Team

Biography

Francesco manages the membership and governance at Philea, which he had joined as the EFC in 2018. He looks after membership administration and strategy, and with the membership team, he supports the Philea team and leadership in their relations with members. He also has the pleasure of introducing Philea to organisations interested in joining our network, and walking them through membership application, induction and involvement. With his governance hat, he focuses on the internal dynamics of Philea as an association, assisting the governance bodies of Philea (Board of Directors, Nominations and Governance Committee, General Assembly), and managing electoral processes. A native Italian, he has a Master’s degree in International Relations from Università Cattolica di Milano, and a Master’s degree in Environmental Evaluation and Management from Tongji University in Shanghai. Prior to joining Philea in 2018, he spent time managing membership, governance, and communication in a number of European associations in the environmental and scientific sectors, and developed a passion for bringing people together around shared values.

Favourite Quote

Max Weber, Politik als Beruf – Politics as a Vocation, 1919

Biography

Silvia manages the CEO’s complex calendar and activities, ensuring that time is utilised effectively. She supports in organising meetings and travel arrangements, while contributing to a positive team culture.

A passionate Latin-languages enthusiast, Silvia holds a Bachelor in Translation and Interpreting, after which she pursued a Masters in cultural tourism in Bergamo and Lyon. She immersed herself in the world of museums through an internship and a thesis on the role of cultural initiatives for community development. She also embarked on a volunteering experience for a Greek NGO, teaching English to refugees and asylum seekers, after which she ventured to Brussels for an internship at the European Travel Commission, where she developed strong organisational and collaboration skills and managed to apply her results-oriented mindset. Silvia aspires to a career with a profound social impact that revolves around meaningful human interactions.

Favourite Quote

Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

Biography

Martina joined Philea in February 2024 as Reception and Admin Assistant. She assists the Facilities Manager in maintaining the smooth operation of Philanthropy House and managing the front desk. Additionally, she provides support to the administrative and events department.

Before her current position at Philea, Martina interned for various NGOs and organisations dedicated to peacebuilding and human rights. These experiences covered a range of perspectives, including disarmament, peace education, and people on the move rights. In her free time, Martina also served as a coordinator for an NGO focused on social inclusion.

Martina holds a bachelor’s degree in Peace Studies and a master’s degree in International Studies from the University of Turin.

Favourite Quote

Ijeoma Oluo

Biography

Marco joined Philea in March 2023 as a Programme Officer – Climate Collaboration and supports the work of the European Foundations for Sustainable Food and Agriculture network and European Philanthropy Coalition for Climate (EPCC).

Prior to joining Philea, Marco had internship experiences with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat, the Green Climate Fund and the European Commission. He also worked as an analyst for PFAN, where he supported the implementation of projects focusing on climate mitigation and adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa. He holds two Master’s degrees, the first on Paleoclimatology from Utrecht University, the second on Climate Science and Policies from King’s College London. Before his master degrees, he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Development at Kingston University.

Favourite Quote

Sidney Sheldon

Biography

Ilaria d’Auria role as Head of Programmes, Thematic Collaborations sees her oversee the collaborations among philanthropy organisations at Philea, facilitated through Philea’s thematic networks, and helps them get inspired, act together and achieve greater impact. Before Philea, Ilaria worked for networks of European regions in the fields of research and innovation, developing strategic EU-funded project proposals and facilitating project opportunities for regional innovation ecosystems. Ilaria holds a graduate degree in Sociology and a Master in Social Business and Innovation Management.

Favourite Quote

Gandhi

Biography

Carla works in the Operations department of Philea, supporting the Events and Membership teams. For the Events team she helps to coordinate event logistics and content, including processing registrations, preparing meeting materials, researching event venues, event planning, promotion, and on-site execution and her Membership work involves supporting the team with administrative tasks. She also helps to cover the reception of Philanthropy House and works to maintain Philea’s databases. Carla comes from Italy and has a Masters Degree in Area and Global Studies for International Cooperation from the University of Turin.

