Maria Vassilakou is the founder and director of Vassilakou Urban Consulting, working as an expert strategist and global advisor on urban transformation and transition management and sharing her experience and knowledge with cities, NGOs, organizations and corporations. She also founded Vienna Solutions, a network of Viennese urban experts and practitioners with whom she builds teams to deliver projects. From 2010 to 2019, Vassilakou served as Vienna’s vice mayor for urban planning, traffic and transportation, climate protection, energy and public participation. Her agenda contributed to Vienna’s No. 1 position in major global livability rankings. Since 2019, she has also been a member of and advisor to the E.U. Mission board on climate-neutral and smart cities.