Alexandrina Najmowicz
Secretary General
Alexandrina’s principal missions are to ensure the coordination of statutory activities and to implement the work plan adopted by the Board of directors and approved by the general assembly. She is also in charge of the network’s communication and the follow-up of institutional relations.
Vladimir Sestovic
Communication & Membership Coordinator
After obtaining a Master degree in European Affairs at Paris III-Sorbonne Nouvelle, Vladimir joined the ECF staff in November 2012 as a volunteer and then took part in the permanent staff team. His main role within the ECF is to contribute to the network’s development, by identifying potential new organisations and ensuring the communication among the network.
Giada Negri
Research & Advocacy Coordinator
Giada is a young Italian activist who joined the ECF team in 2017 as a trainee.
Since then, she has led the work on civic space to create spaces for dialogue and opportunities for influence between civil society, institutions and academics, to empower activists across Europe and leverage European pressure on illiberal moves by national authorities.
She also brings her interests and knowledge to work on issues of sustainability, resilience of civil society and culture of care.
Benjamin Goodwin
Communications & Campaigns Officer
Benjamin’s background is in communication, journalism, and political science. He has a BA in Politics & East European Studies from University College London and an MSc in Political Science from the Free University of Brussels. Benjamin joined ECF in September 2022 and works across all our communications – from social media to publications to our Civic Spaces podcast. He has an interest in environmentalism, human rights and peacebuilding.
Aarti Narsee
Policy & Advocacy Consultant
Aarti holds a Master's in Gender, Policy and Inequalities from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE). In her previous role as a civic space research officer at CIVICUS, she monitored civic space in Europe and Central Asia. Through her intersectional feminist approach, she provides commentary on the intersections between gender rights and civic space. As a former journalist and avid storyteller, Aarti has written extensively about gender, LGBTQI+ and human rights.
Kerttu Willamo
Policy & Capacity Building Officer
Kerttu's background is in human rights and gender and minority issues. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and a Master's in Gender Studies from the University of Helsinki. Kerttu joined ECF in January 2023 and is responsible for capacity building, focusing on the intersection between civic space, technology, and artificial intelligence. She has been active in human rights and environmental grassroots movements in Finland and will continue to call for equal rights and climate justice through activism in Brussels.
Alexia Ozeel
Civic Space Assistant
After obtaining a BSocSc in Politics and International Relations from the University of Manchester, Alexia pursued a MSc in International Relations in 2022 from the University of Amsterdam. She has now joined the ECF team as the Civic Space Assistant supporting the research and advocacy team. Alexia has extensive experience researching and writing on human rights, migration, and intersectionalism.
Hana Jemli
Office Manager
Hana has a background in projects, fundraising and humanitarian organisation. She has worked with civil society in the MENA region on the topics of human rights and SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression) and with service providers organisations focusing on EU funded projects. Hana is ECF's office manager, overseeing the coordination for reporting of projects and grants and carrying out the general administration and operation of the organisation.