Our collaborators

Alexandra Gil Taboas

Training and Knowledge Sharing and Business Development teams

alexandra.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Alexandra Gil Táboas is an independent consultant in the fields of cultural cooperation and project management, with an academic background in communications and EU International Relations. 

As a member of culture Solutions, she managed the team delivery of the webinar “Towards a sustainable cultural and creative industry in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries” for the ACP-EU programme regional CCI hubs. Also, as key expert in the “Global Thematic Evaluation of EU Public and Cultural Diplomacy” (2022) she provided research support to the team, particularly focusing on the analysis of the Cultural Diplomacy actions that were evaluated, EU Film Festivals (EUFF) and the Cultural Relations Platforms.

In 2020, she launched her own consulting firm, Implicarte. Amongst others, she has worked for UNESCO, the Spanish Agency for International Development (AECID), the Embassy of Spain in Senegal (where she co-managed EUNIC’s video mapping project “Dakar, carrefour de cultures”), FIIAPP, the European Commission, the Consulate General of Spain in Havana and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Alexandra is a native Spanish and Galician speaker, fluent in English, French and Portuguese. She lived and worked in Egypt, Cuba, Senegal, Panama, Belgium, France and Spain.

Ana Laura Martins

Special Assistant and Research team 

laura.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Ana Laura Martins is a young professional who recently completed her Master’s in Military History, which followed a degree in History (with a Minor in European Studies). Her academic interests focused on the socio-cultural and geopolitical fields. She is currently a Junior Collaborator at culture Solutions Europe, where she integrates the communications team, undertakes fundraising intelligence tasks and assists the board. Simultaneously, she is working at the General Library of the University of Coimbra, where she directly assists the board and organizes cultural activities, such as series of debates, exhibitions and conferences. At the same time she manages their presence on social media and is in charge of bringing younger audiences and the Library closer. She is part of Ludi Conimbrigensis, a project that aims to provide children and teenagers with direct contact with Classical culture. She participated in a university program, buddy, helping international students settling in.

Atakan Budakçı

Research and Communications teams 

atakan.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Atakan is a recent graduate of the Master’s programme in Public and Cultural Diplomacy at the University of Siena. His interests include identity politics, the interplay of religion and culture, the role of culture in conflict zones, and youth engagement in cultural initiatives.

In his previous role, he worked at CREDO—the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on Cultural Relations and Diplomacy at the University of Siena—where he contributed to research and projects promoting dialogue and understanding through intercultural relations. Atakan is passionate about exploring how heritage, memory, and cultural narratives shape international relations and bring communities together.

Daryna Zhyvohliadova

Research team

daryna.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Dr. Daryna Zhyvohliadova is a Ukrainian cultural professional and academic with an
expertise in contemporary management and knowledge exchange practices for international
cultural cooperation, as well as in strategies and tactics for safeguarding heritage during
wartime.

Being awarded the Youth Cultural Protection Professional Award by IAASF (UK),
Daryna has a recent record of giving guest lectures at esteemed universities worldwide,
including the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Ljubljana, the University of
Maribor, and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

In her recent professional roles,
Daryna provided consultancy to ALIPH Foundation, Europa Nostra, and the Cultural
Relations Platform, led the Creative Europe Desk, and coordinated UNFPA's Humanitarian
Response for youth. As an individual member of leading European networks, including
ENCATC and Culture Action Europe, Daryna is also a committed youth advocate,
passionately promoting culture as a cornerstone of sustainable development.

Estela Vilanova Núñez

Who’s who and Research teams

estela.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Estela Vilanova Núñez is a young professional and junior collaborator at culture Solutions, where she conducts research on cultural heritage, cultural diplomacy and cultural policy in the EU’s external action. Estela currently works as a Cultural Assistant at the Spanish Embassy in France and has extensive professional experience in national and international organisations such as the Cervantes Institute, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, UNESCO and EUNIC.

Estela holds a Master of Arts in EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies from the College of Europe, where she majored in cultural diplomacy and EU-China cultural relations, and a Bachelor of Laws from the University Carlos III of Madrid.

Gregor Matti

Research collaborator

gregor.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Areas: EU ICR, Colonial memories, Art restitution

Gregor is a recent graduate of the Erasmus Mundus Master of Arts programme “Euroculture: Society, Politics and Culture in a Global Context” (University of Groningen / University of Deusto). He has collaborated in several international cultural projects, amongst others in Mexico City in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut and the Austrian Cultural Forum. 