Favourite Quote

Walt Disney

Biography

Fabiana’s role as Programme Officer involves coordinating the Organisational Development and Evidence and Learning Communities of Practice within Philea. Here she fosters meaningful peer-to-peer exchanges and learning between philanthropy organisations, striving to shape a more impactful, fairer and inclusive sector. Previously, Fabiana worked alongside civil society organisations in Greece and eastern Europe, supporting people on the move to access essential aid and international protection in the EU. In her free time, Fabiana dedicates herself to striking a balance between cultivating hobbies, nurturing her spread-out community, and embracing the process of learning how to be bored as a creativity-inducing process.

Favourite Quote

Milan Kundera

Biography

Lucía works within the membership team at Philea, acting as a first point of contact for potential members, and coordinating the membership application and induction process for new members. She also monitors and encourages existing members’ involvement in Philea activities.

She has worked in different areas related to human rights, with experience in gender equality and human rights defenders protection. She holds a double Bachelor’s in Criminology and Law from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona and an MA in Human Rights from Columbia University in New York.

Biography

Alice Forsman role as Programme Manager – Thematic Collaborations at Philea sees her manage and coordinate the network of European funders working in Diversity, Migration, and Integration, as well as KoneKtor, while supporting the Children and Youth Thematic Network. Alice has a background of working for Brussels’ based NGO’s, as well as in the European Parliament. She has a Joint Master’s Degree in European Politics and Society, which she graduated from in 2021, with a dissertation mapping the European Commission’s response to the surge in irregular migration. Alice is also the Philea office’s Harry Potter nerd, with a burning (unhealthy) love for dogs.

Favourite Quote

Pippi Longstocking

Biography

Marta Gallerani works within the Events team at Philea. In this role, her mission is to monitor that there is a strong engagement of members in Philea’s activities, most notably the events, and to channel this knowledge for membership purposes. She is also the responsible person for the creation and maintenance of all events’ websites, for any registration issue, as well as the point of contact for the Thematic Network Coordinators’ needs in terms of events. Ahead of the Philea Forum, she supports the Conference Manager in the preparation of the biggest event of Philea. Marta holds a bachelor’s degree in Interpreting and Translation, as well as a master’s in Intercultural Communication.

Favourite Quote

Hannibal Barca

Biography

Karalyn Gardner role as Programme Manager – Climate Coalition sees her coordinate the work of the European Philanthropy Coalition for Climate within Philea. Her ambition is to see all foundations, regardless of their mission, integrating a climate lens across their work and philanthropy playing a catalytic role in the transition towards a more sustainable future for all. She leads the European Philanthropy Coalition for Climate’s peer-exchanges and communications, and supports the development of the global #PhilanthropyForClimate movement in collaboration with WINGS and the national commitment hosts including ACF (UK), AEF (Spain), CFF (France) and Assifero (Italy). Karalyn graduated from the College of Europe (Natolin, Poland) with an Advanced Master’s degree in European Interdisciplinary Studies, specialising in the EU and its Neighbourhood. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Exeter in Classics.

Favourite Quote

Dr Seuss

Social Media

Biography

Rebecca oversees the grant funding for Philea’s various projects and programmes.

Rebecca has over 15 years of experience in fundraising and operations for the NGO sector, primarily in the sector of children’s rights.

Biography

Hanna Hanses role as Policy Manager sees her works mainly on policy monitoring and analysis and policy engagement, bridging Philea’s work towards an enabling environment for philanthropy with policy priorities including climate, democracy and equality. In 2019 she joined Dafne, where she worked on the joint Dafne and EFC Philanthropy advocacy initiative, communications, and co-developing the PEX community for philanthropy infrastructure organisations and the European Philanthropy Coalition for Climate.

Hanna is a Belgian-German national with an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex, UK.

