Meet our experienced and multilingual team
From organising member-driven Policy Labs to facilitating agenda-setting research, we’re a hive of activity. Get in touch to find out more about our individual projects, as well as EUKN membership, our member-driven events and publications and our support for our members’ EU Council Presidencies.
The EUKN Secretariat offers several internship opportunities per year. Spontaneous applications are also welcome! Send us a brief email explaining your motivation to work with us and with your CV attached to hrm@eukn.eu.
Martin Grisel
Director
Martin Grisel
Director
Interest in local politics and wider societal challenges led Martin to switch careers and focus on urban development policy, founding the EUKN in 2005. He speaks native Dutch, fluent English, French and German, and advanced Spanish.
Convinced that cities are one of mankind’s most fascinating creations, Martin is driven to create more sustainable urban futures through co-designing strategy with policy-makers and researchers. He enjoys working as a trusted strategic advisor to policy-makers from local to global level, and is proud to work with a team of highly dedicated colleagues.
Martin provides strategic, financial and operational leadership, and oversees external relations and acquisition for the EUKN. A familiar face from moderating events organised by the EUKN and third parties, Martin also regularly gets involved in the EUKN’s external projects.
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Lea Scheurer
Senior Policy and Project Officer
Lea Scheurer
Senior Policy and Project Officer
Lea holds an MA in Politics and Public Administration from the University of Konstanz (DE), an MSc in Public Administration & Organisation Science/European Governance from Utrecht University (NL), and a BA in Social Sciences from Düsseldorf University (DE). She joined the EUKN in 2016, and speaks German, English and Dutch.
An avid writer, Lea is in her element crafting research-rich, engaging texts on the ever-evolving sphere of urban policy. She holds the European element of the EUKN’s work close to her heart: exchanging across borders and cultures, and providing practitioners, policymakers and researchers with a common language and joint approach in addressing complex issues.
Lea coordinates and delivers many of the EUKN’s Policy Labs and has contributed to about half of all EU Council Presidencies’ urban programmes since 2018.
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Federica Risi
Senior Policy and Project Officer
Federica Risi
Senior Policy and Project Officer
Federica holds an MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development from University College London (UK) and a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from LUISS Guido Carli (IT). At the EUKN since 2019, she speaks native Italian, fluent English and Spanish, and intermediate Portuguese.
A natural connector and active practitioner, Federica sees her urban development expertise as a key entry point to unpacking and healing cities’ relationship with the natural world. Consistently evolving her approach, she’s found synergy with the EUKN’s culture of policy co-creation to craft sustainable urban transformations.
As the team’s go-to for green transition topics, she strengthens the EUKN’s ties with fellow actors in the field, alongside developing EUKN Policy Labs.
Filippo Crescentini
Policy Intern
Filippo Crescentini
Policy Intern
Filippo holds an MA in Local Development from the University of Padua (IT) and a BA in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Bologna (IT). He speaks Italian, English and Spanish.
As someone with a deep passion for cities and urban life, Filippo is particularly drawn to the relationship between urban policy and local realities. With a strong interest in research, his professional experience began in South Africa, where he explored urban challenges linked to spatial and socio-economic inequalities. This experience strengthened his interest in how policy and practice can come together to address complex urban issues and support more resilient cities.
At the EUKN, Filippo contributes to urban policy and project-related research, supporting ongoing projects and assisting in the preparation of EUKN Policy Labs.
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Andrea Salazar Cardero
Policy and Communication Intern
Andrea Salazar
Policy and Communication Intern
Andrea is interested in sustainability, circular economies, and EU policy. She holds an MSc in Governance of Sustainability from Leiden University (NL) and a BA in International Relations from Deusto University (ES).
At the heart of her work lies the conviction that sustainability is not just a technical challenge but a political one. She approaches governance questions by asking who gets to shape the spaces, systems, and rules that define everyday life. With a particular interest in how cities become sites of both climate vulnerability and transformative action, she believes in closing the gap between ambitious policy frameworks and the communities they are meant to serve.
A native Spanish speaker fluent in English and proficient in French, Andrea thrives in international and cross-cultural settings. At the EUKN, she works on communications and project assistance.
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