Iva Stoyanova is a Bulgarian journalist with 30 years of experience in the media industry. She began her career in 1995 as a sports reporter at a national sports daily “7 days sport”, later becoming a commentator for Eurosport Bulgaria and the owner and editor-in-chief of a monthly multi-thematic magazine.

With nearly a decade of hands-on experience in sports journalism, Iva has an extensive background in covering major football events at both national and international levels. She reported from the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, delivering coverage of key matches and developments from one of the world’s most significant sporting tournaments. She extensively covered and the most titled football club in Bulgaria - CSKA and Bulgarian national football team, following their international games, training sessions and qualification campaigns, producing in-depth reports, analyses and interviews.

In 2006, she transitioned into political journalism, working as a political reporter and hosting several high-profile political shows. She has held senior leadership roles, including CEO of Channel 3, Bulgaria’s highest-rated news TV station, and CEO of NOVA Broadcasting Group, the country’s largest media group.

In 2013, she completed professional media training at CNN Headquarters in Atlanta. Her political show The City was awarded Best Political Show, and she was named Media Manager of the Year in Bulgaria.

Currently, Iva is a lecturer in Sports Journalism at the National Sports Academy, the founder of a media consulting and communications company, and a published author of two books.

Beyond her media career, she is a national champion in Sports Acrobatics and a two-time World Championship participant. She holds two Master’s degrees in Journalism and in Public Management and Politics. Iva is married and the mother of two daughters.

Dr Michael Humann is a lecturer in education and digital innovation at the Centre for Educational Development & Support (CEDS), part of the University of Liverpool. With a background in applied psychology, his work focuses on improving critical incident decision making and developing expertise in policing and emergency response. Working on a range of applied projects with law enforcement, security agencies, and emergency responders, these have emphasised the importance of looking at evidence-based solutions, to develop competence across staff and also build confidence within organisations.

For the past 15 years he has also been the educational director on the Pan-European Football Policing Training Project (PE-FPTP), designing and delivering training to police forces and partners across Europe within the context of international football matches and other sports events. Working together as a special advisor to the European Group of Policing Football & NFIP Experts, this work has focused on monitoring annual reports from all members and consider emerging trends, to ensure training, guidance, and legislation adapt and evolve accordingly.

Hollie Wilson is a Research Officer at AccessibAll (previously Centre for Access to Football in Europe), a European charity focused on improving accessibility and inclusion in football stadiums for disabled fans. Her role involves collating worldwide research and highlighting Awareness Days, in addition to working on AccessibAll's Erasmus+ research projects with transnational partners. 

Hollie attended Glasgow Caledonian University, where she recieved a Master's with Merit in International Economic and Social Justice. She has previous experience working in Health and Social Care research.

Steve served as a Police Officer in the South Wales Police in the UK for 30 years retiring as a senior officer in 2019.

During that time one of his roles including leading the Specialist Operations Unit which managed major events in the force area as well as being an accredited Gold and Silver Public Order and Firearms commander.

Steve was a Police commander for numerous Major Events including the 2012 Olympic Football Matches, the 2014 UEFA Super Cup and the 2017 Champions League Finals all of which were held in Cardiff, as well as being the Head of the Welsh Police Football delegation at the 2016 UEFA Men’s European Finals in France.

In 2019 following his retirement, Steve qualified as a Safety Officer working at the Cardiff City and Principality Stadiums and began work part time for UEFA on Venue Safety Planning for UEFA Club Finals including the Champions League Finals.

In September 2021 Steve joined UEFA full time as a Safety & Security officer and worked on the co-ordination and planning for numerous UEFA Club and International Competitions.

In October 2023 Steve was promoted to the position of Head of the UEFA Safety, Security & Service Unit and is now responsible for all workstreams throughout UEFA in this area of work.

Katarzyna Gierak serves as the Head of Strategy and Integrity of Sport Unit in the Department of Planning and Strategy at Poland’s Ministry of Sport and Tourism. She, along with Poland’s Ministry of Sport and Tourism, work to promote initiatives to help improve inclusion and safety for disabled persons at football matches. She participates within her Unit in preparing sports development strategy. As an expert in her field, she has also previously worked with the Council of Europe and the Balance S4 project to promote service and inclusion at sporting events.

