Staff
Would you like to reach out to the POLIS team in your own language?
Get in touch with one of our liaisons:
Deutsch: Niklas Schmalholz
Ελληνικά: Melina Zarouka
Español: Laura Babío, Marina Martin Vilches
Français: Manon Coyne, Juliette Thijs
Hrvatski/Slovenščina: Marko Stančec
Italiano: Alessia Giorgiutti, Carlotta Inserra
Magyar: Zsófia Jákói
Nederlands: Karen Vancluysen, Ivo Cré, Jonathan De Vriendt
Português: Pedro Homem de Gouveia, Pedro Gomes, Cláudia Ribeiro
Karen Vancluysen
Secretary GeneralKaren was appointed as Secretary General of POLIS in September 2014, after having been the network’s Research Director for ten years.
Before joining POLIS, she worked as Network Manager at ACCESS-Eurocities and as Project Manager at Langzaam Verkeer, a Belgian centre for mobility management.
Since 1998, Karen has been involved in European urban transport networking and policy activities, as well as EU research and innovation projects covering a wide range of urban mobility topics. She has been a speaker and moderator at many high-level events in Europe and beyond, on a wide range of urban mobility themes approached from the perspective of cities and the governance of innovation.
You can contact her in English, Dutch and French.
Ivo Cré
Director Policy & ProjectsIvo joined POLIS in May 2006.
As POLIS’ director for policy activities and EU research and innovation projects and the leader of the Working Groups on Access and Parking, Ivo is active in EU research and innovation projects and advocacy relating to EU urban mobility research and innovation, TEN-T, SUMP, public transport, access regulations, parking, and digitalisation in each of these areas. He also co-leads the ERTRAC-ERRAC-ALICE Urban Mobility Working Group and leads the UVAR and Parking subgroup within DG MOVE’s Expert Group on Urban Mobility.
Before joining POLIS, Ivo worked at Eurocities and served as an advisor to a Member of the European Parliament and the Belgian Federal Minister for Environment.
Reach out to Ivo if you are interested in discussing POLIS’ involvement in EU-funded projects.
You can contact him in English, Dutch, and French.
Marina Bezier
Director Finance, HR & AdministrationMarina joined POLIS in September 2022.
She oversees POLIS’ budget and financial management, forecasting, and reporting, as well as the financial coordination of European projects and tenders. Legal, compliance, risk management and human resources are also part of her scope.
She has lived, travelled, and worked in countries across Asia and Europe, and enjoys working in an international environment. She has years of experience in general finance management as well as project finance management.
You can contact her in English and French.
Pedro Homem de Gouveia
Senior Policy Advisor - Safety & Security and Governance & Integration Cluster LeadPedro joined POLIS in November 2019.
He coordinates the Working Group for Governance & Integration, focused on policy-making for cutting-edge innovation, public participation, public-private dialogue, implementation of necessary but politically sensitive measures, and equity. He also coordinates the Working Group for Safety & Security, which is focused on making city streets safe and transport systems secure. He also supports POLIS’ policy efforts and is actively involved in the POLIS Leadership Summit and Political Group.
Pedro has extensive experience in the fields of universal design, public space, pedestrian accessibility, street safety, and public participation. Before joining POLIS, he worked for more than 20 years at the local level as a strategist, designer, trainer, consultant, and political advisor. In the City of Lisbon, he developed and implemented the Pedestrian Accessibility Plan and kick-started the Vision Zero planning process.
You can contact him in English, French, Spanish, Italian (piano, piano) and Portuguese.
Andréia Lopes Azevedo
Active Travel & Health Cluster LeadAndréia joined POLIS in October 2021.
As the leader of POLIS’ thematic cluster on Active Travel & Health, Andréia coordinates the Active Travel & Health Working Group and related projects and activities, ensuring a constant interrelation with other sustainable mobility topics.
