Gianluca Esposito has been Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe since 1 August 2024.

He was previously the Director of the Private Office of the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. Prior to this, he served as Executive Secretary of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), Head of the Crime Problems Department, and Head of the Equality and Human Dignity Department.

Gianluca started his career at the Council of Europe in 1995 where he was involved in the negotiation of several conventions and other legal instruments, in the areas of nationality, anti-corruption, cybercrime, the efficiency of justice, combating trafficking in human beings, money laundering, terrorism and its financing. From 2005 to 2009, he was an adviser in the Private Office of the Council of Europe’s Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General. Gianluca served as the Council of Europe’s first Ethics Officer.

From 2009 to 2015, Gianluca was as a Senior Counsel in the Legal Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, DC.

Former Team GB rower Baz Moffat retired from the sport to launch a successful international consulting and coaching business. A prominent voice in the women’s health movement, Baz specialises in the pelvic floor - a pivotal yet vastly underappreciated nucleus in the female body.

A former professional basketball player (Spanish national team in lower categories), Aauri Lorena is an Olympic athlete who competed in the London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the latter as captain of the Spanish athletics team. A 12-time Spanish 400m champion, she holds the second best 400m record in Spanish history and is the national record holder with the mixed 4x400 relay. She is a social worker specialised in sports, with a degree in Social Work from the Complutense University of Madrid, a Masters in Social Development from the Catholic University of Murcia and a Masters in Socio-educational Action with Vulnerable Groups from the Spanish Distance Learning University. She is the creator and coordinator of the “Education in values through sport DXT for life” project, financed by the Spanish Commission for the Fight Against Doping in Sport (CELAD).

Endocrinologist, sports physician, and physiologist, Martine Duclos is a University Professor and Hospital Practitioner (MD, PhD), head of the Sports Medicine and Functional Explorations Department at the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand. She conducts research at the Human Nutrition Research Center (INRA-University Clermont Auvergne) focused on the relationships between physical activity and health, particularly in individuals with chronic diseases (type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer). The objectives are twofold: 1) to increase or maintain muscle mass and quality as well as physical capacities under various physiological (aging) or pathological conditions (chronic diseases), and 2) to develop innovative strategies using new information and communication technologies to implement and sustain long-term physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviors (physical activity/sedentary profile) in healthy subjects (primary prevention) and in individuals subjects with chronic conditions that affect mobility (tertiary prevention) within a personalized and holistic care framework. Author of numerous publications, she is a member of European and national scientific advisory committees and founder and president of the National Observatory of Physical Activity and Sedentarity, created in October 2015, and co-chair of the Health in Motion Chair.

Advisor to the Minister of Youth and Sports, Republic of Bulgaria, Youth policy

Vice-Chair of the European Steering Committee for Youth, Council of Europe

Chair of the Group of Senior Officials in charge of the preparation of the Conference of Ministers of Youth, October 2025;

Vice-Chair of the Board of Co-ordination, Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card

Lecturer in the Department of Public Administration of the Faculty of Philosophy, SU "St. Kliment Ohridski”. The discipline she teaches is "Youth participation and youth projects" in the context of the youth policy implementation. Doctor of political sciences with a defended thesis "The development of youth policy in Bulgaria after 1989." Liliya Elenkova's scientific interests are in the field of the process of formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of youth policies at the local, national and European level.

Assistant professor in the Department of Industrial Business at the University of National and World Economy. Leads trainings on "Management of human resources".

In 2006 Chatilla van Grinsven debuted as a young star for the National Basketball Team of the Netherlands. In 2008 she signed her athletic-scholarship in the United States to play for Colorado State University, while studying BA Speech Communication. In 2011, van Grinsven transferred to Saint Joseph’s University to play for the Hawks in Philadelphia, where she had to sit out the 2011-2012 season due to NCAA transfer rules which allowed her to only have one more year to play on the collegiate level. During her last and only year remaining to play in college, she promised her coach to help lead the team in winning a championship. The following year she led the team in scoring and rebounding, broke the conference rounding records and won the NCAA A-10 Championship and led the team to the NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in 10 years. She has accumulated numerous honors throughout her season such as the A-10 First Team All Conference, A-10 All Championship Team, Big-5 Player of the Year, won multiple times the Player of the Week Award in the league during her playing time, scoring her 1000th career point, while winning the NCAA Woman of the Year the A-10 Conference.

Living in Philadelphia, van Grinsven finished her BA degree in International Business with a focus on Economics. She became an active member of the “Heart of a Hawk” service program, where she dedicated her free time to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia while also serving food to the homeless people in Philly with the help of several local non-profit-organizations. Van Grinsven later was awarded the Roosevelt Hunter Community Service Award for her consistent and dedicated help in the community. Later, Van Grinsven was nominated as the NCAA Woman of the Year Award in the United States; awarding her distinctive performance in the class-room, on the basketball court, and her service in the community.

