governor for Target Group Countries at the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB). He first joined the Bank’s appointed officials in 2019 and was re-appointed in 2021.

Before joining the CEB, he served as Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Migration and Refugees, leading efforts to strengthen the protection of migrants’ and refugees’ fundamental rights across member states.

From 2010 to 2016, he was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the Council of Europe, and earlier held senior posts at the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

Mr. Boček holds a Law degree from the West Bohemian University in Pilsen and a postgraduate diploma in International Public Law from Université Paris 1 Panthéon–Sorbonne. His experience in European cooperation, social development, and rights protection brings a valuable perspective to discussions on responsible housing finance and social inclusion.

As head of the EIB Group’s Task Force on Affordable and Sustainable Housing in 2024 and 2025, Gunnar Muent led the work on the EIBG’s Housing Action Plan.

Before, Gunnar was responsible, as Director General of the EIB’s Projects Directorate, for the technical, economic, and ESG-related assessment of investment projects, including housing.

Previously, he served as Director General responsible for the EIB Group’s Central Services directorate, in charge of digitalisation, IT and corporate real estate.

Gunnar holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Karlsruhe (Germany) and received a doctorate in economics from the Technical University of Braunschweig (Germany) in 1995. Before joining the EIB, he completed training for the higher service at the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, worked as a research associate at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, and held various positions at the chemical company BASF.

Bob Jordan has over 20 years of experience in housing policy, leading national initiatives to increase housing supply and improve affordability.

A former CEO of Ireland’s Housing Agency and Special Adviser to the Minister for Housing, he played a key role in the rollout of Ireland’s new cost-rental tenure and the national Housing First programme addressing homelessness.

He currently serves as Chair of the International Board of the Housing Investment Advisory Hub (HIAH) in the Czech Republic and as an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Geary Institute for Public Policy, University College Dublin, focusing on systemic solutions to housing affordability and homelessness.

He also contributes to CaraDem, a new Irish-led democracy initiative.

Daniel Ryšavka is Director of the Czech State Fund for Investment Promotion (SFPI). He studied at Masaryk University in Brno and at the École nationale d'administration (ENA) in Strasbourg. He gained professional experience at the French Ministry of Defence and Erste Group Bank in Brussels, with a long-standing focus on public investment, sustainable regional development, and social and affordable housing.

Before joining SFPI, he worked at the National Development Bank, where he contributed to the preparation of financial instruments and public investment programmes for affordable housing under the Ministry of Regional Development.

Since May 2023, as SFPI Director, he has led efforts to develop new tools and programmes improving housing affordability for young families, seniors, key workers, and people with low incomes. Under his leadership, SFPI has supported the construction of over 2,000 dwellings and mobilised a pipeline of 12,500 new affordable apartments, with a key focus on local advisory and public investment into housing.

Črtomir Remec is the President of the Management Board of the Housing Fund of the Republic of Slovenia, a public fund implementing the national housing policy and developing innovative housing solutions.

A civil engineer with a Master’s degree from the University of Ljubljana, he has led major projects in seismic safety, steel structure rehabilitation, and energy-efficient façade systems. Before joining the Housing Fund, he served as Director of the Steel Construction Institute (IMK) and the CBS Institute.

Mr. Remec is also President of the Slovenian Chamber of Engineers and has held leadership roles in international organisations such as the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) and the European Council of Engineers Chambers (ECEC).

Karol Bielovský is a Member of the Board and Chief Investment Officer at Dostupný Domov (Affordable Home). With 20 years of experience in real estate financing, he focuses on developing sustainable and affordable housing for single-parent families, seniors, members of marginalised Roma communities, and other groups. Over the past five years, Dostupný Domov has provided homes to 1300 people in more than 400 apartments, with around 800 residents currently living in its properties. The company combines commercial investment principles with a strong social mission, setting new standards for long-term rental housing in Slovakia.

Before joining Dostupný Domov, Karol headed the €1.5 billion real estate portfolio at Slovenská sporiteľňa, Slovakia’s leading bank, where he initiated and managed the country’s first cooperative housing projects.

At the Summit, he will share insights on creating viable financial frameworks for affordable rental housing and fostering effective cooperation between public institution, social partner, and private investor.

Dr. Bernd Riessland is Scientific and International Adviser to the Federation of Limited-Profit Housing Associations of Austria (GBV).

Trained as a civil engineer, he spent ten years developing and managing a private bank for affordable housing finance, while also leading a mixed real estate public stock company. He later initiated and directed the implementation of a 2.6 million m² mixed urban development in Vienna, and subsequently served for twelve years as CEO and CFO of two Limited-Profit Housing Associations managing 65,000 housing units across Austria.

Currently, Dr. Riessland acts as an adviser on housing finance in the Czech Republic in a project financed by the European Investment Bank EIB and chairs the Finance and Economy Working Committee on Housing.

At the Summit, he will contribute insights on investment structures for social and affordable housing, exploring how public and semi-public entities can evolve to support sustainable housing investment across Europe.

Michelle Norris is Professor of Social Policy and Director of the Geary Institute for Public Policy at University College Dublin, Ireland. Her research focuses on affordable housing policy, particularly the financing and provision of social rented housing.

Michelle coordinates the Horizon Europe project “EqualHouse,” exploring solutions to housing inequality across Europe, and was one of the lead authors of the Housing2030 report, commissioned by UNECE, UN-Habitat, and Housing Europe.

At the Summit, she brings a comparative and evidence-based perspective on how policy innovation and public investment can advance housing affordability and social inclusion.

Grzegorz Gajda is a Senior Urban Specialist at the European Investment Bank (EIB), where he advises project promoters on urban investment initiatives both within and outside the European Union.

Previously, while working with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), he led the Ukraine Residential Energy Efficiency Project. Before joining the IFC, he worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), where he appraised, negotiated, and implemented urban investment projects in Poland and Ukraine.

Grzegorz is based in Warsaw, Poland, and holds an M.A. in Economics from the University of Warsaw.

Florian Meyerhoefer is a seasoned economist with over two decades of experience in international finance, economic policy, and multilateral cooperation. Since 2021, he has served as Unit Chief for International Affairs and Analyses at the Council of Europe Development Bank in Paris.

Prior to this, he held senior positions at the German Federal Ministry of Finance, served as Advisor to the German Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., and as Secretary of the Euro Area Constituency at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

He holds a Doctorate in Economics from Freie Universität Berlin and completed postgraduate studies at Université Paris IX-Dauphine as well as an Executive Master of Public Management from the Hertie School / London School of Economics.