With a background in urban planning, integrated urbanism, sustainable design, and architecture, she has over 15 years of experience working on different mobility-related projects in Brazil and Europe. She has worked in feasibility studies, managed projects, and contributed to training and research for local and EU projects. Before joining POLIS, she worked for the São Paulo State Government and Fraunhofer IAO in Stuttgart. Her work has always focused on sustainable cities and mobility, where walking, cycling, and quality of public space are central.
She is currently working on the PHOEBE, ELABORATOR, STREnGth_M, SOLUTIONSplus, and HL4EU projects.
You can contact her in English, Portuguese and French.
Raffaele Vergnani
Urban Freight Cluster LeadRaffaele joined POLIS in July 2021.
He is the coordinator of the Urban Freight Working Group and he oversees thematically related projects and activities in the urban freight cluster. His current portfolio includes the URBANE, UNCHAIN, MOVE21, GREEN-LOG, and DISCO projects. In the past, he worked on LEAD and ST4W.
Raffaele has co-written and contributed to more than ten research studies commissioned by the European Commission and the European Parliament, and has taken part in international working groups focused on transport and tourism, such as the Alpine Convention.
Before joining POLIS, he worked for Eurac Research, TRT Trasporti e Territorio, and Flixmobility. He holds a master’s degree in Geography and Spatial Planning from the University of Bologna.
You can contact him in Italian, English, French, and German.
Pedro Gomes
Clean Vehicles & Air Quality Cluster LeadPedro joined POLIS in March 2022.
Pedro leads POLIS’ Clean Vehicles & Air Quality Working Group and is responsible for several key legislative topics, including the Fit for 55 package (AFIR, EPDB, and CO2 standards for cars and vans, among others), the Clean Vehicles Directive, CO2 standards for trucks and buses, Euro 7 type-approval regulation, and the revision of the Ambient Air Quality Directive. He is POLIS’ point of reference for the European Commission Sustainable Transport Forum, supporting the Commission’s efforts on AFIR implementation, and is involved in several EU-funded projects in the area of sustainable transport, including eCharge4Drivers, SOLUTIONSplus, EAFO, SCALE, GIANTS, and LENS.
Before joining POLIS, he worked as a researcher in the Air Quality Group of the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research (CENSE) at NOVA University, and later at the Local Energy Management Agency of Almada (AGENEAL) in the fields of energy efficiency, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mitigation, and sustainable mobility. He holds an MSc in Environmental Management Systems and a BSc in Environmental Engineering.
You can contact him Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
Laura Babío
Traffic Efficiency Cluster Lead - Just Transition Co-coordinatorLaura joined POLIS in March 2020.
As lead of the Mobility & Traffic Efficiency Cluster, her main task involves coordinating and leading the network’s activities on topical issues and emerging themes related to ITS, network management, and digitalisation, including multi-modal network management, open data, data spaces, open systems/interoperability, C-ITS, automation, and mobility-as-a-service (MaaS). She has been involved in several EU-funded projects related these topics, such as PAV, MOBI-MIX, Dynaxibility4CE, MobiDataLab and e-smartec.
She also works as POLIS’ Just Transition Co-coordinator, ensuring that the Just Transition Agenda is promoted through the network’s activities.
Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Transportation Systems from the Technical University of Munich. Before joining POLIS, she completed a traineeship at the European Commission (DG MOVE), where she worked for the Sustainable and Intelligent Transport Unit.
You can contact her in English and Spanish.
Melina Zarouka
Access Cluster LeadMelina joined POLIS in June 2023.
In her role as Access Cluster Lead at POLIS, she is responsible for coordinating the Access Working Group and acts as the point of reference for POLIS projects in the areas of access and parking. She currently works on several projects related to traffic management efficiency, urban logistics, and curbside management, and smart charging infrastructure, such as SYNCHROMODE, UNCHAIN, DISCO, ESCALATE, and SCALE.
Before joining POLIS, Melina worked as a technical advisor on international development projects, focusing on sustainable public transport infrastructure. She also has experience working as a consultant on future mobility, smart cities, and master planning for global firms.
