Meet the team

Tim joined UIA in September 2015 and is now very excited to be involved in its successor, the EUI. He holds a master's degree in Regional development in Europe and has lived in Germany, the UK and is currently based in France. Tim’s career has been dedicated to working in the urban context at local, regional and European levels, developing and implementing strategic programmes and projects.

Agnès provides administrative support to the Initiative.
Before joining the Initiative, Agnès worked for UIA and for almost 6 years in Grenoble and 8 years in Paris as Training Coordinator for several private structures like STMicroelectronics or Alstom.

Jean-Christophe joined the team in October 2015 and coordinates the finance unit whose activties range from project assessment, project monitoring, audit and control.
Prior to joining the secretariat, Jean-Christophe worked for more than 10 years for EU funded programmes focusing on European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg North West Europe and Alpine Space).

Laurent provides Information & Technology (IT) support to the Initiative. Before joining the secretariat, Laurent worked for 15 years for an IT company as Systems and Networks Engineer. His main missions consisted in managing IT infrastructure for private companies and public services.

Sofía is in charge of reporting activities and supports the EUI governance structure on the operational delivery of activities in line with the strategic directives of the Initiative.
Sofía previously worked for the Urban Innovative Actions Initiative Secretariat as Finance officer, for the finance sector as auditor specializing in donor funds and project administration, and for urban authorities on policy design and implementation. She holds a master's degree in Urban Policy from Sciences Po Paris.

Alexis is in charge of the Audit & Control for EUI, providing support to the team and to projects on various financial topics (such as eligibility of costs, second level audits...). Prior to this, he was Finance Officer for the Interreg 2 Seas Secretariat, leading on the Audit and Control aspects of the programme. He holds a master degree in European Affairs from the University of Lille, where he also regularly intervenes.

Zrinka joined the Finance Unit in 2023 to support planning and monitoring of financial flows realisation (including Technical Assistance) and further development of the monitoring system. Before joining the EUI, she gathered 10 years of professional experience in project (social innovation) and programme management (Interreg). She holds a master's degree in economics acquired at Faculty of Organisation and Informatics at University of Zagreb.

With a Master's degree in Applied Economics and Management of European Affairs followed by ten years of experience in managing European subsidies (ERDF, Interreg programmes), Fayçal has gained a solid understanding of Cohesion Policy and European funding mechanisms. He has worked in several roles involving project management, financial oversight, and programme development at North-West Europe, 2 Seas and URBACT Programmes. Fayçal combines technical skills with a practical approach, supporting economic development and facilitating the implementation of EU-funded projects and Technical Assistance. His current mission is to support the administrative and financial implementation of the European Urban Initiative.

Agnieszka coordinates the Project Unit in the Permanent Secretariat and is responsible for the EUI – Innovative Actions pillar. Agnieszka is an urban policy and revitalisation expert. For many years she’s been working in the urban development field – among others as a Head of Urban Development Unit in the Polish Ministry of Regional Development, as a Head of Revitalisation Unit in the City of Warsaw and as a Programme Director in Habitat for Humanity Poland. Her background is in geography and spatial planning.

Nelida supports project applicants in the development of their projects, participates in the assessment of submitted proposals, monitors a portfolio of approved projects and facilitates the capitalisation of project knowledge generated and results. Before joining the UIA in 2015, she worked for the Interreg North West Europe Programme as Finance Officer, specializing in EU structural funds management, financial regulations, and control aspects of EU grants. Her background is in Management, Education and Engineering. She holds two masters’ degrees, one in Management of European Affairs and the second one in Executive International Management with a specialization in project management.

Camille is responsible for supporting applicants in the development of their project, participating in the assessment of submitted proposals and monitoring a portfolio of approved innovative projects. Prior to joining EUI, she worked 6 years for the Urban Innovative Actions Initiative. She holds a Master's degree in European law.

Within the Project Unit, Isabella is responsible for supporting applicants in the development of their project, participating in the assessment of submitted proposals and monitoring of a portfolio of approved innovative projects. Prior to joining EUI, she worked 5 years for the Urban Innovative Actions Initiative. She worked as well for the Baden-Württemberg federal state in Germany in different areas of public administration including research funding and European affairs. She holds a master's degree in European Public Administration.

