News

At our General Assembly on April 25, Social Platform members elected a new Management Committee for a period of 2 years. Our new team consists of

From left to right: Jana Hainsworth, Michel Mercadié, Heather Roy, Rodolfo Cattani, Claire Roumet, Brigitte Triems and Barbara Helfferich

•    Heather Roy, President

Heather is Secretary General of Eurodiaconia (the European Federation for Diaconia). Heather has a professional background in advocacy and organizational management including membership support and development, project and programme management, fundraising, strategic planning and external representation.

Heather previously worked in the homelessness sector in her native Scotland and as European Director for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts until she joined Eurodiaconia in 2008. She has also worked with the Council of Europe in the field of youth with a particular interest in the participation and leadership potential of girls and young women, human rights, globalisation and youth inclusion generally. Heather has worked extensively in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to develop voluntary organisations as well as developed partnerships with other world regions including the Arab world. Heather is also a board member of Social Services Europe and the International Society for Research in Diaconia and Christian Social Practice.

•   Claire Roumet, Vice-President

Claire is Secretary General of CECODHAS Housing Europe, the Federation of social, public and cooperative housing providers. Members of this network represent 12% of the EU residential stock and manage 25 million homes across Europe.

Claire graduated in economics and has a post-graduate in European Policies. Working as a lobbyist in Brussels for about 15 years, she first worked for the European Women’s Lobby, before taking up the position of expert for the European Commission on a pilot programme aimed at developing the social economy.

•    Rodolfo Cattani, Vice-President

Rodolfo is Secretary of the European Disability Forum (EDF). From 2005 to 2009, he was on EDF’s Executive Committee. Rodolfo also serves as Chairman of the Commission for Liaising with the EU for the European Blind Union.
Rodolfo has a long history and commitment to the promotion of the principles of equality, solidarity, non-discrimination, social justice and participatory democracy. His personal and professional experience and engagement in the disability movement have been led by these values. During Rodolfo’s life as an activist and member of the governing bodies of a number of organisations he has learned that despite the difficulties and the barriers to overcome there is the possibility to achieve a better society if the human rights perspective is respected.

•    Michel Mercadié, Treasurer

Michel is honorary president of FEANTSA (the European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless) and is a member of its employment working group.

•    Jana Hainsworth

Jana is Secretary General of Eurochild – a European network promoting the rights and well-being of children and young people in Europe.

Prior to joining Eurochild in 2006, Jana worked in a Brussels-based communications consultancy where she focused on social affairs and anti-discrimination issues. She has also managed a network of organisations promoting long-term voluntary service in the youth field and has worked for several years in private research and consultancy. She has a Masters degree in environment, development and policy from Sussex University and an Honours degree in Natural Sciences from Durham University in the UK.

•     Barbara Helfferich

Barbara represents EAPN, the European Anti Poverty Network.

Barbara Helfferich has more than 18 years of experience in European policy making. She worked in the non-governmental sector as well as in the European Commission. As Secretary General of the European Women’s Lobby she successfully established one of the biggest and most influential European NGOs in Brussels. In 1992, the European Commission recruited her to become a member of cabinet of the European Social Affairs Commissioner, a post which she held for five years until she was appointed European spokesperson for the environment. In October 2011, she became European Policy Director for WCS in Brussels. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University as well as a Master’s degree in journalism and international communications.

•     Brigitte Triems

Brigitte represents the European Women's Lobby (EWL).

Brigitte has a professional background as an interpreter/translator and political scientist. She was President of the European Women’s Lobby from 2008 until 2012 and was a Board member since 2006. Brigitte has been involved with the National Council of German Women’s Organisations since 2002, being its vice-chairwoman between 2004 and 2008. Her professional career led her to work on women’s rights as well as on labour market policies and migration issues at national and international levels. Throughout her professional and activist involvement, Brigitte specialised in women’s and equality rights at UN and EU levels, as well as in eastern and central European countries.