YPFP Brussels Staff

Executive Team


Marija Sulce
Managing Director

Marija has been leading the YPFP Brussels team as the Managing Director since February 2023, having previously served as the Director of the Security and Defence team. She is responsible for strategy implementation oversight, coordination, and team management for the whole Brussels branch. Outside of YPFP she is specialised in European security and defence as well as corporate communication with experiences at the EU and NATO. Originally from Lithuania, Marija has also lived in Japan, UK, France, and now Belgium.

Marija Sulce

Managing Director


Petra Grech
Director of Programmes

Petra, who has recently completed her MA in International Political Economy at the Brussels School for International Studies within the University of Kent, is currently working as a Project Adviser for EISMEA (an executive agency within the European Commission). She has a passion for policy-making and economics, which is one of the main reasons why she decided to pursue her Masters in this area within the heart of Brussels! By profession, Petra is an Accountant with numerous years of experience within the field of Audit and Accounting in well-renowned global companies. However, last year, she decided to make a career change and instead focus on chasing her passion for policy. Petra has always had a passion for student activism and over the years, she has been heavily involved in numerous student organisations and unions in her home country, Malta. When she moved to Brussels last year, Petra continued to be involved in as many student initiatives and organisations as possible, so, you will always find her keeping herself busy with different projects. Petra has also been working for Wetlands International Europe, as their Communications and Project Management Assistant.

Petra Grech

Director of Programmes


Matteo Tomasina
Director of Programmes

Matteo joined the Executive Team as Security & Defence Director in February 2023. In this capacity, Matteo is responsible for developing a portfolio of initiatives that provide professional development opportunities to YPFP members interested in security and defence topics. Outside of YPFP, Matteo works as a strategy consultant for international organizations and corporate clients. At the beginning of his international career, Matteo completed an internship at the NATO Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk (VA), USA. He holds a M.A in International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs. He is fluent in English, French and Italian.

Matteo Tomasina

Director of Security & Defence


Laura Ponikelska
Communications and Marketing Director

Laura is currently working as a Communications Officer in the renewable energy sector in Brussels. She holds Master's degrees in Communications and Digital Humanities, and a Bachelor's degree in English and Russian languages. Previously, she has worked as a Communications Manager in an NGO and Schuman trainee in DG COMM of the European Parliament. Of Swiss and Czech nationality, she is a German native speaker and fluent in English, French, Czech and Russian.

Laura Ponikelska

Director of Communications & Marketing


Lena Eisenreich
Director of Membership & Benefits

Lena joined the executive team as Memberships & Benefits Director in February 2023. Within this role, she oversees our YPFP Brussels members. Lena holds a bachelor’s degree in international business and a master’s degree in European studies. She has worked across various industries and has experience in various NGOs and youth-led organizations.
She previously completed a traineeship within the European Commission. Furthermore, she is passionate about building meaningful relations, engaging communities, and social impact. Based in Brussels but originally from Bavaria, Lena has worked and lived in Spain, the United States, Costa Rica, France, and Poland. She loves to explore the world.

Lena Eisenreich

Director of Membership & Benefits

Communications Team

Email: brussels.comms@ypfp.org


Fabio Almada
Communications Officer

Fabio is a Communications Officer at YPFP, he's also the President of the Student Union at the Brussels School of International Studies at the University of Kent, where he studies a MA in International Political Economy with a specialization in International Economic Development. In his free time he manages Warrior Diplomacy Podcast. His professional experience has led him to live, study and work in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Mexico, Spain and Peru in Organizations such as the OECD, the OAS and Chambers of Commerce.

Fabio Almada

Communications Officer


Ivona Korothalyova
Communications Officer

Ivona is currently working as a consultant in EU public policy, focusing particularly on health, social, and media policy. Previously she completed a Schuman traineeship at the Research Service of the European Parliament. With a background in Economics, she is passionate about the research behind policy development and design. Coming from Slovakia and having grown up in Belgium, she speaks Slovak, French and English fluently.
 

Ivona Koronthalyova

Communications Officer


Martina Bassan
Communications Officer

Martina Bassan

Communications Officer


Edward Zeinoun
Communications Officer

A graduate in political sciences and communications, Edward is interested in how political issues are framed and communicated within local communities and then translated into policy. He has held various volunteer and internship positions, ranging from political research and administrative work to editing and translating for student organizations and Brussels-based NGOs. Coming from Lebanon, he speaks Arabic and English fluently, with a strong command of French, and a bit of Dutch.