Within the project unit, Kathleen is responsible for the selection and implementaion of innovative projects. She also provides support to capitalisation and capacity building activities. Prior to joining, she worked for the Interreg 2 Seas Programme, where she built a solid experience in EU project management. She holds an engineering degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the Polytechnic School of the University of Tours.

Romain works within the project unit supporting project implementation and the capitalization of knowledge and results.
Before joining EUI, Romain worked as European projects manager in the field of innovation for Systematic Paris-Region, a cluster association specialized in digital technologies (“deep techs”), in the topics of circular economy and digital solutions for the (cyber) security of cities. Romain holds a master degree of Urban Planning from University of Lille, specialized in European policies and programmes supporting urban development.

Maya is a member of the Project Unit. She is responsible for the selection and implementation monitoring of innovative projects. She also provides content-related support to the Knowledge and Communication and Capacity Building Units. Before joining the Permanent Secretariat, Maya worked as a Project Officer at the Centre for Economic Policy Research in Paris. In London, she worked at the Greater London Authority as a Project Officer and Senior Project Officer responsible for projects and programmes aimed at delivering affordable housing with support for vulnerable Londoners. She holds a Masters degree in Urban Studies from University College London.

Nicolas works within the Project Unit supporting the selection process, monitoring the project implementation, and ensuring the capitalisation of knowledge and results. He has a thematic expertise on questions related to environment and climate action. Before joining the Permanent Secretariat, he worked in the field of European Territorial Cooperation within two Interreg programmes (“South Baltic” and “Alpine Space”) as programme and project officer. Nicolas holds two master degrees in European Politics (Sciences Po Rennes/Université Rennes 1) and Environmental Management (Université Libre de Bruxelles-IGEAT).

Gaetano works within the Project Unit, supporting applicants in the development of their projects, participating in the assessment of submitted proposals, and monitoring a portfolio of approved innovative projects. Prior to joining the European Urban Initiative, he gained extensive experience working with the Interreg 2 Seas Programme and the France (Channel) England Programme, where he specialized in project evaluation, monitoring, and funding processes. Gaetano holds a master’s degree in International Sciences from the University of Turin and is certified in PRINCE2 project management.

Amélie coordinates the Knowledge and Communication unit and the tasks of the team. She is responsible for the knowledge management and communication strategies and their implementation.

Amélie previously worked for UIA, the European Committee of the Regions and the European Metropole of Lille. She holds a master’s degree in Political Sciences.

Luis assists the implementation of the Communication Strategy and work plan and supports the website daily maintenance and developments. He also contributes to online communication activities. Before joining the initiative, Luis studied Economics and Management. He continues his educational path into the digital strategy.

Reyhaneh is responsible for implementation of knowledge activities and dissemination of the knowledge that EUI cities produce. Prior to joining EUI, Reyhaneh worked as a research assistant at Institut Paris Region on the topic of housing in Ile-de-France region in the face of the new EU regulations. In Melbourne, Australia, Reyhaneh worked at a local authority, responsible for approval of urban and regional development applications. She holds a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Development from the University of Melbourne and a Masters degree from Paris School of Urban Planning in International Expertise in European cities.

Joséphine joined the Knowledge and Communication team as a communication officer in October 2023.

Prior to joining EUI, Joséphine worked for Interreg Europe and was in charge of social media and event organisation. She holds a master’s degree in Communication and territorial development and bachelor degree in European law.

Arthur works as a Knowledge and Capitalization Officer at EUI since October 2023.
Previously, he worked as the main coordinator of UIA project CALICO in Brussels, and held the position of Project Officer at the Foundation for European Progressive Studies.
Arthur holds a degree in European Governance form Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and completed traineeships at the European Parliament and FEANTSA.

Eleni joined the Knowledge and Communication team as a Communication Officer in September 2024.
Before joining EUI, Eleni was working for the European Social Network, designing and implementing communication strategies, producing promotional and digital content, and coordinating events and training sessions. Prior to this, she held project management and communication posts within Norfolk County Council and other organisations.
Eleni has a Master's degree in Media and Journalism from Newcastle University and a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Media from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Since September 2024, Shaneze has joined the Knowledge and Communication team as a Communication Officer in apprenticeship.