Favourite Quote

Widad Akrawi

Biography

Marianne Johnston provides editorial and general communications support to staff, and works on streamlining communications processes across the organisation. In 2000 she joined the European Foundation Centre (now Philea), and since then has contributed through a variety of communications roles. Over the years, Marianne has greatly enjoyed watching European philanthropy bloom into what it is today. Prior to this, she worked in the field of news media research in New York City while also authoring a number of educational children’s books. Marianne is a graduate of the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US.

Favourite Quote

Toni Morrison

Biography

Sevda serves as the Head of Knowledge and Learning at Philea, running two connected teams. As the Head of Knowledge, she provides strategic oversight to the Know team, driving action-oriented research initiatives that deliver practical, impactful insights to the philanthropic community. In her capacity as the Head of Learning, Sevda oversees the design and implementation of Philea’s communities of practice in a wide range of areas.

Holding a PhD in Philanthropic Studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and a Master’s degree in Philanthropic Studies and Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Bologna and with a rich managerial experience in the non-profit space, her dual leadership fosters a synergistic environment where research informs practice and community engagement drives philanthropic innovation.

Before joining Philea (then EFC) in 2019, Sevda was running a consulting firm, called Solution Space, to help funders and NGOs achieve a greater impact. Previously, she directed the Social Investment Programme at the Third Sector Foundation of Turkey, administered a grant portfolio for Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe in West Asia; implemented an alliance building and advocacy project at Turkey’s Women Entrepreneurs Association; co-funded an arts& culture organisation to promote participatory arts in Istanbul and took part in international cooperation projects at the Cooperation for the Development of Emerging Countries (COSPE) and led EU youth mobility projects in Italy. Sevda also coordinated and contributed to international research projects such as CIVICUS Civil Society Index, and The Hudson Institute’s Global Philanthropy Index, Bologna University’s Philanthropy in Mediterranean Region Research Project; and taught academic courses in the areas of social entrepreneurship, philanthropy and civil society in Turkey and in the USA.

Favourite Quote

Angela Davis

Social Media

Biography

Giulia Lombardi joined Philea (formerly the EFC) in 2011 as an EU Affairs Officer where she worked mainly on the European Foundation Statute. Since 2016 she has been part of the Policy and Programmes department and currently coordinates the European Environmental Funders Group (EEFG) and the European Foundations for Sustainable Food and Agriculture (EFSAF) thematic networks. Giulia has also worked for two years as project manager at the Polytechnic University of Turin within the initiative climate_change@polito and as External Relations Officer at the Barilla Centre for Food and Nutrition. Prior to joining the philanthropic sector, Giulia worked for an Italian consultancy monitoring EU strategies, managing several projects funded within the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) of the European Commission.

Favourite Quote

Marshall McLuhan

Biography

Before working at Philea, Nils spent six years negotiating refugee housing rights at the Flemish and Belgian policy level.  He also coordinated a network of non-profits across Flanders that tackled refugee homelessness. Prior to that he was a researcher at Auckland University where he published research on the sense of community in New Zealand neighbourhoods, and was an intern at UNHCR where he analysed the electoral programmes of the Belgian political parties with regards to migration. In his spare time Nils volunteers as an unaffiliated consultant for LGBT refugees who need help preparing for their asylum hearings. Nils has a Master degree in Theory and Research in Psychology at KUL with a focus on social and cross-cultural research and also studied International Politics at UGent.

Favourite Quote

Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo)

Biography

Letizia manages three networks of philanthropic institutions working on issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. In this role, she co-designs and implements multi-annual programmes and annual operating workplans aiming at achieving the network’s objectives in accordance with Philea’s strategy and objectives; and she develops and maintains relations with stakeholders active in fields relevant for the thematic networks. Before Philea, Letizia worked in luxury real estate in Italy, while completing her political science university education with a Master in Fundraising and Communications for the non-profit sector. She is is passionate about sports – from skating to surfing, volleyball and tennis.