Edward Zeinoun

Communications Officer


Anchieta Gonçalves-Reynders
Social Media Officer

 
 

Anchieta Gonçalves-Reynders

Social Media Officer


Fabrizio Provenzano
Communications Officer

Fabrizio is EU Public Affairs Team Assistant at CONCILIUS Europe. He joined YPFP in July 2022 as Communications Officer. Previously Fabrizio was an intern at the Youth Department of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, working on youth policies and taking part in the planning of many youth projects, seminars and events. Furthermore, he was Responsible for EU Affairs and Head of the Organisation of the political party Azione (Renew) in Sicily and President of the Youth Section of Confeuropa Italy. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Bologna University and a postgraduate course in Diplomacy at ISPI in Milan. He is currently studying EU Public Affairs and Communication at IHECS in Brussels and Political and Governmental communication at LUISS in Rome. He is fluent in English, French and Italian.
 

Fabrizio Provenzano

Communications Officer

Programmes Team

Email: brussels.programmes@ypfp.org


Kaitlin McCarthy
Programmes Officer

Kaitlin recently completed her MA in International Development with a specialisation in Political Strategy and Communications at the University of Kent's Brussels School of International Studies. She is currently completing an internship at the World Food Programme where she is working on internal communication for the Security Division. Kaitlin came to Brussels to pursue her interest in policy and international development. She has a particular interest in the food and agriculture sector and for improving the sustainability of global food systems. 

Kaitlin McCarthy

Programmes Officer


Ashleigh McMaster
Programmes Officer

Ashleigh McMaster manages the USEU Grant allocation and serves as a supporting officer for the YPFP Brussels Team. She has been living in Brussels since 2021 and is currently completing a Master’s degree in International Conflict & Security specializing in Political Communication at the Brussels School of International Studies. Ashleigh completed her undergraduate degree in the United States at Sewanee: The University of the South with majors in International Studies and Studio Art. She has worked as a documentary photographer in Cape Town, South Africa and Kingston, Jamaica. She previously enjoyed a career in event design for Ralph Lauren Inc. in New York City, before pursuing a career change to engage with her prior studies in International Relations.

Ashleigh McMaster

Programmes Officer


Linn Sommerhoff
Programmes Officer

Before moving to Brussels, Linn studied law in Bonn, Germany and Paris, France.
Following her passion for humanitarian affairs and international diplomacy, she
obtained her master’s degree in International Relations at the University of Kent,
Brussels School of International Studies.
After having worked for several organizations in the field of Foreign Policy and Youth,
Linn now works for an NGO in Brussels, advocating for social justice.
In her free time, Linn is actively campaigning for the rights of women who have
experienced violence and heads a regional group in Germany's largest aid
organization for victims of crime, ‘Weißer Ring’. Linn is fluent in English, German and
French and when not busy with different projects, you can find her hiking, with a book
in a cafe or trying out new recipes.

Linn Sommerhoff

Programmes Officer


Janti van den Heuvel
Programmes Officer

Janti is a Dutch-Indonesian young professional with a Master's degree in International Politics, who is passionate about issues related to the climate crisis, migration, and human rights violations. She has been building her professional career in Brussels for the past 2 years and is currently working for one of the largest global alliances of city climate leadership working towards a low-emission society. Before moving to Brussels, she gained volunteering experience with AIESEC and AP-YouthS in Indonesia, and the ONE Campaign in The Netherlands.

Janti van den Heuvel

Programmes Officer


Jonas Nitschke
Programmes Officer

Jonas Nitschke studies Political Science (M.A.) with a focus on International Politics & Development and Eastern Europe at the University of Vienna. In addition to his studies, he is active as a co-lead of the regional program connectingAsia at Polis180, in the association Gesellschaftsdenken e.V. for more social exchange s, and as a youth ambassador for the campaign organization ONE in Brussels, which is committed to fighting extreme poverty and preventable diseases by 2030. In addition, he is a Climate Pact Ambassador for the European Commission. During the recent months, he was a member of the EU-Africa taskforce of the ONE campaign being involved in the Youth track of the EU-Africa week and in the creation of the Young Indo-Pacific Forum, a collaboration between Polis180, European Guanxi and STEAR to bring together European and Asian youth following a series of expert panels with over 300 participants from 40 countries. He joined YPFP as a Programme Officer in April 2022.

