Meet the Team
Meet the Team! At SOCIEUX+, our team works to enable peer-to-peer technical cooperation activities all over the world.
Have a question? Contact us here: contact@socieux.eu.
Bertrand Commelin
Director
Bertrand began as the Director of SOCIEUX+ in May 2021, shortly after he was appointed Director of the Human Capital & Social Development Department of Expertise France. Prior to this position he was Director of European and International Development of the French National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (CNAM). He brings a wealth of experience from a career in foreign affairs, including work with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Institut Français. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Sciences Po Paris and a national teaching qualification in the social sciences.
Dijana Mirvic
Team Leader
Dijana joined the SOCIEUX+ team in May 2022 as the Deputy Team Leader. Previously, she worked at Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (Le Cnam – French higher education institution dedicated to lifelong professional training), as a project manager for more than 6 years. At Le Cnam she managed international cooperation projects based on multilateral partnerships between organizations active in the field of higher education from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. She holds a master’s degree in European and international cooperation with a specialization in the Challenges and dynamics of European integration from Paris VIII University, where she also worked as the lecturer in Project Management for more than two years.
Adrián Marín Zalba
PROGRAMME OFFICER
Adrián serves as Programme Officer for SOCIEUX+ and is responsible for managing the financial, contractual and operational aspects of the facility. His role is crucial for the effective implementation of the SOCIEUX+ project, promoting transparency and ensuring the proper use of resources while achieving its objectives. He previously worked for Expertise France on the EUROsociAL+ project, focusing on gender equality in Latin America. With a degree in administration and finance, Adrián has extensive experience working on development projects, with a particular focus on international cooperation, which remains his main professional interest.
Gian Luca Portacolone
COORDINATOR OF OPERATIONS:
SOCIAL PROTECTION, LABOUR and EMPLOYMENT
With a background in political science, economics, strategic negotiations, and cultural anthropology, Gian Luca’s 18-year career in international development cooperation has focused on human development and rights, governance and public policies, and social affairs. He worked at the UN, international nongovernmental organizations, and bilateral cooperation agencies before joining SOCIEUX+ in 2016. In his time with the Facility, he has managed over 140 actions in more than 50 countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Today, Gian Luca coordinates, ensures quality and compliance to a portfolio of peer-to-peer cooperation actions across the two SOCIEUX+ areas of social protection and labour & employment. He highly values establishing constructive relationships with colleagues, partners and experts, and the incorporation of equity issues in all projects.
Marzena Breza-Fugger
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENT & TECHNICAL ADVISOR
Marzena is a senior expert in social protection with experience in government administration at the European and international levels. Before joining SOCIEUX+ she served as department director at the Polish Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, where she managed multilevel cooperation focused on social policies for senior citizens. Between 2014 and 2019 she was a resident expert of the EU-China Social Protection Reform Project. In addition, she was an active member of several working groups including the United Nations Working Group on Ageing, and the EU’s Social Protection Committee. She received her PhD from the Warsaw School of Economics.
Bruno Antoine
DEVELOPMENT & TECHNICAL ADVISOR FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Bruno joined the SOCIEUX+ in February 2024 as Development and Technical Advisor for Labour and Employment. Previously, he worked as an international mobility adviser in the French Public Employment Service (PES) France Travail, promoting mobility within and outside the EU. As France Travail’s international expert, he collaborated with the Cooperation Department to enhance connections with other PES and technical and financial partners (AFD, EF, BID), in order to implement projects worldwide. His expertise is driven by a desire to place people and technical cooperation at the heart of a global approach, based on mutual understanding and respect, fruit of his experience abroad, notably in French Polynesia and Peru for almost 10 years. He holds a master’s degree in Local Public Policies from Sciences Po Bordeaux and another one in International Solidarity Project Management from the Institut de Formation et d’Appui aux Initiatives de Développement (IFAID).