Stuart is the Director of European and Institutional Affairs at Football Supporters Europe. He has extensive experience in facilitating the implementation of the Supporter Liaison Officer provision in UEFA's Club Licensing Regulations on behalf of UEFA as well as in the delivery of EU-funded projects. In April 2020, he completed the Executive Master in Global Sports Governance (MESGO) programme, graduating with a high-class distinction. His thesis had the title "Fan Dialogue in France: Impact of the Law of 10 May 2016 on Strengthening Dialogue with Supporters".

Andrea Jones has worked as the Head of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement at the the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) for nearly 7 years. Prior to her role at SGSA she worked as the previously Head of Communications and Membership at the Association of Colleges, Communications Manager for the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales and Community Engagement Manger for South Wales Police Authority.

After graduating from Loughborough University with a Bachelor of Science in Sport and Exercise Sciences and PhD in the Sociology of Sport, Dr. Jo Welford spent 16 years researching, evaluating, and recommending policy for increasing accessibility for sport spectators. Specifically, she is an expert in the role of supporters in football governance, the professionalization of women’s football, and safe standing in stadiums. Her research previously informed the policy change allowing licensed standing in all-seater stadia.

Today, Dr. Jo Welford is currently working as an Inspector at the Sports Grounds Safety Authority where her primary responsibility concerns data and evidence.

Ken is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a former chair of its Building Control Professional Group.

He has carried out inspections, delivered training and presented papers in many parts of the world to delegates ranging from independent venues to World and National Governing Bodies, Governments and trade bodies on the subject of Safety of Sports Grounds and Crowd Management at large events.

Ken has been Head of Inspectorate at SGSA since 2016 with responsibility for leading and managing the organisations team of inspectors and helping deliver the organisations ambitious new strategy to become the worlds leading authority on sports grounds safety.

He also took the strategic lead role and is co-author of the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds 6^th edition (the Green Guide) published in 2018. The document is widely respected around the world as the leading guidance document on safety of sports grounds

Gabriela Matei, graduated Aircraft Engineering in the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Romania and the International Diplomacy and Business programme of the Georgetown University in Washington DC. Previous work with the USAID and the World Bank provided the experience needed for pursuing public policy and fiscal decentralisation reforms in South-East Europe, developing civil society engagement in Eastern Partnership countries, as well as enhancing the respect of human rights through work with Parliaments, ministries, prosecutors and the European Court of Human Rights. She applies Council of Europe’s standards in the member states as basis for the technical assistance programmes and since 2021 she uses her expertise and interest in sport, inclusion, safeguarding diversity to demonstrate that respect can be multiplied in our society through sport. Her objective is to make a difference, a sustainable societal change and she has done this through the EU-CoE joint projects Combating Hate Speech in Sport and the education campaign #Sport IS Respect and since July 2024 the Balance S4 “Strengthening the Safety and Service pillars of the Saint-Denis Convention”#SportWelcomesAll.  

Paulo Gomes has been working over the last eight years at the Council of Europe. He achieved the top position of national police director of the Portuguese Public Security Police (PSP); and also has a legal background, with two master’s degrees in law and security law. Paulo has also as Deputy Secretary-General of the Internal Security System and Executive Secretary of the National Safety and Security Committee on UEFA EURO 2004,  as well as head of national police delegations at several UEFA and FIFA Football Championships.

For a decade, he was vice-president and president of the Standing Committee of the European Convention on Spectator Violence (ETS No. 120), of the Council of Europe, the 1985 treaty that preceded the Saint-Denis Convention.

Currently he is working as head of unit of the Saint-Denis Convention, he has been secretary of this Convention since 2017. In addition, he is the coordinator of joint projects with the European Union in this field, the current one being on strengthening the safety and service pillars at sporting events.

Stanislas has served as Executive Secretary of the Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) following its creation in 2007. Since 2025 he is also responsible for the Sport Conventions. During his tenure he has led key initiatives, co-ordinated the negotiation of numerous standards and overseen the drafting of the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (the “Macolin Convention”) as well as the organisation of Ministerial Conferences. From 2021 to 2025 he chaired the Council of Europe’s Staff Committee. He joined the Council in 2003, working on the Anti-Doping and Spectator Violence Conventions, and liaising with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), UNESCO and international sports federations, among others. Prior to this, he worked as an NGO leader, trainer and consultant in the youth, refugee and environmental sectors.