Favourite Quote

Biography

Lorena Marin, oversees and maintains the good functionality of Philanthropy House in Brussels, its office and meeting spaces, as well as the front desk and exhibition area. She joined the EFC in 2018 and took on a variety of roles such as supporting the events department and being involved in the governance aspects of the organization. Prior to this, she worked in journalism and administration, and has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology.

Favourite Quote

Maya Angelou

Biography

Sarah’s role at Philea sees her work closely with the Head of Finance to manage the day-to-day financial operations of the organisation and also sees her support the Philea team in ad hoc activities and projects. Passionate about social progress and development, Sarah has always strived to work for the third sector.

Before joining Philea, Sarah worked for a Berlin based international NGO and she holds a Master’s in Emerging Economies and International Development from King’s College London. During her time off, you can find her travelling, wandering in nature, or getting lost in libraries.

Favourite Quote

Walt Whitman

Biography

Delphine Moralis is responsible for the overall functioning of the organisation and overseeing the secretariat’s strategic direction, as well as playing the lead role in liaising with Philea’s President, boards and committees. Prior to joining Philea, Delphine was Secretary General of Terre des Hommes International Federation, Secretary General of Missing Children Europe, and has also held positions in advocacy and public affairs at Child Focus, the European Youth Forum and Cable Europe. In December 2021 Delphine was appointed President of the Board of Directors for Enabel, the Belgian development agency which aims to build a sustainable world where women and men live under the rule of law and are free to thrive. She has a Master’s degree in Philosophy and an Advanced Master’s Degree in European Studies from KU Leuven.

Favourite Quote

Terry Tempest Williams

Biography

Valentina Nerviani is responsible for developing, monitoring and maintaining a learning and development strategy and plan for all team members at Philea, as well as monitoring and supporting staff welfare. In addition, she supervises the HR administrative processes and takes care of the day-to-day HR activities. She first joined EFC in 2013, working as an Assistant to the CEO and HR Officer until 2017. At the end of that year, she moved to the Netherlands and started working at the European Patent Office as an HR Specialist until 2021. After this experience, she decided to return to Brussels and was happy to accept the position of Human Resources Coordinator at Philea.

Previously, Valentina worked in Turin and Milan as an HR consultant in learning and development.  She holds a degree in European Affairs from the University of Turin and was an Erasmus student at the Utrecht School of Law.

Favourite Quote

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – The Little Prince

Biography

Bárbara is a Project Assistant in the Anticipate Cluster at Philea and joined the team in March 2024. She is currently working on the PEX community and Futures Philanthropy Initiative where she deals with community management and foresight research. Before joining the team, she worked as a Trainee at the EU Delegation in Venezuela, and briefly as a research intern for a think tank working on EU external affairs. She is originally from Venezuela and holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies and a MA in European Studies from Maastricht University.

Favourite Quote

C.S. Lewis

Biography

Jack arrived at Philea in late 2023, taking the position of Data Officer. His work involves analysing data and identifying trends to help Philea develop better insights for the wider philanthropic community. Having a firm grasp of Philea’s member engagement, he is charged with identifying trends, patterns and insights to assist senior staff members’ decision making in relation to Philea’s members and growth.

Jack comes from Ireland and has an undergraduate degree in World Languages, namely French, German and the Irish language. Language acquisition is an area he is incredibly passionate about. Additionally, Jack holds a master’s degree in information systems, and completed a thesis on the topic of ‘The Feasibility of Digital Transformation as a Managed Service Offering (DTaaS)’. He enjoys academic and personal writing, having experience as a blog writer for a software company in addition to his master’s thesis. Jack also has experience volunteering in his local community in Ireland, and has received awards in recognition of this volunteer work, such as the Lions Club Student Ambassador of the Year Award (2017) and the Leaders of Tomorrow Award (2023).

Jack is a naturally sporty person and aims to one day complete a marathon. He follows football as well as hurling – a native sport in Ireland. Jack’s curiosity and interest in helping the community is something that he wishes to maintain in his professional development, and is some will undoubtedly extrapolate these values into his work at Philea.

