PhD (Econ.), is a Senior Lecturer and Program Director at Stockholm Business School, Stockholm University, where he has held leading academic positions since 2011. He conducted postdoctoral research at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and was a visiting scholar at Harvard Business School.
As the founder of Tertius AB, he specializes in fundraising and project finance, including the development of long-term corporate partnership and donor platforms for organizations such as the Royal Swedish Opera. He has over 15 years of experience leading international and local projects and organizing conferences on topics such as sustainable finance, culture and urban development.
In 2022, following a visit to Ukraine and participation in an EU conference in Brussels, he initiated the Rethinking Cities in Ukraine program in partnership with Ro3kvit Urban Coalition and with funding from the Swedish Institute. The program concluded with a conference in Stockholm that had a highly positive impact, where several municipal pilot projects secured or began the process of obtaining funding. Based on this success, Ragnar secured additional funding and continues in partnership with Ro3kvit a second round of capacity building, which has since been launched as Rethinking Cities in Ukraine 2.0.

As an urban planner, manager, and educator, Zhenia worked with well-known Ukrainian institutions such as the Mykolaiv Development Agency, the Kharkiv School of Architecture, and non-profits Urban Reforms and Urbanyna. Since 2021, Zhenia has been a Fulbright scholar doing her Master's in Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Her research interests are related to post-war physical reconstruction actors and systems, professional planning evolution, and strategic foresight. Currently, she is a Foresight manager at the American Planning Association.

Maria Smirnova is an architect and an urban planner with a specialization in sustainable spatial development. She specializes in the sustainable development of urbanized areas, focusing on climate change adaptation and the restoration of blue-green infrastructure and natural landscapes. Maria graduated with a degree in Architecture from the Odesa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture. She also completed the CANactions School of Urbanism, where she learned the fundamentals of integrated urban planning. Additionally, she holds a Master of Science degree in Natural Sciences and Policy from the Central European University.
She was a member of the research team for the project "Integrated spatial planning for united territorial communities," supported by the U-LEAD program with Europe.
Maria gained experience working at the Vinnytsia City Council's Spatial Development Agency, which implements integrated approaches to city development. Notably, she participated in developing projects such as the "Zamostya district development model" and "Development of сoastal areas - alley 12.7 km."
Maria has expertise in creating integrated development concepts and conducting spatial research, as well as participating in educational programs and interdisciplinary projects related to territory planning.

master of Sociology, researcher and practitioner in the field of urban studies, development of communities and territories, and practices of involvement in decision-making processes in the field of spatial and social development. She is sociologist at the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, co-founder of the Cité Participatory Planning Bureau and researcher and expert in participatory planning at the Center for Urban Studies. Additionally, Maria is a invited lecturer at the Kyiv National University of Building and Architecture (KNUBA).
With ten years of experience in urban research and the implementation of participatory planning practices at the local level, Maria has collaborated with municipalities in Lviv, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Sumy, and other hromadas. Notably, she contributed as an engagement expert to the development of the Integrated Development Concept for the Podil District in Kyiv.
Maria has also worked with several civil society organizations, including the Cedos think-tank, CANactions School, the Institute for Peace and Understanding, the Center for Urban Studies, Meta Lab, and the Center for Urban History. Her research and professional interests focus on urban studies, participatory spatial planning, participatory research, and the role of grassroots initiatives in the community recovery process in Ukraine.

Mykola Kostrytsya has a long experience in providing integrated urban planning (spatial and social-economic), municipal energy management systems, managing projects with international (GIZ, SECO, KFW, Covenant of Mayors, etc.) and national partners (Association “Energy Efficient Cities of Ukraine” (EECU), All-Ukrainian Association of Local Governments “Association of Ukrainian Cities”, etc.). He has 7 years of experience in city management and more than 15 years of experience as a senior lecturer in training and seminars, sharing his knowledge in the field of project management, municipal management, and energy efficiency. Under his leadership, as director of the Economic Development Department of Zhytomyr City Council (2016-2021), more than 15 projects were developed for over 85 mln euros of international technical and financial assistance.