During his engagement as a Cultural Officer at the Student Think Tank for Europe Asia Relations (STEAR), Gregor has organised expert panels on equitable dialogue in intercultural relations. 

His interest in decolonial approaches also drove him to investigate the EU’s foreign cultural policy in his master thesis, titled “Decolonising the EU’s International Cultural Relations: Europe’s Memory-Heritage-Identity Discourse and its Contestations from the Global South”. Throughout his academic and professional trajectory, he has lived and worked in Austria, Germany, the U.S., Mexico, Spain, the Netherlands and India. 

Ina Kokinova

Web editor and Research team

ina.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Ina is in her last year of a double bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Protocol, Event Management and Corporate Communication. She is currently writing her thesis on the Cultural Diplomacy of the European Union with a special attention to the relations with China. Ina is in charge of culture Solutions’ web editing and also contributes to the communications and research teams. Her area of interest is digitalisation and internet and she recently carried out a research on UNESCO’s promotion of cultural diversity in the digital era as part of a specialisation at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.

Simultaneously, Ina is part of the association Equipo Europa which promotes the European values among the youth and fosters their political participation. At Equipo Europa Ina is the communications coordinator, the leader of the working group on European identity and a researcher in the working group on cyber security. After leaving her home in Bulgaria Ina has lived in Spain and the United Kingdom, and apart from fluency in Spanish and English, she also has an advanced level of Chinese and an intermediate of Russian and Italian.

Isabelle Van de Gejuchte

Research team

isabelle.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Isabelle has over 10 years of experience working in the field of cultural relations. She gained this experience through her work with the British Council, where she was responsible for the organisatio’ns engagement with European institutions and European networks. For six years, Isabelle served as the EUNIC Global focal point for the British Council, co-organising a series of activities with the network, including regional meetings, workshops, and online webinars. She was also a member of the Cultural Relations platform and More Europe-Global Cultural Relations, contributing to the strengthening of culture in external relations in Europe and beyond.

Over the past year, Isabelle has focused her work on the theme of arts and culture addressing climate change. She has recently developed and co-authored research for IETM (International Network for the Performing Arts) on the meaning and implications of climate justice for the performing arts on a global scale. Through literature analysis, global dialogues with arts professionals, and selected projects, the research highlights the contributions of performing arts in reshaping climate narratives, raising awareness, and engaging communities in climate action.

Isabelle holds a Ph.D. in social and political sciences from the European University Institute in Florence.

Maréva Bunga-Chiron

Business Development and Fundraising team

mareva.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Maria Logiotatidou

maria.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Maria Logiotatidou is a cultural manager and strategist focusing on international cooperation and cultural diplomacy. She is currently pursuing an MSc in Cultural Organisations Management, specialising in international cultural relations. She is a Project Assistant at the Forum on EU-UK Cultural and Media Relations, where she supports the campaign for the United Kingdom to join the Creative Europe programme from 2027.

Maria joined culture Solutions as a Research Collaborator with focus in the following areas: EU-Argentina and EU-India cultural cooperation, and the analysis of European Film Festival (EUFF) as a cultural diplomacy tool.

Maria Clara Abaurre

mariaclara.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Maria Clara Abaurre is a journalist and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies at KU Leuven. She joined culture Solutions as an intern, contributing to the communications and research teams, with a focus on long format content such as web and newsletter, and EU-Brazil cultural cooperation and international relations.

Maria has professional experience in diverse communications roles and aspires to build a career at the intersection of culture, communications and global perspectives, telling stories and developing projects that connect people and promote change.

Nicole McNeilly

Training and Knowledge Sharing coordinator

nicole.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

As a researcher, evaluator, facilitator and project manager based in the Netherlands, hailing from Northern Ireland and with professional experience in regions including Russia, Europe, the UK and South Asia, Nicole McNeilly is an internationally-experienced cultural professional and a skilled intercultural communicator. Her strengths lie in policy, research and evaluation, and she has worked with organisations including the British Council, Arts Council England and Europeana Foundation. 

She has a unique sector perspective stemming from her training as a musician and composer and complemented by her later study on cultural policy and governance. In her MA, she investigated the role of equality legislation as implicit cultural policy in Northern Ireland’s post-conflict context. Nicole’s professional research interests lie across culture, the creative industries and heritage, and in contemporary debates around digitisation, accessibility, and equality and diversity. She is a regular contributor to Dutch and Russian contemporary art platforms.

