Carla Figueira, BA MA PhD FHEA FRSA, is an academic and consultant in the field of international cultural relations, cultural and creative industries, and linguistic policies. She is the Director of the MA in Cultural Policy, Relations and Diplomacy and of the MA in Tourism and Cultural Policy at the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship, Goldsmiths, University of London. Carla is an international relations graduate of the Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Portugal), she moved to London after a career in arts management. In the UK, she went on to gain an MA in Arts Management (City University, UK, Chevening Scholar) and a PhD in Cultural Policy and Management (City University, UK, Praxis XXI Scholar). Carla is a member of ENCATC, the European network on Cultural Management and Cultural Policy education, and of ICRRA, the International Cultural Relations Research Alliance. She is a Chevening Alumna and Buddy.
Christophe Turon holds a BA in European Politics and an MA in Cultural Policies. Drawing from a rich background in European networks and local authorities, he is committed to nurturing cultural exchanges and sustainability in cultural policies. Currently working as project manager for the DG Culture and International Relations in Lille, he is project leader of the Lille/Eurocitiees call to action on sustainable and inclusive culture.
Dea Vidovic is the Director of Kultura Nova Foundation, a Croatian public foundation dedicated to advancing contemporary arts and culture within civil society. With a background in comparative literature and Indian studies, she obtained her PhD in the cultural policy field from the University of Zagreb in 2012. With her experience as a cultural manager, policymaker, journalist, editor, researcher, and trainer in cultural management and policy, she has developed a deep understanding of the complexities of culture and development. She has over 15 years of dedicated research experience in cultural policies and the integral role of cultural and creative instruments in sustainable development. Her collaborations reach local, national, and international levels, amplifying her influence. Vidovic's dedication to academia is showcased through her teaching cultural policy and management, leading cultural policy research, writing papers and publications, speaking engagements at research conferences and events, and enriching discussions on contemporary cultural practices. Since 2022, she has been chair of the Philea Arts & Culture Funders Forum and, since 2023, contributes as a Board member of the İzmir Mediterranean Academy.
Born in Brussels in 1985, she has been an advocate for social justice since her youth. She earned a degree in political science with a focus on international relations from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). Her career has been dedicated to international solidarity within the voluntary sector, shaped by her experiences abroad witnessing the impact of Belgian political decisions on global issues. After returning to Belgium, she continued her work on European and international issues at the Emile Vandervelde Institute, and later collaborated with prominent Belgian Ministers of Development Cooperation, including Paul Magnette and Jean-Pascal Labille. Following the 2014 elections, she worked with André Flahaut, known for his international contributions, and co-authored a book advocating for a four-day work week. She has served on the Public Welfare Centre Board in Brussels and since the end of 2017, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Brugmann Hospital. An avid lover of music, reading, and exhibitions, she is now committed to enhancing Brussels' cultural, tourism, and event sectors as the Alderwoman of Culture, Tourism, and Big Events.
Since 2004, GiannaLia Cogliandro Beyens is the Secretary General of the European network on cultural management and policy, ENCATC. She is also the administrator of the Thomassen mobility programme and serves on several boards. GiannaLia is an expert in EU affairs and international relations, with more than 30 years’ experience in advocacy, cultural policy, and strategic management, in the context of international cultural NGO. Since 1998, GiannaLia has also successfully designed, drafted, and managed a large number of EU cross-sectorial projects in the field of culture, education, and research.
Former Policy Officer of the Cultural Forum of EUROCITIES, GiannaLia was also Secretary General of the Association of the European Cities of Culture , AECC. Journalist since 1993, she started her career as Press & PR Officer for the N.A.T.O organisation in Rome. For the European Commission, she wrote 10 Reports on social European policy and a major study on the European Cities of Culture of the year 2000. Educated at the University “La Sapienza” in Rome, GiannaLia holds a Degree in Political Sciences - International Relations and two additional masters in European & International Career Studies, and a in European Constitution. Since 1993, GiannaLia is member of the Association of the Former trainees of the European Union.
PhD in “Art History, Theory and Criticism” from the University of Barcelona. He is Lecturer at the Cultural Management Programme of the UB, and Coordinator of the Postgraduate Course on International Cultural Cooperation. He is the Project Manager of CHARTER. He is currently teaching in different Universities and academic programs internationally. Herman combines academic research, cultural management, curatorial practices and artistic methodologies, collaborating with a wide range of networks, projects and organizations internationally.
Iphigenia Taxopoulou is a founding member and General Secretary of the European theatre network mitos21. She is also an Associate of Julie’s Bicycle, the UK based charity, bridging environmental sustainability and the creative sector. She has served as Associate General Secretary of the International Association of Theatre Critics, as cultural advisor to the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament and has collaborated as a dramaturg, artistic advisor and international projects manager with theatres, festivals and cultural institutions in Greece and abroad. Over the past few years she has also been working extensively as an expert consultant and lecturer in the field of culture and environmental sustainability.
