Martin KERN
European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Director
He worked at the European Commission for 15 years in a variety of posts, mainly in the area of enlargement policy. Working for the EU, he held a variety of positions, the latest being Head of Operations at the EU Delegation to Serbia. He worked as country coordinator for financial assistance for the Turkey team in the European Commission’s DG Enlargement. He has Master degrees in Economics and English from the University of Heidelberg and in European Studies from the University of Reading.
Katerina SERETI
Katerina Sereti is the Acting Head of Communication & Stakeholder Relations Unit at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) since April 2022. Prior to this, she was the Head of Stakeholder Relations Section at the EIT, leading the Institute’s public and community affairs. She joined the EIT in August 2016 and is a member of the EIT’s participatory leadership team.
Before joining the EIT, Katerina worked for 11 years at the Ministry of Economy & Development, in fields related to private investments, startup/scaleup support, international relations and EU Structural & Investment Funds. She has also served as an advisor to the Minister of Health in areas related to national reforms in the public health system and the strategic planning for the use of European Social and Structural & Investment Funds in the health sector. She joined the EIT while serving as Head of Department for EU co-funded projects at the General Directorate for Private Investments, in the Ministry of Economy & Development. She holds a degree in Business Administration and an MSc in European Studies from the Athens University of Economics and Business. Katerina is also a certified project manager by the European Commission (PM2) and a Personal & Executive Coach.
Anthony LOCKETT
Head of Unit Communication
European Research Council Executive Agency (ERCEA)
Anthony LOCKETT is Head of Unit for Communication at the European Research Council Executive Agency. From artificial intelligence to exoplanets, he and his team aim to explain the relevance of complex EU-funded science in an accessible way to the media and to the public. He is a great believer in Einstein’s view that “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”. Tony has previously held communication roles in the European Commission’s DGs for Regional and Urban Policy, Human Resources, Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.
Madeleine DRIELSMA
Press Advisor to the President of the European Research Council (ERCEA)
Madeleine DRIELSMA is Press and Communication Advisor to the President of the European Research Council (ERC), Brussels. She has been in charge of press relations at the ERC since it was launched by the EU as a bold, new initiative for top science. She has additional experience in European affairs through her work in consulting (Kreab, Brussels) and diplomacy (Dutch Foreign Ministry), as well as postgraduate studies and work at the College of Europe (Bruges, Belgium).
Jacques VERRAES
Deputy Head of Unit
EU Scientific Advice Mechanism
Before joining the the SAM Unit in DG RTD Jacques worked at the Schengen Secretariat at the nexus of the free movement of persons and law enforcement including with large scale information systems, and for the European Commission on product legislation, enforcement and conformity assessment; counter terrorism, police/justice cooperation and forensic science. He holds degrees in private, public, commercial, criminal and European law from the Radboud University (Netherlands) and European law the College of Europe (Belgium).
Marc WILIKENS
European Commission, Directorate-General Joint Research Centre
Head of the Knowledge for Thematic Coordination Unit (JRC)
Peter FRIESS
Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology. Senior Programme Officer in charge of the Social Media Innovation with a focus on fight against disinformation and Science Technology & ARTS initiative in the Media Convergence and Social Media Unit (CONNECT).
Peter FRIESS is senior programme officer at the European Commission. He holds a PHd (1992) in complex social systems. Peter worked at Philips Semiconductors and IBM before joining the EC in 2004. At the EC, he has been in charge of developing research & innovation for the Internet of Things and Smart Cities before joining the Media Policy Directorate in 2016. Since then, he is responsible for Social Media innovation with a focus on trust and digital well-being. As of 2023 he is also heading the STARTS (science, technology and arts) initiative, including artists in research projects as catalysts of innovation.
Marcus SCHEUREN
Head of Unit of the STOA Secretariat (STOA)
European Parliamentary Research Service
Marcus, who is a German and British citizen, has been working in several parliamentary committees in the European Parliament as EU official over the past 11 years, notably the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee (ECON), the Special Committee on the Luxleaks tax revelations (TAXE) and on the PanamaPapers (PANA), and in the Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), before managing the secretariat of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA) in 2020-2022.
Prior to that he was an advisor in the EU Committee of the Regions, in an regional representation office of a British region, and in a consultancy in Luxembourg. Marcus studied business and economics in Germany (University of Bayreuth) and France (EDHEC Business School).
Baptiste CHATAIN
Press Officer.
European Parliament Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM)