Favourite Quote

Robert Frost; The Tuft of Flowers

Biography

Lucia joined Philea (then the EFC) in 2012, and worked initially for the Professional Development and Communications departments of the organisation while also working as a Fundraiser officer for ERAB Foundation, a research foundation based in Brussels. Since 2014, she has worked with the knowledge team, where she collects and analyses data from Philea members, responds to research requests and produces mappings on different themes at the heart of European foundations’ work.

On the side, and after working for documentary festivals and cultural associations in Italy, Lucia has founded a cultural association based in Brussels, and sits on the board of AIF+, the Flemish umbrella organisation of intercultural associations in Belgium. Lucia holds a MA in Linguistic Science for Intercultural Communications from Universitá per Stranieri di Siena.

Favourite Quote

C. Jung

Biography

Angela runs Philea’s Communications team. In her current role, she is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of the organisation’s internal and external communications. She has extensive experience working in think tanks, agencies, associations and NGOs in Brussels and Washington DC. She holds an MA in European Studies from the University of British Columbia, a BA in Political Science from Wellesley College in the United States and most recently completed an Executive Masters in Digital Marketing from Solvay Business School. A French and American dual citizen who spent the first 18 years of her life in the Philippines, Angela identifies as a Third Culture Kid and is most at home with a good book or eating something delicious.

Favourite Quote

Amanda Gorman

Social Media

Biography

Anthony is a Programme Manager in the Learn team at Philea, where he oversees the design and implementation of many of the Communities of Practice and peer-exchange programmes alongside his colleagues in the team.

A Britalian (from London & Naples) who is now firmly Bruxellois. Anthony loves too many things to be great at any one of them, from sports playing and coaching (mainly football and boxing) to history (of any time and anywhere but with a soft spot for ‘Classical’ Civilisations), gastronomy (cooking and eating, especially east Asian food), music and film and trying to indoctrinate his children into loving the same things.

Favourite Quote

Anatole France, Le Lys Rouge, 1894

Biography

Isabelle Piette’s role as Information and Knowledge Manager at Philea sees her contribute to the information services provided by Philea Knowledge Hub and to the development of Philea knowledge management.

Before being hired in 2002 at the European Foundation Centre, she worked in the field of office automation training and administration. Of Belgian nationality, Isabelle speaks French and English. She holds a master’s degree in Art History and Archaeology, as well as a postgraduate degree in Information Management Sciences.

Favourite Quote

Helen Keller

Biography

Lucia joined Philea in September 2022. In her current role, she mainly supports legal work within the “Enable” cluster and assists with policy engagement on strategic files. She has experience working on various topics of International and European Law in law firms in Brussels and Milan, and on policy matters in the European Commission. She holds an LLM in European Law from the College of Europe, Bruges.

Favourite Quote

Eduardo Galeano

Biography

Josh manages the production and publication of content on the website, and social media channels of Philea and oversees the production and distribution of multimedia products like mappings, reports and videos. He also helps to maintain the Philea brand and oversees the production of newsletters and marketing emails.

A former intern at the European Foundation Centre, his work history includes working in the retail (hell) sector, as a tour guide in Canterbury and a solitary game as a semi-professional footballer. When not working in the environs of Philanthropy House, Josh can be found cooking, reading, gaming, going on long walks in the country and watching his local team fail to impress at football.

Favourite Quote

Jon Warne

Biography

Yana’s role as Programme Officer is to support the EU-China philanthropy dialogue by fostering meaningful exchanges on the evolution of philanthropic practices, operating environments, progress catalysers, governance and leadership. Prior to joining Philea, Yana has worked in EU-Asia cultural diplomacy, education, social services and migration. In her free time, she likes to read history books and to keep informed about the latest cultural developments around Asia.