Jonas Nitschke

Programmes Officer


Lina Stahl
UN Series Officer

Lina has obtained her Master’s degree in International Security at the University of Groningen, specializing in Africa and the Middle East. She is a participant of the Academy of Young Diplomats at the European Academy of Diplomacy in Warsaw. Following her passion for diplomacy, humanitarian affairs, and peace operations, she leads the UN series as a Programme Officer at YPFP. Lina is actively running in her free time and is passionate about horses.

Lina Stahl

UN Series Officer

Security & Defence Team

Email: brussels.secdef@ypfp.org


Raquel Sequeira
Deputy Director of Security & Defence

Raquel joined YPFP in October 2020 as Security and Defence officer and became Deputy Director of the team in March 2023. She holds a MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, with a special focus on East Asia, and is currently working as a Trade & Investment Officer at the Portuguese Trade and Investment Agency, in Brussels. Raquel is passionate about Security Studies, particularly in East Asia. Portuguese native-speaker, she is fluent in English, intermediate in French and is studying Korean.

Raquel Sequeira

Deputy Director of Security & Defence 


Ville Majamaa
Security & Defence Officer

Hailing from the farthest corner of Europe, Finland, Ville studied and worked in London and Moscow for several years before landing in Brussels to the delight of his current employer, the European Commission. As a student, Ville focused on Russian politics and the so-called post-Soviet space with emphasis on strategic communications, the Arctic region and Central Asia. In the European Commission, Ville has worked on the external relations and security issues of the EU covering a range of countries from North Africa to Central Asia and the Western Balkans. When out of the virtual office, Ville likes to explore the different corners of his new home country and volunteer his spare time in civil society organisations. 

Ville Majamaa

Security & Defence Officer


Louis Bout
Security & Defence Officer

Louis Bout is a Belgian national who grew up as an expatriate - having lived in six countries prior to moving to Brussels. He holds a B.A. in History and International Relations from the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada, as well as a M.A. in International Relations from the University of Kent Brussels School of International Studies. Throughout his studies, Louis focused on the history of conflict, as well as security and defence issues. Louis has built up his knowledge in European politics through an internship at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, the official political foundation of the European People’s Party. Louis is fluent in English and Dutch, conversational in French, and a beginner in German and Arabic.

Louis Bout

Security & Defence Officer


Marina Otašević
Security & Defence Officer

Marina joined the YPFP Brussels team as Security & Defence Officer in February 2020. She holds a Master’s degree in European Studies, Specialist’s and a Bachelor’s Degrees in Diplomacy and International relations from Faculty of Political Science, University of Montenegro. Currently, she is doing her Advance Master Studies in European Integration (EuroMaster) with a focus on the European External Relations and Security Policy. She has experience of working as an Advisor for Multilateral Cooperation in Ministry of Defence of Montenegro and a Defence Counsellor in Permanent Montenegrin Representation to NATO.

Marina Otašević

Security & Defence Officer


Miriam Maurizi
Security & Defence Officer

Miriam joined the YPFP team as a Security & Defence Officer in May 2022. She holds a B.A in Political Science and International Relations and a M.A in International Relations with a special focus on Global and Security Studies. Before moving to Brussels, she collected different experiences abroad, namely in Kosovo, the Netherlands and the Russian Federation. In Belgium, Miriam worked as a trainee at NATO Headquarters, NATO - SHAPE and at the European Defence Agency. She is fluent in Italian and English, conversational in French and she is currently improving her Russian and Spanish. 

Miriam Maurizi

Security & Defence Officer


Cedric Lombaerts
Security & Defence Officer

Cédric joined YPFP as a Security and Defence Officer in May 2022. Currently, he is an Attaché to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has previous experience with the European External Action Service and the Court of Justice of the European Union. He holds a MA in EU International Relations and Diplomacy from the College of Europe and a LL.M. from the University of Antwerp.

Cedric Lombaerts

Security & Defence Officer