She holds an MSc in Transport from Imperial College and the University College London and a BSc in Civil Engineering from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece.
You can contact her in English and Greek.
Cláudia Ribeiro
Projects & Proposals Lead - SMC Platform CoordinatorCláudia joined POLIS in March 2020.
In her role as Project and Proposal Lead at POLIS, she is responsible for developing research and innovation (R&I) proposals. She oversees horizontal project management, working closely with the network’s Policy & Projects Director, Ivo Cré. Additionally, she coordinates the Small and Medium-Sized Cities Platform.
She has been involved in the implementation and management of several EU-funded transport and mobility projects since 2016, with particular emphasis on waterborne transport. Currently, she is managing EU-funded projects in a wide range of topics, from e-mobility to urban freight, namely LEAD, SOLUTIONSPlus, GREEN-LOG and the Interreg Euro-Med Green Living Areas Mission.
She holds a dual master’s degree in Political Science from Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the University of Konstanz.
You can contact her in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Marko Stančec
Project & Climate-Neutral Cities Mission Taskforce CoordinatorMarko joined POLIS in January 2022.
He coordinates the Climate-Neutral Cities Taskforce, focusing on the transport component of climate plans and strategies.
Marko is involved in several EU projects dedicated to SUMPs, transport data analysis and management, and multimodal urban nodes, including MOVE21, SUMP Turkey, MONA, SUMI3 – Sustainable Urban Mobility Indicators, and EUMO, the European Commission’s online portal for sustainable urban mobility.
He has extensive experience supporting cities in formulating effective measures for SUMPs, urban space management, and data-driven planning. Prior to joining POLIS, he served as a Policy Advisor for CIVINET Slovenia-Croatia-Southeast Europe (SEE). He was a part of the team developing the first SUMP in Croatia and a SUMP consultant in Southeast Europe.
Marko holds a MSc in Spatial Planning and Regional Development and a BSc in Applied Geography.
You can contact him in English, Croatian, and Slovenian. He also understands Spanish.
Mark Meyer
Project CoordinatorMark joined POLIS in January 2022.
He is involved in several EU projects, including European Mobility Week, EU Support for Promoting Sustainable Urban Mobility in Turkish Cities, GIANTS, STREnGth_M, and TANGENT.
Prior to joining POLIS, he gained extensive experience in communications, operations, and sustainable mobility planning. He has a MSc in Technology, Urban Design from Aalborg University (Denmark), where he specialised in Mobility and Urban Studies.
You can contact him in English, Danish, and Swedish.
Sibylle Meffre
Project CoordinatorSibylle joined POLIS in February 2024.
As a Project Coordinator at POLIS, she works on topics including data, intelligent transport systems (ITS), connected, cooperative, connected and automated mobility (CCAM), and traffic management. She is involved in the ACUMEN, deployEMDS, and JULIA projects.
She holds an MSc from ESSEC Business School, with a specialisation in Urban Studies and Data Management.
Before joining POLIS, Sibylle worked for seven years in two smart city start-ups. Through her work, she contributed to the development of an AI-based tool to better understand local territories’ opinions and helped create smart parking management software.
You can contact her in English, French, and Italian.
Constantin Heitzer
Project CoordinatorConstantin joined POLIS in November 2024 as coordinator for the SCALE and Tips4PED projects.
His work centres around Horizon Europe projects that support cities and regions in the testing and roll-out of innovative approaches to develop smart, decarbonized, and interconnected transport and energy systems.
He strives to identify bottlenecks and develop policy recommendations to scale up bidirectional V2X charging of electric vehicles and to implement positive energy districts with a view to the EU Cities Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030.
Prior to joining POLIS, he advised a Member of the European Parliament on European transport policy, leading technical negotiations of EU legislations and serving as main interlocutor for national and regional stakeholders.
You can contact him in English, German, and French.
Manon Coyne
Project & Capital Cities Working Group ManagerManon joined POLIS in September 2020.