After her collegiate career, Van Grinsven continued as a professional in top leagues across the globe such as the WNBA, FIBA and the power leagues Euroleague & EuroCup in countries such as USA, France, Spain, Czech Republic and Turkey (Galatasaray) and Italy. During her playing career she collected her Master Degree at the University of London, SOAS, in Global Diplomacy (Politics) with the focus on human rights and the United Nations (UN). In 2021, van Grinsven She also collected an acting degree from the Meisner Acting Academy in the Netherlands. Additionally, she continued to serve as an ambassador for various causes, she also became the ambassador for the Dutch Political Party (Partij voor de Dieren).

In 2021, after a distinguished 15-year career in professional basketball, Chatilla van Grinsven made the decision to retire, having fulfilled her aspirations of playing at the highest level around the world. With a desire for a new chapter, she completed her acting degree at the Meisner Academy in the Netherlands and transitioned into the entertainment industry. Later that year, she made a successful debut on the now globally streamed television show Traitors, where she showcased her leadership and resilience, ultimately winning the inaugural season. Since that time, she has established herself as a familiar figure on television, primarily serving as a sports analyst. In addition, she has participated in various programs and talk shows to share her extensive expertise acquired over her distinguished 15-year career in sports and acts as an advisor for the Dutch Basketball Federation.

Fueled by her passion for personal growth and a commitment to sharing the invaluable lessons she gained throughout her athletic career, Chatilla embarked on a journey as a keynote speaker. Her goal is to inspire others to harness their unique talents and strengths, empowering them to reach their full potential. Today, she is a highly respected and sought-after keynote speaker, captivating audiences across the globe, from corporate environments to educational institutions, with her powerful and motivational stories. Her program, SUPERHERO UNLOCKED, is specifically designed to assist individuals, teams, and organizations in unlocking their full potential and discovering the inherent strengths within themselves. Leveraging her extensive experiences and insights, Chatilla empowers participants to recognize and embrace their unique capabilities, navigate challenges, and pursue excellence.

Her goal for everyone is to unlock their full potential, to unlock their Superhero!

A former professional basketball player (Spanish national team in lower categories), Aauri Lorena is an Olympic athlete who competed in the London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the latter as captain of the Spanish athletics team. A 12-time Spanish 400m champion, she holds the second best 400m record in Spanish history and is the national record holder with the mixed 4x400 relay. She is a social worker specialised in sports, with a degree in Social Work from the Complutense University of Madrid, a Masters in Social Development from the Catholic University of Murcia and a Masters in Socio-educational Action with Vulnerable Groups from the Spanish Distance Learning University. She is the creator and coordinator of the “Education in values through sport DXT for life” project, financed by the Spanish Commission for the Fight Against Doping in Sport (CELAD).

A former professional player with over 90 appearances for Scotland, Frankie Brown understands the unique needs of professional women's footballers.

Frankie has a PhD in exercise immunology and extensive exercise physiology research expertise. As Head of research and strategy for women's football at FIFPRO, Frankie leads the effort to expand research and accelerate progress in women's football, driving forward initiatives that improve the game and empower players globally.

Born in Château-Salins (Moselle) in 1958, Liliane Trevisan studied at the CUEJ journalism school in Strasbourg.

She soon gained hands-on experience reporting for several regional dailies in various fields, including general and local news, culture and sports.

• In the early 80s, she started writing for Le Provençal in Marseille (where she filed her first articles on the Olympique de Marseille football club). She went on to write for Var Matin, Le Progrès, La Haute-Marne Libérée, Le Quotidien de La Réunion and L’Alsace.
• In 1986, while working for the sports section at L’Alsace, she became the first woman to win the prestigious Martini Prize (now the Crédit Lyonnais Prize) for the best national sports article. It was the first time a woman had won the prize since it was created in 1956.
• She then had a long spell writing for magazines (1986-98), including the French basketball monthly Maxi-Basket, and spent many years travelling the world, particularly the United States, as a reporter on American basketball and the NBA, covering NBA news and producing numerous features and interviews with stars including Michael Jordan.
• She joined L’Equipe in October 1998 as a senior reporter specialising in basketball, working in the basketball-handball-volleyball section. She has covered many international events, including the European and World Championships and the Olympic Games (Sydney 2000 and London 2012). She has also taken part in several programmes on the L'Equipe TV channel, on the radio (RTL) and in many podcasts. 
• In recent years, her work at L’Equipe has been marked by her commitment to combating sexual violence in sport, supported and encouraged by the newspaper’s willingness to tackle these issues. Between 2020 and 2021, her investigations into the sexual assaults of swimmer Julie Boursier (Sarcelles club) helped to prosecute and place under judicial supervision the alleged rapist, who had never before been brought before the courts (cases closed without further action). Many sportswomen (equestrian, basketball) put their trust in her, and she brought to light the case of Paoline Ekambi, a top player on the French national team, who related her hellish experience of incest for the first time.
• Since 2022, she has also been a contributor to the Basket Europe website.

Director of EYCA since 2015. He has extensive experience in youth policy, having worked in this area, in various leading positions, in the Andorran public administration for over 12 years. During his time in the public sector, Manel played an instrumental role in supporting the development of the European Youth Card in Andorra, which led to his involvement with EYCA.

Former professional Basketball player and Professional Basketball coach with coaching experience in the US.  He was also the Coach of the Female National Team of Andorra from 2005 to 2015.

