Valeria Croce

Experience

• 

  Doxa

  Jan 2000 - Oct 2001

  Junior Researcher

  Junior researcher in the Business-to-Business division, Doxa.www.doxa.it.- Contribute to manage and coordinate quantitative research projects.- Draft research proposals.- Present results to clients.

• 

  Vodafone

  Oct 2001 - Jul 2003

  Senior Research Analyst

  Vodafone is a mobile operator in Italy. My main activities and responsibilities included:- Manage and coordinate quantitative and qualitative research projects for primary data collection.- Analyse the company’s database on consumer data.- Contribute to manage all aspects of the procurement process, including evaluation of proposals.

• 

  USI Università della Svizzera italiana

  Nov 2004 - Oct 2007

  Project Manager

  The USI Institute of Economic Research, a Canton Ticino’s government agency, is in charge of monitoring the performance of its regional economy through research in regional and urban economics, regional growth and development, competitiveness, transportation and mobility. My main activities and responsibilities included:- Develop an indicator to measure the competitiveness of European cities as tourism destinations.- Conduct research in the field of regional economics, with focus on performance analysis and competitiveness.- Project manage local and international research projects on tourism and regional economics.- Organize scientific events and conferences, and participate in international conferences. Show less

• 

  MODUL University Vienna

  Aug 2007 - Jun 2010

  Researcher and Lecturer

  MODUL University Vienna (MU Vienna) is an internationally oriented organization for research and education on public governance, new media technology and tourism. My main activities and responsibilities included:- Deliver lectures in Economics, Marketing Research, Operational Analysis and Forecasting.- Conduct research in the field of competitiveness (composite indicators), forecasting and benchmarking.- Draft academic papers and other contributions to publications.- Contribute to the development and management of TourMIS, an online information management system aimed at enhancing data-driven policy making in tourism.- Act as liaison officer with the European Commission within the framework of the NECSTour network.- Member of the university management board. Show less

• 

  UNWTO World Tourism Organization

  Jul 2010 - Sept 2012

  Research Expert

  The Tourism Market Trends Programme provides UNWTO members with the information they need for completing their qualitative and quantitative knowledge to define their national strategies and to evaluate the effectiveness thereof. My main activities and responsibilities included:- Analyse UNWTO dataset on tourism statistics and economic indicators and contribute to draft trend reports, such as the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer and Tourism Highlights.- Contribute to “Tourism Towards 2030”, the agency's flagship report on long-term forecasts and policy priorities for the global tourism sector. I provided technical support for the forecast section and drafted the foresight section analysing mega-trends and game changers. - Supervise the the preparation of thematic reports (e.g. on the impact of demographic change on tourism) in all aspects from procurement to technical advice and the publication process.- Draft briefings, press releases and technical presentations.- Represent the organization at international events and to visiting delegations.- Lecture a postgraduate course on Tourism Market Intelligence. Show less

• 

  European Travel Commission

  Oct 2012 - Feb 2015

  Head of Research and Development

  The ETC Research Department delivers on-going intelligence to the organisation’s Executive Unit and to members and to monitor the performance of the tourism sector at European level. As head of department, my main activities and responsibilities included:- Devise and implement the multi-annual research programme, including the joint ETC-UNWTO research programme.- Produce reports comparing best practice examples in various fields (e.g. tourism product development, innovative research methods for tourism, etc.) including the procurement, editing and publication process.- Analyse tourism and socio-economic data to monitor the short-term evolution of tourism in Europe, as input for quarterly publications and dashboards.- Devise and manage quantitative and qualitative research projects for primary data collection, and initiate new research projects in the field of forecasting and competitiveness analysis.- Contribute to the development, execution and communication of the “Destination Europe 2020”, a joint EC-ETC project to enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized tourism enterprises in the European Union through 2020.- Coordinate a group of research experts consisting of research directors of member states (MIG).- Draft reports, technical input, briefings and press releases.- Disseminate research output to the media, deliver keynotes and presentations at international events and guest lectures. Show less

