TEAM – Young European Leadership

Board of Directors

Eloïse Ryon

President

Eloïse Ryon is a French young graduate and President of Young European Leadership since April 2021. She was previously the head of the Delegations team and CEO for 3 years. Eloïse Ryon is a law and political sciences graduate from the College of Europe and SciencesPo Paris. She has dedicated most of her extracurricular time to supporting the voice of the youth on the European stage. She intends to continue and further this ambition with the growing and development of YEL. All of her studies have been oriented towards the European Union. She is a firm believer in the potentiel of the project and if its positive outcomes. However, tomorrow’s EU cannot be built without its youth. YEL intends to contribute to their voices being heard.

Augusto Gonzalez

Secretary General

Augusto Gonzalez is a Spaniard and the Secretary General of Young European Leadership since January 2024. He joined in 2023 and previously held the title of Delegations Officer. Augusto has a Masters Degree in Global Development from the University of Copenhagen and a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and South Asian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. He leads YEL’s policy work and institutional outreach. He has also served as the European Union’s Y7 Delegate in 2024 and has been involved in the Y20 process since 2018. Augusto is driven by a lifelong passion for understanding the significant value of the European Union and helping to bring about European strategic autonomy.

Federico Soattin

Treasurer

Federico is an ambitious Italian student whose journey took a significant turn at the age of 15 when he moved to Germany. He is now on the verge of completing his studies in Business and Economics and is set to further his education at the TU München, focusing on Sustainable Engineering. His extensive volunteer work, combined with practical business experiences, has equipped him with a unique perspective on driving sustainable positive change in today’s economy. He seeks to build a network of young leaders ready to challenge and innovate modern structures. Federico is committed to inspiring his peers to actively engage with the EU and promote cross-cultural collaboration towards a more sustainable future.

Christian Neubacher

Vice President for Strategic Partnerships

Christian is part of YEL’s Partnership Team. He is a Swedish-American currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Previously Christian has interned for the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and worked as a teacher in Sweden. He holds an MA in European Politics from Columbia University, and is passionate about furthering the European project and the transatlantic relationship.

Marko Milutinović

Vice President for Communications and Community Building

Marko Milutinović is the Director of Communications for the Young European Leadership. He has graduated from Law School at the University of Belgrade but has soon shifted his focus to the Communications sector. In addition to being the Director of Communications at the YEL, he leads the Communications for various non-governmental organizations, both domestic and foreign. Marko is proud of the fact that he is an environmental activist, the Young European Ambassador for the Western Balkans and the Ambassador of the European Climate Pact.

Communications Team

Marko Milutinović

Director of Communications

Alisha Houlihan

Communications Officer

As a Communications Officer Alisha Houlihan supports the strategic planning of the YEL social media activities, including the planning of impactful digital campaigns using various platforms to spark new ideas for content creators. Alisha has run social media accounts for renowned European organisations and she developed the campaign to promote voting to young people before the elections for the European Parliament in 2019.

Partnerships Team

Maïa Madani Davies

Director of Partnerships

Maia is a British graduate of the University of Sussex, receiving a Bachelors in Economics and International Development, with a specialization in economic and fiscal policy. Her professional experience includes working with the United Nations’ agencies on research projects to help achieve sustainable economic growth and human development, along with numerous placements at NGOs and the Civil Service on their Fast Stream pathway for university students. Internationally, her work experience stretches from speaking as a Delegate for Venezuela at NYU Abu Dhabi in their UNESCO Committee for the CWMUN Conference to working on the Covid Response Tracker for the UNDP/UN Women. She is currently a British Delegate for the UN Women at CSW68, having also been at CSW67, and a Global Youth Ambassador for Theirworld. Outside YEL and Global Development work, she has a photographic gallery, specializing in music and fashion.