She has been involved in several EU-funded projects on urban mobility trends such as UVAR digitalisation, data-sharing, and the transport workers’ transition. She is currently working on public transport improvement as part of the UPPER project, as well as on urban air mobility services in the MUSE and MAIA projects. She also coordinates POLIS’ new Capitals Working Group.
Travel adept, Manon constantly moves across Europe (and beyond) for her ultimate frisbee career. She previously worked for the car manufacturing sector, focusing on the role of cars in the urban environment, UVARs, charging infrastructure, and trade and economic development policies. She has worked in the field of railway passenger transport, where she focused on passenger rights and ticketing interoperability.
Manon holds master’s degrees in European Studies and Political Science from Sciences Po Paris and the Freie Unversität Berlin. She also studied economics and mathematics at the Higher School of Economics of Moscow and worked at the French-Russian Chamber of Commerce.
You can contact her in English, German, French, and Russian.
Daniel Herrera Meek
Project & Parking Working Group ManagerDaniel joined POLIS in April 2021.
He manages the Parking Working Group and is involved in EU-funded SUM, SMALL, ShareDiMobiHub, and MoLo Hubs projects, which address topics including inclusive shared mobility, shared mobility hubs, new mobility services, and sustainable urban logistics.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a joint master’s degree in Urban Studies from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). He has worked with the Colombian government on social and infrastructure projects. In 2019, he worked as an intern at POLIS, conducting research on new mobility services.
You can contact him in Spanish and English.
Alonso Dávila Graf
Project & Regions Working Group ManagerAlonso joined POLIS in March 2023.
His work is currently focused on urban mobility policy areas such as urban freight/last-mile delivery, electromobility, public transport, and shared mobility. He is involved in a variety of EU-funded projects, including URBANE, ESCALATE, eBRT2030, and SMAPE. He also co-leads the Regions Working Group.
Before joining POLIS, Alonso worked at a consulting firm focused on advising national and local governments on smart city policies. He then joined the Mexican Ministry in charge of urban development to work on mobility and metropolitan governance projects before being part of the sustainable mobility team at the ICLEI World Secretariat.
He holds a BA in International Relations, an MSc in Urban Studies from Sciences Po Paris, and an MA in European Public Policy and Public Administration from Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) – Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
You can contact him in English, Spanish, and French.
Niklas Schmalholz
Project ManagerNiklas joined POLIS in February 2020.
Currently, he works on EU projects related to road safety (PHOEBE), electric HDVs (NextETRUCK & ESCALATE), and noise pollution (LENS), as well as co-creative measures to engage citizens in sustainable urban mobility. He also coordinates the European Mobility Week. Previously, he worked on the topic of urban parking policy (Park4SUMP).
Niklas holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in European Studies and European Public Policy and Administration from Maastricht University. He has been involved in regional cooperation and integration policy and (urban-) transport policy since 2017. Furthermore, he has contributed to the dissemination of EU projects for the past few years.
You can contact him in German, English, and French.
Ben Luoma
Project ManagerBen joined POLIS in March 2024.
Currently, he is working on several projects related to multimodal hubs, public transport, light vehicles, and sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs), including MOVE21, UPPER, GIANTS, and SUMP Turkey (Istanbul). In addition, he contributes to TIPS4PED, a new project that aims to support municipalities in the successful implementation of Positive Energy Districts.
He holds an MA in History and Spanish from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS University of London.
Before joining POLIS, he worked on communications, EU projects, and the Velo-city Conference series whilst at the European Cyclists’ Federation, the Brussels-based umbrella association for cycling advocacy.
You can contact him in English and Spanish.
Juliette Thijs
Project ManagerJuliette joined POLIS in March 2022.
She supports EU-funded projects on sustainable urban logistics solutions, multimodal traffic data processing techniques, V2X charging networks, and electric and European Bus Rapid Transit systems.
Her current projects are URBANE, TANGENT, SCALE , eBRT030, and EAFO. She also supports the Access Working Group and has previously worked on the ReVeAL, LEVITATE and SUM4All projects.