As EYCA Director, Manel oversees the daily operations of the Office, acts as a representative of the Association when engaging with partners, and regularly provides updates to the EYCA Board.

Dr Lombe Mwambwa, PhD is the Research Director at the Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport and a member of the University of Lausanne (UNIL) Institute of Sport Sciences. For about 20 years, she has worked with leaders of sport organisations and sport policy makers in Africa, Asia, and Europe. She is an Alum of the University of Zambia, the University of Zimbabwe, and the University of Chichester, UK. Dr Mwambwa is also Secretary General at the National Organisation for Women in Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation (NOWSPAR) in Zambia. She currently leads the work of the Global Observatory to establish a knowledge pool and repository to facilitate monitoring of progress on women, physical education, physical activity, and sport.

Carlotta Giussani is the Head of Funding at the EOC EU Office and a passionate advocate for social inclusion and mobility in sport. With a Master’s degree in International Development and Peace for Sport, she played a pivotal role in developing England’s first formalised coaching programme for BMX coaches, reflecting her deep commitment to fostering accessible and inclusive sports environments. In 2022, Carlotta earned the IOC’s Safeguarding Officer in Sport Certificate, further strengthening her expertise in gender equality, coach education, and athlete protection. She has since worked closely with European National Olympic Committees and the EOC GEDI Commission, helping implement impactful initiatives across NOCs and major Federations in Europe.

Former Team GB rower Baz Moffat retired from the sport to launch a successful international consulting and coaching business. A prominent voice in the women’s health movement, Baz specialises in the pelvic floor - a pivotal yet vastly underappreciated nucleus in the female body.

Evert Verhagen (1976) is a Human Movement Scientist and Epidemiologist with extensive expertise in sports medicine and injury prevention. He serves as a senior research expert in the Medical and Anti-Doping Department of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). In addition to this role, he is a professor at the Department of Public and Occupational Health at Amsterdam UMC, Netherlands, and the editor-in-chief of BMJ Open Sports & Exercise Medicine. His work focuses on the prevention of injuries related to sports and physical activity, with particular emphasis on monitoring, cost-effectiveness, and implementation strategies. He has supervised numerous national and international PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers and has (co-)authored an extensive portfolio of peer-reviewed publications in these areas.

Francine Hetherington Raveney is an expert in the fields of: sport policy, gender equality, diversity, project management, script analysis, audiovisual co-productions, and communication, amongst others. She obtained a Masters Degree in English and French Literature at The Queen’s College, Oxford University (1992-1996), a Masters Degree in Women’s Studies at The Queen’s College, Oxford University (1996-1997) and then carried out doctoral studies in France in politics and literature at Strasbourg University (1997-1998).

Since 2000, she has worked in a number of international organisations, including the Council of Europe, where she was a project manager for the Eurimages film fund for 11 years (2009-2020), and WHO Europe (2004-2005) where she was a Managing Editor. She is the founder, former Executive Director and currently an Honorary Member of the European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network. She is also a member of the New Dawn Film Fund jury and regularly teaches pitching and gives presentations at festivals and universities throughout Europe.

Since April 2021 she has worked as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), where she oversees resources, works with the Governing Board and partner organisations to ensure that topical thematic activities (such as gender equality, diversity, integrity and good governance in sport) and conferences (e.g. on combating gender-based violence in sport) are dealt with smoothly and effectively.

Charlotte Girard-Fabre is Secretary General and CEO of the International Federation for Sports Officials (IFSO), President of the French Association of Multisport Referees (AFCAM), a handball and curling referee at national level and a former Olympic ice hockey referee.

I have been a high-level sportswoman since the age of 13, and I wish to represent this new generation of committed women. The quest for excellence and the requirement of performance led me to referee at the Olympic Games in Sochi (Russia) 2014 and Pyeonchang (South Korea) 2018, and I sharpen my skills and expertise every day to honor my 10 Olympic rings.

A fighter at heart and an explorer of new horizons, I push my limits in sport as well as in my professional life today and tomorrow. Decision-making, time management and conflict management are among my areas of expertise. Resolutely focused on excellence and performance, I accompany your teams collectively to develop a disruptive and pragmatic approach.

An ardent defender of gender diversity and the place of women in our society, I am also passionate about civic engagement: elected Secretary General of IFSO, formerly Secretary General and now President of AFCAM and Ambassador of several think-tanks, I have also chosen to act at the highest institutional level (Ministries, UNSS, FFHB, ...).

Sophie Kwasny is the Head of the Sport Division of the Council of Europe (international organisation based in France). She is responsible for the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) and for the promotion and implementation of ground-breaking legal instruments upholding the integrity and values of sport. Combating doping and the manipulation of sport competitions, and promoting an integrated safety, security and service approach at sports events are the key aims of the three Council of Europe Sport Conventions. She is a graduate of the Strasbourg Law University and has been working for the Council of Europe for 25 years on a variety of topics ranging from data protection to prisons’ reforms, or from the independence of the judiciary to nationality law. Her sole objective: Championing human rights in and through sport!