She holds a bachelor's degree in Law-Economy-Management with a specialisation in Communication and is pursuing a master's degree in Marketing-Communication, specialising in Brand Territory, at ISTC in Lille.

Eilish coordinates the capacity building unit in charge of peer learning and Urban Development network-type capacity building activities.
Prior to joining the Secretariat, Eilish worked for Interreg Europe monitoring projects aimed at improving regional policy instruments and building the capacities of regional policymakers. She also contributed to the design and implementation of the Policy Learning Platform services. Before that, she worked for ICLEI World Secretariat supporting projects and events focused on sustainable urban development.
Her background is in geography and spatial planning, and she holds a MSc in Urban and Rural Design from Queen's University Belfast.

Zoé is working on developing and implementing peer learning, capacity building activities and events.
Before joining EUI, she worked as a consultant for local authorities and research institutes, by supporting them in developing, managing and implemeting national and EU-funded projects. She was also part of the coordination team of Scalable Cities Secretariat.
She holds a master's degree in Urban and Territorial Strategies from Sciences Po Paris.

Magda is working on developing and implementing peer learning and capacity building activities and events.

Before joining EUI, she oversaw the organisation of a training department in a higher education institution and prior to that, she worked in a European network involved in social and training activities. Magda holds a master’s degree in Environmental Assessment from the University of Bucharest and a PhD in Geography and Urban development from the University of Lille.

Eleonora works on the development and implementation of peer learning and capacity building activities and events.
Prior to joining EUI, Eleonora worked as a consultant in the private sector on the conceptualisation and implementation of urban regeneration projects, and as policy assistant at the European Commission in the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO).
She holds a master’s degree in urban policy from Sciences Po Paris.

Sandra joined the Capacity Building team as a Capacity Building Officer in June 2024.

Before joining EUI, she worked in event organisation at a business school and served as an assistant to a deputy in the European Parliament.

Sandra holds a master’s degree in European Union law from Paul Cézanne University.

Paul is working on developing and implementing peer learning, capacity building activities and events.
He recently graduated from the Master's programme "Governing Ecological Transition in European Cities" at SciencesPo Paris. Previously, Paul completed internships for GIZ in Delhi, assisting Indian cities in sustainable urban development, and for the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) in Berlin, investigating the benefits of urban parks and community gardens.

Jonas coordinates the Unit for Intergovernmental support and contact points and the tasks of the team. He is responsible for the Urban Agenda for the EU, the network of national EUI Urban Contact Points and leads on activities related to the establishment of a Territorial Impact Assessment.
Jonas previously worked for the OECD, the European Parliament and as Executive Director for the German Association for Housing, Urban and Spatial Development in Brussels.
Jonas holds a Magister Artium’s degree in Geography, Politics and Modern History from the Humboldt University of Berlin.

Wannes joined the Knowledge and Communication Unit in 2022. He will mainly contribute to the organisation and support of the network of Urban Contact Points. Before joining EUI, Wannes worked for seven years as a Communication Officer for the Interreg 2 Seas Programme. He holds a master degree in Communication and European Exchange from the University of South Brittany.

Alexandru is leading the work on the Urban Agenda of the EU and in partnerships development. He joined the EUI team in 2022 and since then is contributing with extensive experience in the field of urban transfromation. Prior to this, he had initiated, developed and managed various actions, projects, and funding proposals (including Horizon 2020/ Horizon Europe, Erasmus +) as part of both non-profit and for-profit organisations.

His background is rooted in urbanism and holds a joint master degree in European Spatial Planning & Environment from Radboud University Nijmegen and Cardiff University. 

Louise joined the team of the Intergovernmental Cooperation unit working with the Urban Agenda for the EU in July 2023. She holds a bachelors in geography and planning from Sorbonne Université in Paris and recently graduated from the joint Master’s in Urban Studies at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Université Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels. She has previously had an internship at the European office of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) where she amongst other tasks followed the policy area of circular economy.