aļesja kirčenko
Deputy
Head, SEB Global Services Riga, Chairperson, ABSL Latvia
Aļesja
Kirčenko is an experienced leader in the global business services sector,
currently serving as Deputy Head of SEB Global Services in Riga and Chairperson
of ABSL Latvia. With over a decade of experience in strategic operations,
organizational development, and cross-border collaboration, she plays a pivotal
role in shaping the future of Latvia’s GBS landscape.
Aļesja leads initiatives that drive operational excellence and foster a culture
of innovation. Her leadership has been instrumental in aligning regional
capabilities with global ambitions.
As Chairperson of ABSL Latvia, Aļesja fosters the growth of the business
services community, advocating for stronger partnerships between industry,
government, and academia. Aļesja is a frequent speaker at industry events and a
passionate mentor, known for her ability to connect strategic vision with
practical execution.
Robert Giori
Chief
Financial Officer, Atea ASA
Robert Giori joined Atea as Chief Financial Officer in 2014.
He has extensive experience in financial management for public companies within
the IT industry. Prior to joining Atea, Robert spent over five years as Chief
Financial Officer of Nordic Semiconductor ASA. He has also worked as Chief
Financial Officer of TeleComputing ASA and as Finance Director for Dell’s
operations in Norway. In addition, he has previously been a consultant with
McKinsey & Company.
Robert has an MBA from Harvard University and a Bachelor
degree from Stanford University. He has completed the Certified Public
Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Chartered Financial
Analyst (CFA) examinations in the United States.
Evija Celma
Head of Roche Services and Solutions Riga, Member of the Board of ABSL Latvia
Team and process builder with a skillset in digital marketing, strategic planning, and change management. Evija has formerly worked in different roles in private, public and NGO sectors. Before joining Roche, she served 3 years as the Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Riga. While working in many different capacities, much of her time was dedicated to revamping Riga’s branding, improving public spaces, and acting as a strategist and change enabler. Currently, Evija is not only the site lead of Roche Services & Solutions in Riga, but also the content creation chapter lead in Roche Global Digital Hub and has teams in Budapest, Riga, Kuala Lumpur, Costa Rica and India. She leads by doing — encouraging talented teams and decision-makers to experiment boldly and make positive impactful changes. International mindset. Public purpose. Real impact. Change doesn’t scare her – stagnation does. She has a Boston terrier named Chloe (cute dog). She loves urban gardening, furniture restoration and long walks.
Urmo merila
Deputy
Director General, State Shared Service Centre, Estonia
Urmo Merila is the Deputy Director General at Estonia’s State Shared Service Centre (RTK), where he is responsible of EU Structural Funds and funds management and helps drive the state’s shared-services. RTK consolidates cross-government support services to improve efficiency and service quality. He focus in measurable outcomes, clear SLAs and data-driven performance so that funds are spent compliantly, on time and for maximum impact. At ABSL Latvia Summit 2025, he shares practical lessons on “Public Sector 2.0”: using State GBS and disciplined funds management to unlock efficiency and strategic value.
Juris Tērauds
Co-Founder
& AI Lead, Ideaport Riga
With 25 years of experience implementing CRM solutions, Juris now focuses on redesigning customer business processes and user experiences with the help of Agentic AI.
Kim Leandersson
Consultant
A seasoned GBS and transformation leader with over 20 years of experience driving operational excellence across IT, finance, HR, and customer service. He has led large-scale digital, automation, and shared services transformations in international environments, including roles at Tele2, Telia, and Cognizant.
Zane čulkstēna
Founder, ERDA
Zane Čulkstēna is founder of ERDA and a leading expert on human capital in the Baltics. She created the "Future of Jobs" conference, launched Latvia’s Education Accelerator with the World Economic Forum, and more recently introduced an AI-based career coach for students. She also founded the Baltic Institute for the Future of Work, providing data-driven insights to support workforce adaptability and growth. Zane is a graduate of SSE Riga, the University of Sussex, and Columbia University, where she later returned as a visiting scholar and Fulbright Fellow.
Edvīns Elferts
Guest Lecturer at SSE Riga, Co-Founder of Mitigate AI Services
Edvins is a guest lecturer the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga and a co-founder of Mitigate AI Services. He brings over a decade of international experience in consulting and technology development, with a focus on AI, smart automation and software development.
Paweł Panczyj
ABSL Management Board Member, Strategy & Business Development Director
Pawel is an
expert in the field of business services sectors with experience from both
sides of the investment process.
In the years
2002 – 2007 Pawel has worked very closely with the Mayor of Wroclaw in the
field of supporting investors opening new factories and business service
centers.
Between 2008
and 2012 Pawel worked as the Manager in the Business Advisory Services
department of EY, conducting negotiations with investors choosing the location
or looking for support in early stages of the projects.
In 2009,
together with the ABSL Founding Members, he supported creation of ABSL and
served as Advisor to the Management Board. Since 2012 Pawel has been working
full time as the ABSL Managing Director. In the last years he, among others,
defined and created the 7 ABSL local chapters, supervised cooperation with ABSL
strategic Partners in key fields of sector’s growth, supervised business
development activities supporting ABSL projects including Annual and
International Conferences.