• 

  European Commission

  Mar 2015 - Feb 2016

  Business Intelligence Analyst

  The EC Directorate General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs works to promote growth in Europe. Within the Unit for Tourism, Emerging and Creative Industries in this DG, my main tasks were related to projects enhancing the socio-economic knowledge base in tourism, for a more competitive tourism sector in Europe. These included:- Lead the re-launch of DG GROW's “ Virtual Tourism Observatory ”, an online platform delivering statistics, analyses and a repository of EU policy and legislation to support evidence-driven policy making in the EU tourism sector. - Support the Unit through the review of scientific research, statistical analysis and with technical advice on research. - Perform policy impact analysis, such as tourism contribution to economies in the EU or the impact of the temporary suspension of the Schengen agreement on the tourism sector. - Draft reports and contribute to position papers, briefing notes and other policy documents. - Liaise with the UN World Tourism Organization and Eurostat on specific components (1, 2 and 4) of the joint EC- UNWTO Enhancing the Understanding of European Tourism Project. - Coordinate an Expert Group on Knowledge within the EC Initiative on Senior Tourism (EULSTIB). - Contribute to organise and present at the EC high-level Conference on Senior and Youth Tourism. Show less

• 

  Eurail

  Jun 2016 - Feb 2021

  Head of Business Intelligence and Research

  Eurail is owned by and acts for 35 European railway and shipping organisations. From 2016 to 2019 I was in charge of building Eurail's knowledge base as leader of the BI team. My main objective was to enhance organisational knowledge and develop strategic insights for current business operations and future developments. In this position I was responsible for the whole information production process (research design, data collection, data analysis, dashboarding, reporting) and to provide shareholders with efficient, timely and data-driven strategic advice. I designed and managed large scale, multi-country research projects using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, including nethnographic studies triangulating big data analysis with qualitative research methodsFrom 2020 onwards I worked as International Relations and Insights Manager within the Strategy Department. My main responsibility was to set up and lead Eurail's Business to Institutions value stream (as Business Owner) and to increase the overall relevance of Eurail BV as the entity of the European railways for leisure travel. Key accountabilities included the management of projects with institutional partners (European Commission, Council of Europe, local governments and other international organisations) and the cooperation with the Community of European Railways and Infrastructure (CER) on tourism and youth mobility. Show less

• 

  Hebrew University of Jerusalem

  Oct 2016 - Jun 2017

  Post-Doc Grantholder

  Post-Doc scholarship from the Austrian Ministry of Science, Research and Business. Lecturing a course on "Human Mobility in Europe: International Migration and Tourism". One of the greatest achievements of the European Union is the establishment of the free movement of its citizens and visitors across member states. This has affected mobility patterns within and to the EU. Building on the the ‘new mobilities’ paradigm (Sheller, M. and Urry, J., 2006), this course provides students with the knowledge needed to monitor and analyse international human flows and monitor policies aimed at managing migration or tourism. The fact-driven approach, based on real-life case examples, in-class discussions and group activities, actively engages students in the learning process, in developing critical thinking and acquiring a deep understanding of the evolution of the two phenomena in Europe. Show less

• 

  European Commission

  Feb 2021 - Sept 2022

  Knowledge Management Officer

  My worked focused on building a knowledge base on emerging trends and practices for innovative ways of working, knowledge management (from AI solutions to collaborative platforms) and collaboration, for a better integrated and evidence-informed policymaking. This includes sense making of scientific and grey literature, ad-hoc research activities for data collection and analysis to feed consultancy services in support of Commission Services adopting modern and agile work practices. Other duties included the preparation of briefings, reports and other input for senior management and the Commission’s Information Management Steering Board. I also acted as data contact point for the Unit. Show less

• 

  European Research Council (ERC)

  Sept 2022 - now

  Project Adviser

  Main responsibility: contribute to implement the Agency’s ethics evaluation and monitoring processes; lead the development of knowledge management actions in the ethics sector; contribute to the Agency’s mapping of frontier research and feedback-to-policy reports. In this capacity, I oversee the implementation of guidelines and processes to ensure ERC-funded research complies with the highest ethical standards, relevant legislation, and EU fundamental values. Building on my expertise in data analysis and knowledge management, I introduced new processes and methods to enhance the Agency’s knowledge on research ethics and map emerging and complex ethics issues in frontier research. The focus of my work is on the emerging field of digital ethics, human-centric AI systems and Big Data. Show less