Embracing diversity is the cornerstone of SGAC’s principles. The goal of the European Space Leaders Award is to provide an opportunity for interaction between members of the space sector with diverse geographic and professional backgrounds. SGAC is pleased to announce Francesco Ventre, Nicolas Moraitis, Milica Milosev and Kiira Tiensuu as the winners of the 2024 European Space Leader Award. The winners will be sponsored to attend the 8th European Space Generation Workshop to be held in Munich, Germany.

Congratulations Francesco, Nicolas, Milica and Kiira!

 

Francesco Ventre

Francesco Ventre is a Business Developer at ispace Europe. He holds a BSc in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Naples “Federico II” and an MSc in Space Engineering from Politecnico di Milano. He is an ISU Space Studies Program alumnus from the class of 2021. Passionate about aerospace entrepreneurship and economy, he is the co-founder (and former CEO) of Walle srl the first Italian airline for “taxi-drones”. Before joining ispace, he was the innovation manager of the most prominent cluster of manufacturing companies in northeast Italy. He is an active member of SGAC, Women In Aerospace, and the IAF Space Entrepreneurship Committee. Within SGAC, he took part in several events, covering different roles (1st ISSC, 5th ISSC, 7th ESGW, SGFF 2024, SGC 2023 & 2024), moreover, he is the vice lead of the Commercial Space Project Group. He is on the Advisory Board of Polispace, the first space association of Politecnico di Milano that he co-founded in 2020. At the end of 2021 he also contributed to the creation of SEDS Italy, the federation of Italian universities space associations; he is now part of the Advisory Board. He is author and co-author of several conference proceedings. His hobbies include watching anime, reading, and listening to music.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Space Generation Leadership Award. My commitment to the SGAC activities has led me to where I am today and has allowed me to expand my network and learn from amazing individuals worldwide. It has been a privilege and… I won’t stop now: it’s always time to dare mighty things!”

 

 

Nicolas Moraitis

Nicolas is a Greek space lawyer, currently based in London. He is the Satellite Regulatory Affairs Officer at Charter, a UK and US-based start-up. He specialises in satellite licensing regulations, while also conducting research on space sustainability. He holds an Advanced LLM on Air and Space Law from Leiden University and is also a member of the International Institute of Space Law. Before joining the commercial space industry, he spent some time at the Dutch Ministry of Defence, in the Space Security Center team, as a Space Law Intern. Within SGAC, he has been part of the Space Law and Policy Project Group and also a Co-Lead of the Sustainability Group of the SGAPP, facilitating the authoring of SGAC’s Space Sustainability Policy Position. Currently, he is the SGAC National Point of Contact for Greece. During his free time, he enjoys taking photos and playing tennis.

“I am really honoured to be recognised as a European Space Leader. This appointment serves as a recognition of my contributions to the European space sector and encourages me to contribute even more in the future!”

 

 

Kiira Tiensuu

Kiira Tiensuu works as product manager at a Finnish space technology company Aboa Space Research Oy (ASRO), leading the development of innovative space instruments like the Mini Fluorescence Microscope for biological research in space. She holds two master’s degrees, one in Space Physics from the University of Turku, Finland, and the second in Space Technology, obtained through the SpaceMaster programme at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden. During her studies, she was the founding president of Giron Space Organisation and worked as a project manager in the academic rocket project RAVEN, initiatives that nurtured collaboration among students passionate about space. As Finland’s National Point of Contact at SGAC, she has played a key role in connecting the young space community in Finland and fostering connections within the broader European space network.

“I’m incredibly honored to receive the European Space Leader Award and excited for the chance to contribute to SGAC and the broader space community. This award inspires me to further advance our shared mission of fostering collaboration in the space sector. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who’s been part of this journey.”

 

 

Milica Milosev

Milica Milosev is an environmentalist and climate activist with a Bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Environmental protection and a Master’s degree in Professor of Biology. Milica is the Founder of the Econnects Association, an international organization based in Serbia, committed to driving positive change on a global scale, with the main mission of bridging the gap between the environment, space, and society. She became interested in the space sector after winning the “Space4Youth” competition organized by UNOOSA and supported by SGAC, with the idea of using space-based technologies for addressing the climate crisis. She represents SGAC as National Point of Contact for Serbia. Milica contributed to writing “Recommendations from the Young Generations on the Role of Space for Climate Action”, a report that details the official policy position of SGAC on the role of space in climate action. She is an active member of the IAF Space Education and Outreach Committee as well as various other groups, committees, and networks dealing with her main areas of interest: education & outreach, inclusion and environment. Currently, Milica works at MDPI, a publisher of open-access scientific journals, as Group Leader and Section Managing Editor for the journal “Sustainability”.

“I’m beyond honored to receive the European Space Leader Award and to attend the 8th European Space Generation Workshop. I’m even more excited to know that this award will help me with outreach and building community, especially for the next generation in my home country (Serbia) and my region (Balkan). I’m grateful for the opportunity provided by SGAC to be able to create and experience more space activities with this community.”