Favourite Quote

Marcus Aurelius

Biography

Dr. Hanna Stähle’s role as Head of Foresight and Innovation at Philea sees her spearheading strategy and roadmap design for tracking long-term trends and developments in the European philanthropy sector, and fostering innovation. In this role, Hanna is also charged with further developing the PEX community, which unites over 70 philanthropic networks across Europe. Previously, Hanna led European public affairs, strategic partnerships, communications, and member engagement at Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe (Dafne), which is now part of Philea.   Between 2018 to 2020, Hanna served as an Aide to the Secretary General of the German Association of Foundations, where she was responsible for international and strategic programmes. Earlier, she was with the Robert Bosch Stiftung, where she oversaw a grantmaking portfolio for civil society, media and journalism programmes in Europe. Hanna holds a PhD in Slavic Cultural Studies (summa cum laude) from the University of Passau, Germany. During her PhD studies she was a Research Fellow at the Higher School of Economics and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Moscow. Hanna is the author of the book “Mediatization of Orthodoxy: Russian Church in the Digital Era,” published in 2021 by Routledge. Hanna was born and raised in Belarus. From December 2021 to January 2023, she served as Board Chair of the German-Belarusian Society, which is in charge of the annual Minsk Forum, and has led strategy review, redesign of the logo and launch of a new website.

Biography

Hanna Surmatz is heading the policy work at Philea and is an expert on philanthropy and foundation law. Her main responsibilities include monitoring and mapping/analysis of relevant developments that affect foundations’/funders operating environment in Europe and beyond and strengthen the overall engagement with policymakers.

Between 2001 and 2004 she was employed by the Association of German Foundations (Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen) in Berlin, where she worked on foundation law issues and international matters. She studied law at the Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Germany and at the University of Poitiers, France and worked as assistant researcher at the University of Münster for several years. She served two terms on the board of the European Center for not for profit Law (ECNL). Since 2017 she’s been a representative of the philanthropic sector in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Private Sector Consultative Forum (PSCF) and since 2019 in the OECD Tax Business Advisory Group. In 2021 she became a member of GECES the European Commission expert group on Social Economy. She also represents Philea in the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) CSO Liaison Group and together with ONCE foundation in the Social Economy Europe board.

Biography

Céline joined Philea in April 2024 as Programme Officer and coordinates the communications community and the Next Gen Programme. With experience from MSF Belgium and CONCORD Europe, she brings knowledge about international development and humanitarian cooperation. Prior to that, she gained insight into policy making and European-Asian relations during her traineeships at the European Commission (DG INTPA) and the Belgian Embassy in Thailand.

Céline holds a master’s degree in Multilingual Communication and a master’s degree in European Studies from KU Leuven. Having grown up around Brussels with Thai-Belgian mixed background, she is fluent in Dutch, French, English and Thai.

Favourite Quote

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Biography

Isabel Valero is in charge of organising the yearly conference, the Philea Forum, working together with members to plan their events all over Europe and organising meetings and events taking place at Philanthropy House. With a background in Law, Business and Project Management, Isabel is passionate about organising events that allow the exchange of knowledge between countries and help raising awareness on topics that would not be discussed in international environments otherwise.

Isabel has been involved in the Erasmus+ project at the University Nova de Lisboa and worked at the Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations in New York City as an advisor on Political issues and human rights. Before joining Philea, Isabel managed a European Association representing healthcare professionals in Europe, working in projects that had an impact on hundreds of thousands of patients.

Favourite Quote

Maya Angelou

Biography

Jon’s role as Senior Communications Manager at Philea sees him leading the Editorial Board and writing content for speeches, articles, and opinion pieces on behalf of Philea. He also helps enhance the Philea brand and ensures the creation of material that supports key objectives, ideals and desired identity, to which end he manages the daily activities of a content team (social media, website).

A former intern at the European Foundation Centre, he worked briefly for an investment bank in Brussels before deciding he was (much, much) better suited to the non-profit sector. In his free time he is dedicated to practicing a variety of martial arts including ninjutsu and jujutsu, as well as creative writing.

Favourite Quote

– Japanese idiom