Koen Vleminckx
Knowledge Development Coordinator
Koen has been coordinating the knowledge development component of SOCIEUX+ since 2020. At the same time, he has also been the Director of Research at the Federal Public Service Social Security in the Belgian Ministry of Social Affairs. Originally an academic researcher, he was previously the director of the LIS Cross-national Data Center, an international thinktank on inequality and social policy. Koen is currently co-president of the editorial board of the Belgian Review for Social Security. He has written numerous articles and books about child poverty, social protection, inclusion, and employment policies, and actively participated in missions to Algeria, Burkina Faso, China, Morocco, Peru, and Senegal.
Andrea Dalla Palma
Monitoring, Evaluation and Knowledge Development Coordinator
Andrea is responsible for implementing and overseeing the Facility’s monitoring and evaluation system, ensuring effective dataflow and knowledge sharing across activities. He also plays a key role in facilitating knowledge development by promoting the use of insights and evidence to inform decisions, foster learning, and enhance the impact of SOCIEUX+ actions. Previously, he worked as the Regional Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Specialist for the Youth Entrepreneurship Programme of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Latin America and the Caribbean and has worked with NGOs and private-sector organizations in Europe and Latin America. He holds a master’s degree in development and international cooperation and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Bocconi University. Dedicated to evidence-based decision-making, Andrea values the power of quantitative and qualitative insights to advance sustainable development and create lasting benefits for beneficiaries.
Sarah Carpentier
Knowledge Development EXPERT
Sarah joined the SOCIEUX+ team as the Knowledge Development Expert from our partner Enabel, the Belgian development agency, where she worked since 2018. Prior to this, she conducted social work and contributed to several research projects on social inclusion, low-income households, and migration. Sarah has masters’ degrees in sociology and anthropology, and a PhD in sociology, where she researched the socioeconomic trajectories of minimum income beneficiaries. Her main fields of interest are global poverty and inequality, minimum income protection, social protection, labour market integration, and migration. She is inspired by life course theory and capability theory and is an expert in longitudinal statistical analysis.
Sawsan Charchour
Knowledge Development OFFICER
Sawsan Charchour holds a Master’s degree in Political Science with a specialization in Public Administration from the University of Liège. During her academic journey, she served as a teaching assistant for the courses Belgian Political History and Political Institutions and Constitutional Law. Her professional experience includes project management and administrative support, notably as a political collaborator at the Federal Public Service Social Security in the Belgian Ministry of Social Affairs. She joined the SOCIEUX+ team as a Knowledge Development Officer.
Emanuel Ferreira Da Silva
Associate Project Officer
Emanuel joined the SOCIEUX+ team as an associate project officer in February 2021, shortly after graduating from EPHEC (the Practical School of Higher Commercial Studies) with a bachelor’s in accounting degree specialising in taxation. He previously worked as an accountant at Celio International and interned at Schréder and Chemitex while in school.
Begoña Rodríguez
Communications Officer
Begoña joined SOCIEUX+ as communications officer in 2017 with the mission to create new communication and visibility strategies for SOCIEUX+. Her responsibilities include the establishment and maintenance of channels, content production, development of campaigns, image and visibility. She works closely with team members, experts and partners around the world to ensure the promotion of SOCIEUX+ as an EU cooperation instrument, showcasing its features, stories and impact. She brings 20 years of experience in media, communications and EU projects. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Diplomatic School, a postgrad in Arts and Communication from Complutense University, and a Journalism degree from the University of Navarra.
Sergio Sánchez
ACTION MANAGER
Sergio is currently an Action Manager based in Paris, responsible for the assessment, formulation, implementation and monitoring of SOCIEUX+ technical cooperation requests. Previously, he was a Programme Officer, coordinating and adapting SOCIEUX+ implementation to financial, contractual and operational matters. His professional experience includes managing development cooperation projects and research in Latin America. His academic interests include issues around inequality, poverty, and social protection. He holds a Master of Science in global development from the University of Copenhagen, and a bachelor’s in international relations from the European University of Valencia.