Lakshmi Priya

Research collaborator

lakshmipriya.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Areas: Cultural heritage

Lakshmi Priya Baskaran is a young heritage professional and architect from India with a Master’s in Conservation of Monuments and Sites from KU Leuven, Belgium. Her work focuses on built heritage and historic landscapes, with a strong interest in inclusive and sustainable heritage management.

She has carried out research and fieldwork on lesser-known pilgrimage routes in South India and continues to engage with stakeholders on preserving cultural narratives through spatial design. Lakshmi is passionate about making heritage accessible to broader audiences and supporting community-led heritage initiatives through intercultural collaboration.

Lilian Richieri Hanania

Research team 

lilian.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Lilian Richieri Hanania is an attorney (Paris Bar and São Paulo Bar), PhD in International Law (University Paris 1 – Panthéon-Sorbonne), an accredited mediator (CNMA) and a collaborative law practitioner. She graduated from the Law School of the University of São Paulo (USP – Brazil) in 2001 and obtained a master’s degree in International Economic Law in 2003 and a PhD in International Law in 2007, both from the University Paris 1. Her PhD thesis, publications and lectures address International Economic Law, International Law on Culture and Sustainable Development, with an emphasis on creative industries, new technologies and the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Besides her activity as an attorney in law firms and in-house since 2002, and a consultant in International Law since 2003, she worked as advisor-negotiator at the International Economic Affairs Division of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 3 years and taught International Law and International Relations at the University Paris 1 for 4 years. She currently teaches at Sciences Po Paris and at the University Paris Descartes. She founded her own law firm in 2017, where she works as an attorney, a consultant and a mediator.

Lucía Sánchez Estupiña

Research and Communications teams

lucia.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Lucía Sánchez Estupiñá is a young professional and Junior Collaborator at culture Solutions, where she contributes to research and communications activities related to culture and international relations.

She has professional experience in European institutional environments and Brussels-based organisations, with a focus on communication, project coordination, stakeholder
engagement, and outreach initiatives linked to European projects.

Lucía holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in International Relations and EU Studies. Her interests include public communication, cultural heritage, stakeholder engagement, EU affairs and the role of communication in connecting organisations, institutions and citizens.

Ludovica Fionda

Research team

ludovica.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Ludovica Fionda is a cultural professional with over two years of experience in
communications, project coordination, and event management in the cultural and third
sectors. She holds a degree in Philosophy, Politics & Economics from Erasmus University
College Rotterdam and a Master’s degree in Arts & Cultural Management from King’s
College London, specialising in European international cultural relations, with a particular
focus on the overlaps between culture, aesthetics, identity and politics.
Ludovica is currently a member of EquALL, where she contributes to awareness initiatives
addressing gender representation in public panels in Italy. Her past work experiences
include projects related to tangible and intangible cultural heritage, cross-cultural dialogue
and contemporary art.
At culture Solutions, Ludovica works as part of the research team and is committed to
shaping inclusive discourses and practices in contemporary cultural policies, ensuring these
resonate with local communities.

Paula Cayetana Vázquez Tomé

cayetana.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Paula Cayetana Vázquez Tomé is a graduate in Music (piano performance) from ArtEZ University of the Arts and holds two Master’s degrees in European Union studies, with a specialisation in European law (University of A Coruña) and European affairs (Instituto Europeo de Bilbao).

Her interdisciplinary background bridges the cultural and institutional dimensions of the European project, combining artistic training with a solid understanding of EU governance and policy frameworks. She has professional experience as a music teacher at the Municipal School of Santiago de Compostela and has further developed her analytical and organisational skills through her preparation for the Spanish civil service (Cuerpo Superior de Administradores Civiles del Estado).

Xhesjana Haxhiu

Research team

xhesjana.culturesolutionseu@gmail.com

Xhesjana is a researcher and content contributor specialising in international cultural relations, heritage governance, and Europe-Asia cooperation. She holds an MSc in Critical Heritage Studies of Asia and Europe from National Taiwan University (2024) and an MA in Politics, Society and Economy of Asia from Leiden University (2022). Her academic work has focused on cultural governance, memory politics, and the role of culture in international partnerships, with particular attention to Asia-Europe relations. Her areas of interest include cultural diplomacy, creative economies, and people-to-people exchanges, as well as the implications of digitalisation for heritage and cultural policy.

In parallel, Xhesjana is actively involved in international research and civil society initiatives, including work on EU-Asia dialogue, urban wellbeing, and youth-led cultural projects. Having lived and studied in Italy, the Netherlands, and Taiwan, she brings a strongly transregional perspective to her work. She is a native speaker of Italian and Albanian, fluent in English, and has working proficiency in Chinese, French and Spanish.