Gregorio Vichi

Deputy Director of Partnerships

Gregorio is a Partnership Officer in the YEL’s Partnership Team. His double Italian-French origin gave him a European outset which is now looking to deepen through an Erasmus Mundus Master in European Politics and Society. Despite being a student, he has already conducted many experiences at the European associational level which have sparked his passion for youth engagement in politics. He is currently holding a position in the Nature Restoration team at Generation Climate Europe where he develops his interest for biodiversity and the sustainability field; while as a culture and education enthusiast he is a member of the UNESCO Global Youth Community.

Clara Bracken

Partnerships Officer

Clara is Irish/Spanish but Brussels born and raised, and has recently graduated from SciencesPo Paris where she majored in Political Humanities. She is passionate about international organizations and cooperation. She has a strong interest in youth associations after working closely with other organizations such as PeaceJam, and she’ll be working as a partnerships officer at YEL.

Selma Zouairi

Programming Officer

Selma Zouairi is an Italia-Moroccan student currently pursuing a B.A. in Global Governance with a major in Political Science and about to start her semester at Sciences Po Lille. Ever since she was little, her very big goal in life has been that of contributing to defining a relevant change in the reality she lives in, particularly considering young people as fundamental catalysers of the turnaround currently required. For this, she has been passionately involved in manifold experiences targeted to foster youth engagement and youth cooperation all of which paved the way to create her Nuova Casa Association, to join the S.U.S.I program in the U.S. and several EU opportunities. Selma also maintains a fervent interest in civic engagement, refugees and democracy, all of which lead her to finally join the YEL team in March 2023, where she’s having the precious chance to dive into the organization of interesting programs and events.

Isabelle Pickett

Partnerships Officer

Isabelle is a Chemical Engineering student from the UK with a passion for encouraging youth voice in policy. She is particularly motivated to improve diversity and social mobility within policy engagement. In 2022 she attended COP27 as part of the IET’s delegation and hopes to open opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to engage with international dialogue on important issues.

Delegations Team

Ana Elena Opre

Director of Delegations

Ana is a political science student passionate about education and youth empowerment. Her passion for international relations led her to Leiden University, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies. Her commitment to continuous learning is evident through her participation in various language courses and online education programs at esteemed institutions like Oxford University. Outside academia, Ana is an accomplished debater and mentor, having won multiple awards. Ana’s dedication extends to volunteer work, where she engages with disadvantaged youth, fostering personal growth and providing educational support. During her academic journey, Ana undertook an enriching internship at the Representation of the European Commission, where she delved into the intricacies of European governance and policy-making. As a Delegation’s Director at YEL, she aims to bridge the gap between the European Youth and the European institutions with a belief in the power of the youth to shape their own future.

Ciaran Ferrin

Deputy Director of Delegations

Ciaran is a planetarian-focused sustainability advocate that has grown up in a post-conflict society, where his passions for conservation, sustainability research and system optimisation has led him to becoming a prominent youth ambassador for Northern Ireland in how sustainability and peace relationships can flourish together. Ciaran has graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a BSc in Chemistry and a MSc in Leadership for Sustainable Development, along with two DegreePlus awards. He’s chair of the Belfast Climate Commission’s Youth Working Group and delegate for the One Young World Summit in Belfast 2023. He has a colourful repertoire of experiences throughout a myriad of industries, representing Northern Ireland and youth voices on national and international platforms, relating to sustainability education. He’s helped start multiple social enterprises, has international experiences in conservation, science, leadership, business, teaching, societal relationship building, etc. and has even taught himself multiple languages.

Vincent Tadday

Delegations Officer

Interested in global politics and governance, Vincent graduated with a BSc in Global Studies (cum laude) from Maastricht University. He is a Young European Ambassador bridging the EU and its eastern neighbourhood. As part of a diverse range of organizations and networks, he is strengthening the voice of the youth in national, international, and global policymaking. Currently, Vincent is pursuing his master’s degree in public policy, studying in Paris and Berlin. As part of the Delegations Team, he eagerly supports young people from diverse backgrounds to navigate international politics and make their voices heard.