Daria Mamontova
Action manager
Daria joined the SOCIEUX+ team as an action manager after spending most of her career in the Russian and French civil services. There she was in charge of bilateral programs for labour and employment, and later performed the duties of a deputy counsellor for social affairs at the French Embassy in Moscow. She holds masters’ degrees from the Moscow State University of International Relations and Sciences Po Paris. She has also done an international long cycle in the National School of Administration (ENA) in France. Her professional interests include the fight against poverty and the eradication of HIV/AIDS.
France Breulet
Action manager
France joined the SOCIEUX+ team as action manager in October 2021, after working for consultancy firms specialized in development cooperation and EU-funded projects for more than five years. During that time, she was responsible for managing relationships with project stakeholders, and supporting the financial and contractual aspects of projects, as well as communications and knowledge management. France holds a master’s in development cooperation from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Maša Mitrović
ACTION MANAGER
Maša is a SOCIEUX+ action manager with expertise in the preparation, implementation and evaluation of multinational development projects related to protection of vulnerable population, social housing and humanitarian assistance. Within the international organization Arbeiter Samariter Bund e.V, she managed programme portfolio on social inclusion in the Western Balkan. Acting as general secretary of IRIS network, she was directly involved in capacity building of more than 150 private and public social service providers in the region. Maša is a certified PRINCE 2 project manager, holding MA in Regional Policy and Development at the University of Novi Sad.
Alissa Ghils
ACTION MANAGER
Alissa joined the SOCIEUX+ team as Action Manager in October 2023. Before joining SOCIEUX+, Alissa worked as EU Policy and Programme Support Analyst for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as Project Officer on Sustainable Development for SOLIDAR, as Associate Project Officer for the first phase of SOCIEUX, and as Consultant for the International Labour Organization (ILO) Social Protection Department. Alissa holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), and a Postgraduate Degree in Development Cooperation from the Complutense University in Madrid (IUDC). Her professional interests include human development, the fight against inequalities, gender and social protection, and humanitarian assistance.
MAR CORREA GARCÍA
Action Manager and Gender Specialist
Mar joined SOCIEUX+ in December 2024. Throughout her career, she has contributed to advancing gender equality, promoting social inclusion, and fostering results-based management. As a trainer and advisor, she has specialized in gender integration, strategic planning and evaluation, developing tools and frameworks to ensure the effectiveness and inclusivity of development programs. She has worked in Spain, Ecuador, Belize, Jordan, Guatemala, and Cambodia, collaborating with public institutions, UN agencies, civil society, and academia. She holds a degree in Law with a specialization in Human Rights and Gender Studies, a Master’s in Development Cooperation and Gender, and expertise in Alternative Development Visions and Tools for Social Transformation. Her focus is on social protection, human rights, and inclusive policies.
Manu Sainz Quesada
ASSOCIATE PROJECT AND COMMUNICATION OFFICER
Manu joined the SOCIEUX+ team at the end of 2024 as an Assistant Project Officer. He holds a degree in Political Science from the Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona), a Master’s degree in Human Rights (UAM) and a Master’s degree in Cultural Management (UOC-UdG). With eight years of experience in the field of Ibero-American cooperation, he has worked in the department of strategic alliances of the Ibero-American General Secretariat and then with civil society, in the Ibero-American Network of NGOs working in the field of drugs and addiction (RIOD). At the European level, he has worked for the Interarts Foundation on projects funded by Horizon 2020 and Creative Europe. He joins SOCIEUX+ with the aim of continuing to learn and contribute to the improvement of societies through institutional strengthening and development.
Géralda Thelusma
ASSOCIATE PROJECT OFFICER
Géralda joined the team in 2023 as a project assistant. After accumulating 10 years of experience in the airline sector, she decided to make a professional reorientation, which led her to work internationally holding various positions within an embassy, as well as a guidance counsellor at Campus France. Her career has allowed her to acquire versatile skills, but above all to develop a global vision of development issues. With a background in Management and Management and Business Development (University of Montpellier), she is committed to actively contributing to the realization of projects focused on international cooperation, with a focus on the development of countries and their people.