Before joining POLIS, she worked closely with local governments in sub-Saharan Africa on climate change for GIZ. In Uganda, she worked with the Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV) on integrated finances. She holds an MSc in Urban Governance from Sciences Po Paris and a degree in Sustainable Development and Social Sciences from the University of Edinburgh.
You can contact her in English and French.
Fanny Boccioli
Project OfficerFanny joined POLIS in May 2023.
She supports EU-funded projects on transport efficiency, urban logistics, air quality, new and shared mobility services, and sustainable tourism. Her current projects are ACUMEN, MOVE21, LENS, SUM, and MONA. She also supports the Governance and Integration Working Group.
Previously, she worked as an intern for POLIS, focusing on micromobility regulations.
She has an interdisciplinary academic background, with a BA in Political Science from the University of Vienna, an MSc in Socio-Economics from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and an MSc in Urban Studies from Vrije Universiteit Brussel/Université Libre de Bruxelles.
You can contact her in English, French, and German.
Zsófia Jákói
Project OfficerZsófia joined POLIS in May 2023.
As a Project Officer, Zsófia supports the Clean Vehicle and Air Quality Working Group. She works on urban logistics projects such as UNCHAIN, focused on enhancing urban freight delivery, and MoLo Hubs, dealing with urban logistics hubs. Additionally, she plays a key role in SYNCHROMODE, which is developing advanced traffic management solutions, and she provides support to the UAM-related projects MUSE and MAIA.
Before joining POLIS, Zsófia interned at the International Road Transport Union (IRU), working on advocacy and projects related to commercial road freight transport. She also has experience working on the European Green Deal and Fit-for-55 packages with Members of the European Parliament’s Environmental Committee.
Zsófia holds a degree in Political Science from Vrije Universiteit Brussels and studied Business Management at Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
You can contact her in English and Hungarian.
Jorge Manso García
Project OfficerJorge joined POLIS in June 2023.
As a Project Officer, he focuses on initiatives like SMAPE, ShareDiMobiHub, and SUM, which all aim to develop shared mobility solutions. Furthermore, he contributes his expertise to WE-TRANSFORM and DIT4TraM and supports the Safety and Security Working Group.
Before joining POLIS, Jorge worked as a trainee at the European Commission, where he concentrated on urban and rural development. He has also held positions at Eurocities and UN-Habitat, where he explored topics such as digital transformation and the innovative application of digital technology.
Jorge’s educational background includes a BA in International Relations from Universidad Complutense de Madrid and an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s degree in European Politics and Society from several universities across Europe.
You can contact him in English, Spanish, and French.
Alessia Giorgiutti
Communications & Membership Lead - Just Transition Co-coordinatorAlessia joined POLIS in April 2019.
She coordinates POLIS’ corporate internal and external communications, leads on POLIS’ brand and visual identity, and is the Editor in chief of POLIS’ Cities in motion magazine. Additionally, she oversees and supports membership activities, working closely with the Membership and Communications Manager, Jonathan de Vriendt.
She also co-coordinates the Just Transition Taskforce with Laura Babío.
In her previous years at POLIS, Alessia was involved in several EU-funded projects, such as e-smartec, ReVeAL, iDREAMS, and the Urban Transports Community. She also managed communications for REFORM I, contributed to projects ISAAC II, GrowSmarter, and SUMPS-UP, and coordinated communications for the first-ever Urbanism Next Europe edition in 2021. Drawing from these experiences, she supports other staff members within her current role as Communications Lead by providing strategic advice and guidance in tasks related to content production and communication.
Alessia holds a BA in International Relations and Diplomacy and has worked in the field of communication and media production in Italy, Finland, the UK, and the USA. Notably, she has worked as an External Communication Advisor for an international consultancy involved with the EC on the Eastern European Partnership, for which she contributed to the #EUNeighboursEast and #EU4Energy campaigns.
You can contact her in English and Italian – but also feel free to test her in German or French. She understands Spanish, too.
Jonathan De Vriendt
Membership & Communications ManagerJonathan joined POLIS in January 2024.
