Team

Our team of permanent staff and seconded Senior Advisors combines the expertise and experience needed to achieve the CoE’s objectives and help maximise the potential of European Civilian Crisis Management.

Senior Advisors are seconded by their governments, i.e. CoE members. Should your country be interested in seconding staff to the CoE, please contact us here.

Permanent Staff

Johanna Sumuvuori

Director
Serving as Director of the CoE, Johanna brings over two decades of expertise in international affairs, policymaking, and diplomacy.

Marie Wellmann

Head of Director’s Office
Marie supports the Director in managing the strategic and operational business of the CoE, including with a view to personnel and resource management, organisational development and stakeholder relationships.

Tess Dobek

Head of Administration
Tess ensures the smooth running of the CoE by coordinating administrative activities, including financial and contract management, procurement, personnel administration, travel, and property management.

Kathrin Czirr

Administration Assistant
Kathrin supports the daily operations of the CoE by assisting with finance, procurement, personnel administration, travel arrangements, and property management.

Leila Pietiläinen

Administration Assistant
Leila contributes to the smooth running of the CoE by helping manage administrative tasks including finance, HR, procurement, travel, and office logistics.

Laurie Williams

Head of Sector / Strategic Coordinator for Internal Process and Project Management
Laurie oversees internal coordination at the CoE, ensuring effective collaboration within the team, and acting as the key contact for colleagues, members, and partners when the Director is unavailable.

Denisa Muhameti

Personal Assistant to the Director
Denisa supports the Director in managing her strategic and day-to-day activities, handling scheduling, travel, meetings, and event coordination.

Dinara Bekmagambetova

Policy Officer for Public Relations
Dinara leads the CoE’s communications, ensuring a professional presence online, on social media, and at events, while advising members and partners on strategic communication matters.

Niamh Punton

Junior Policy Officer for Public Relations
Niamh manages the practical side of the CoE’s communications, developing content and advising staff on how to share their work with members, partners, and the specialist public.

Bridgit Phillips

Social Media and Communications Assistant
Bridgit supports the CoE’s external communications by creating and publishing content for social media and the website, as well as helping to develop visual and audiovisual materials like factsheets, infographics, photos, and podcasts.

Bianca Bálint

Junior Policy Officer for Civilian Crisis Management
Bianca monitors political developments in civilian CSDP and advises CoE members on their implications for the Centre’s priorities.

Mohammed Arshad

Event Manager
Mohammed coordinates the planning and delivery of events, workshops, and high-level meetings at the CoE.

Ariane Bonnier

Policy Officer for Knowledge Management
Ariane leads the documentation and knowledge-sharing efforts at the CoE, building systems and networks to make specialist knowledge accessible to members over the long term.

Joshua Ahearn

Junior Policy Officer for Knowledge Management
Joshua supports internal knowledge sharing at the CoE by developing systems to catalogue contacts, interactions, and key documents, and by helping colleagues access and contribute to shared organisational knowledge.

Kaisa Kopsa

Political Assistant
Kaisa supports the CoE’s political work by preparing background research, presentations, and analyses, assisting operational staff and senior leadership with a particular focus on gender and HR, and coordinating the CSDP Mentoring Programme on Leadership for Women.

Jannis Ruoff

Political Assistant
Jannis contributes to the CoE’s political reporting by creating research briefs, discussion materials, and evaluations that support staff in analysing developments in civilian CSDP.

Sara Saccon

Political Assistant
Sara works closely with senior staff and operational teams to support political analysis in the civilian CSDP, preparing research, reports, and materials that inform the CoE’s work across focus areas.

Senior Advisors

Corina Zavate

Head of Sector / Strategic Coordinator for Political Content and Focus Management
Corina oversees the CoE’s political content and priorities, ensuring a holistic approach across all operations. She works closely with the Director and members, facilitating the implementation of workplans and strengthening national capabilities for EU civilian crisis management.

Marianne Flach

Senior Advisor from the Netherlands
Marianne provides expert advice, assessments, and practical tools to CoE members, helping to implement the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda within civilian CSDP, and offers strategic guidance on gender mainstreaming.

Hildegard Buitink

Senior Advisor from the Netherlands
Hildegard works to build connections between EU Member States, EEAS, and Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) stakeholders, offering CoE members expert guidance, assessments, and practical tools on enhancing civilian CSDP-JHA cooperation, as well as on human resource management and training.

Dietrich Lingenthal

Senior Advisor from Germany
Dietrich provides expert advice to the CoE members on budgeting and inter-ministerial cooperation. He also supports the Cluster work of the CoE.

Ida Eriksson

Senior Advisor from Sweden
Ida is working to integrate climate and environmental considerations into operations, design workshops, compile and share knowledge, and provide CoE members with actionable recommendations for a climate-sensitive approach to crisis management.

Aaro Suonio

Senior Advisor from Finland
Aaro advises on improving national systems for secondment in the context of civilian CSDP, with a focus on good practices in HR, legal, and budgetary frameworks. He supports CoE members in turning policy into action and strengthening national capabilities.