She holds a degree in Philology & Modern Greek Studies, as well as an MA in Cultural Management & Theatre Criticism. She is currently writing a book, 'Sustainable Theatre: Theory, Context, Practice’, which will be published by Methuen Drama (Bloomsbury Publishing).
Julie is head of culture at Eurocities. She specialises in local cultural policies and manages all Eurocities activities on culture, cultural heritage and architecture. These include policy work, project development and implementation (capacity-building activities on culture for cities through peer-learning activities, visits, coaching activities, thematic working groups).
Julie has over 18 years of experience in working with city representatives at political and technical levels. She is a member of the EC expert group on cultural heritage, of the new EIT on culture and creativity, and represents Eurocities in the Urban Agenda Partnership on culture and cultural heritage.
Professor of history and geography and a post-graduate degree in urban sciences. She teaches in a high school in Lille.
She has been a member of the municipal majority in Lille since 2008, alongside Martine AUBRY, and is also an elected member of the Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL).
In the previous mandate (2014 - 2020), she was deputy mayor (12th) in charge of " International and European Cooperation and Tourism". In this context, she coordinated the Festival of International Solidarity, an annual event involving more than 60 associations. She has led, with the European and international partners of the City of Lille, many cooperation projects aimed at promoting territorial innovation, particularly in favor of sustainable development (low-carbon cities, vegetalization, water in the city, rehabilitation of brownfields). She also cooperated, as a representative of Lille European Capital of Culture 2004, in the preparation of the application files of twin cities Leeds (candidate for 2023, rejected in the context of Brexit), Wroclaw (European Capital of Culture in 2016) and Esch-sur-alzette (2022).
In 2011 she created the first territorial climate solidarity fund in France (hosted by the Fondation de Lille) presented at the COP21 in Paris as an innovative tool for financing the fight against climate change.
Deputy Mayor (5th) in the 2020-2026 mandate, she chairs the Lille Opera House, the first opera house in France to be awarded the ISO 20121 label rewarding the institution for its sustainable management. She is committed to make Lille a leading city in Europe towards sustainable culture by launching a call to action with the Eurocities network, 20 years after it became European Capital of Culture.
She also represents the city of Lille in the culture commission of the France Urbaine association.
Matina is an Associated Researcher at the SIC.Lab Méditerranée of the University Côte d’Azur in France. She holds a PhD in Leisure, Communication and Culture from the University of Deusto. Her tesis focused on the evaluation of international cultural cooperation projects, with a focus on the EuroArab region. Her expertise lies on creative spaces, cultural and creative industries, cultural relations and cultural policies. She is currently investigating collective responses from creative professionals in regard to the challenges posed by AI. In the past Matina has worked for festivals, theater productions and large-scale events such as the Olympic Games Athens 2004, the European Capital of Culture Patras 2006 and the International Expo Zaragoza 2008. She has also worked for public institutions such as the European Parliament, the Greek Ministry of Education and the Municipality of Athens.
Mélanie Esteves is the coordinator of the scientific and cultural projects at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille. After a BA in literature and an MA in business administration, she joined Martine Aubry's Cabinet in January 2004 during the European Capital of Culture year. Mélanie Esteves was Cultural Adviser to the Mayor of Lille until 2015, then joined the Palais des Beaux-Arts of Lille in fall 2016 to coordinate the major phases of the institution's scientific and cultural projects and cross-cutting projects, she also plans the "sustainable development" strategy of the museum.
Rebecca Thonander is the Communications Officer at the Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO) since 2018. After completing her bachelor’s degrees in business/marketing and film studies at Stockholm University, Rebecca worked with project management and communication at the Stockholm International Film Festival and the Berlin Film Society. She is passionate about questions concerning inclusion, diversity and intersectionality.
Roberto Bernad is manager of European funds at Fundación Banco Santander, an organization working in culture, social action and education in Spain. He holds a Bachelor in Arts and a MA in International Relations. For several years, he held several management positions in the editorial and design sectors. He moved then into the social sector, where he worked in European funds management linked to social services and EU social policies. He is an expert in homelessness policies and as such he has worked as director of a homelessness programme, conducted research and coordinated international research projects, and advised several governments in Europe and Latin America. The years before moving back to the cultural sector, he worked as a consultant in social policies and EU funds for public administrations and NGOs. At Fundación Banco Santander, he is coordinating the CreaSus project on sustainability of cultural industries, and working on relations between culture, territory, sustainability and social justice.