Jonathan makes sure all POLIS’ existing members stay happy, heard, and well-informed. He also helps new members find their way in the expanding POLIS Network, with its unique resources, networking opportunities, and support for European projects.
As POLIS’ Membership and Communications Manager, Jonathan oversees and supports all membership actions in collaboration with the Communications and Membership Lead, Alessia Giorgiutti. Additionally, he is responsible for promoting Working Group events and disseminating the output of these activities to POLIS members.
Before joining POLIS, Jonathan was an Urban Policy Expert for Climate, Sustainability, and Energy, in the local administration of Wetteren. His firsthand experience allows him to easily identify the specific needs of cities and regions and the challenges they face in implementing ambitious urban policies.
Jonathan holds a BA in Journalism from Artevelde University of Applied Sciences.
You can contact him in English and Dutch.
Marina Martin Vilches
Project & Communications Manager | SMC Platform Co-LeadMarina joined POLIS in November 2021.
Marina works on various urban mobility projects, such as SOLUTIONSplus and STREnGth_M, and is heavily involved in POLIS corporate communications. Her work ranges from leading campaigns to social media management and more. Additionally, she manages alongside Cláudia Ribeiro the SMC Working Group, which seeks to raise the profile of Small and Medium-sized Cities in the EU as living laboratories for transport innovation.
She holds a BA in International Relations from Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a MSc in Urban Governance from Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Institute of Housing and Urban Development Studies. She is passionate about smart cities, active mobility, social inclusion, and citizen engagement.
You can contact her in English, Spanish, and French.
Carlotta Inserra
Project & Communications OfficerCarlotta joined POLIS in September 2022.
Currently, she works on POLIS’ corporate communications and magazine (Cities in motion) and is involved in sustainable urban mobility projects, focusing on inclusive transport and accessible shared mobility services (ELABORATOR, SMALL), greener living spaces in the Mediterranean (Green Living Areas), and sustainable urban logistics (DISCO). Additionally, she provides support to the Active Travel & Health Working Group.
She holds a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Lancaster University and an MA in International Relations/Political Science from the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Before joining POLIS, she was an analyst at Dalberg Media, a mission-driven communications and experience consultancy.
You can contact her in English and Italian.
Annalisa Gozzi
Communications AssistantAnnalisa joined POLIS in September 2024.
Her work spans different aspects of POLIS’ communications activities, ranging from the creation of copies and visuals for social media to supporting the drafting of newsletters and editorial content for POLIS’ website and magazine, Cities in motion. She is passionate about active mobility, accessibility, and inclusiveness in the transport sector.
She holds a BA in Languages, Civilisations, and the Science of Language from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and an MSc in Environmental Policy with a specialisation in media from Sciences Po Paris University. As part of her master’s degree, she worked as a Communications Intern at zeroCO2, a company based between Italy and Guatemala developing community-based reforestation projects in Latin America.
You can contact her in English, Spanish, French, and Italian.
Julie Lucca
Finance & HR CoordinatorJulie joined POLIS in August 2006.
She is now Finance and HR Coordinator.
She has extensive experience in managing the finances of EU projects, especially in preparing, submitting, and monitoring financial reports and tenders.
She is also involved in coordinating the sponsorship of the Annual POLIS Conference.
You can contact her in English and French.
Alexia Collignon
Events & HR CoordinatorAlexia joined POLIS in May 2017.
She coordinates the organisation of the Annual POLIS Conference and is also involved in the organisation of other POLIS events, including the POLIS Leadership Summit and Political Group meetings.
Additionally, she is in charge of POLIS’ payroll process and supports the HR team with HR-related tasks and requests.
You can contact her in English and French.
Klaudia Varga
Administration OfficerKlaudia (Kolli) joined POLIS in July 2022.
She has more than ten years of experience in office management. At POLIS, she is responsible for daily office activities, organising meetings, supporting HR tasks, and providing general administrative support.
You can contact her in English and Hungarian.