AGE Secretariat

AGE Secretariat is responsible for the administrative day-to-day management of the association and for liaising with the European institutions. It is based in Brussels (Avenue de Tervueren, 168/2, 1150 Brussels, Belgium) and is composed of a European staff.

Secretary General

Maciej Kucharczyk, maciej.kucharczyk@age-platform.eu

Maciej is responsible for the implementation of AGE's strategic objectives, the development of the network and the management of the secretariat, his work aims to ensure an ever-stronger voice for AGE members and older people to influence policies on ageing at the European and international level.

Office Manager

Hanan Soussi, info@age-platform.eu

Hanan is responsible for the day-to-day management of the AGE office, including administrative issues and finances. She is also in charge of human resources and membership issues, liaising with the Accreditation Committee, dealing with application requests and members fees. Hanan oversees the organization of AGE meetings and is the contact person for Belgian authorities.

Administrative Assistant

Nathalie De Craecker, nathalie.decraecker@age-platform.eu

Nathalie organises AGE’s statutory meetings and other events. She is also in charge of feeding the members website and of the maintenance of the database, assists the Office Manager (bookkeeping) and Project managers: translations and participation in the drafting of communication tools, periodic reporting.

Information and Communication Officer

Anne Melard, anne.melard@age-platform.eu

Anne is responsible for drafting information and communication tools, including issuing the monthly newsletter CoverAGE and managing AGE’s public website. She is also in charge of developing AGE’s communication profile, monitoring press resources on ageing issues and provides communication support for AGE’s campaigns and events.

Membership and Campaigns Officer

Estelle Huchet, estelle.huchet@age-platform.eu

Estelle's role within the secretariat is two-fold. As membership officer, she coordinates the identification and recruitment of new members and develops activities to strengthen the advocacy capacity of existing members. As campaigns officer, Estelle develops and coordinates communication campaigns in order to channel older people's voices, aspirations and needs at EU and global levels.

Policy Coordinator on Human Rights & Non-Discrimination

Nena Georgantzi, nena.georgantzi@age-platform.eu

Nena coordinates AGE's work on human rights and discrimination. She is in charge of AGE advocacy for a UN convention on the rights of older persons and new EU legislation in the field of equality. She also follows the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the EU level, in particular the intersection between ageing and disability. Nena represents AGE at the Fundamental Rights Platform, as well as in the Council of Europe and the United Nations working groups to strengthen older people’s rights. She is also Deputy Chair of the Global Alliance on the Rights of Older Persons. She is currently supervising an Early Stage Researcher who is doing a PhD in the field of ageism in the frame of the EuroAgeism project.

Policy Coordinator for Health, New Technologies & Accessibility

Julia Wadoux, julia.wadoux@age-platform.eu

Julia coordinates AGE policy work in the areas of health, new technologies and accessibility in support of active and healthy ageing. She is responsible for the Task Force on Healthy Ageing and the Task Force on Accessibility, mobility and new technologies. She works on the European Accessibility Act and monitor the related standardisation work. She represents AGE in the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA). Julia is also involved in the work on Age-Friendly Environments, supporting the Task Force on Age-Friendly Environments, as well as the European Covenant on Demographic Change and the related action group in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. She is also involved in the SEED project which seeks to set up and run an EU Silver Economy Awards.

Policy and EP Liaison Officer

Philippe Seidel, philippe.seidel@age-platform.eu

Philippe is responsible for AGE’s policy activities in the fields of employment of older workers and social protection, as well as gender equality. He coordinates the respective Task Forces on Employment and on Adequate Income. Philippe also coordinates AGE’s relations with the European Parliament (EP) and the EP Intergroup subgroup on Active Ageing and Solidarity Between Generations.

Project and Policy Officer on long-term care & elder abuse

Borja Arrue Astrain, borja.arrue@age-platform.eu

Borja is responsible for AGE's policy work on long-term care and elder abuse and as such he coordinates the Task Force on Dignified Ageing. He ensures AGE’s involvement in policy consultations and the relations with stakeholders in the areas under his responsibility. Borja sits in various advisory and steering groups on care research and policies, and is responsible for AGE’s annual events to mark the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. He contributes to AGE’s work on human rights in the context of care. Borja also works on a number of European projects delivering policy recommendations and establishing links with AGE’s advocacy work.

Projects: InAdvance (early Access to palliative care), SHAPES (new technologies and care), Digital Health Europe (scaling-up digital solutions for health and care).

Research Project Manager

Ilenia Gheno, ilenia.gheno@age-platform.eu

Ilenia is in charge of the overall coordination of AGE European Projects and works directly on European projects related to universal design, health and ehealth, accessibility, new technologies. She roots for a genuine user involvement in projects and for their ethical implications. She is moreover active in disseminating the projects’ results, with the goal to bring scientific evidence to European policy makers and stakeholders.

Ilenia currently works on the following European projects: PHARAON (pilots for active and healthy ageing), SHAPES (smart digital solutions for ageing well), DREAMLIKE NEIGHBOURHOOD (older people’s contributions to society).

Research Project Officer

Nhu Tram, nhu.tram@age-platform.eu

Nhu is responsible for managing AGE’s research projects on Age-friendly Environment, Long-term Care and Healthy Ageing. She is experienced in developing dissemination activities, including producing briefs, brochures and website articles, as well as in exploitation, notably via public events and workshops as well as policy recommendations. She also has extensive experience in liaising with stakeholders across Europe, including service providers, user organisations and academics, among others, to ensure the dissemination and exploitation of project activities and results.

Projects: InAdvance (Optimizing early palliative care), Homes4Life (certification for ageing in place), ValueCare (value-based health care), Digital Health Europe (Digital transformation of health), We4AHA (Digital transformation of health).

Research Project Officer

Vera Hörmann, vera.hoermann@age-platform.eu

Vera works on a broad range of projects dealing with assistive technologies, malnutrition and smart and active ageing, bringing the perspectives of older users and potential consumers in research projects. She moreover contributes to communicating outcomes and results of life-science to older persons.

Projects: MATUROLIFE (assistive technologies based on smart textiles), Pharaon (large scale pilot for smart and active living for Europe’s ageing population), PROMISS (malnutrition in older age), WE4AHA (support for the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing)

Research Project Officer

Marine Luc, marine.luc@age-platform.eu

Marine is responsible for managing AGE’s research projects on Active and Healthy Ageing, Age-friendly Environment, Long-term Care and Malnutrition.

She is involved in the communication and dissemination of scientific results to a wide audience, and especially to older persons. She is liaising with different stakeholders, bringing perspectives of older users and potential consumers to ensure the exploitation of the research projects.

Projects: ValueCare (value-based health care), UrbanAge (Age-friendly environment and cities), Promiss (malnutrition in older age), e-Vita (Virtual Coach for Active and Healthy ageing).

Staff Regulations: According to our Statutes, the Secretary General has sole responsibility for the day-to-day management of staff, who report to the Secretary General. The Secretary General reports to the Executive Committee.

Staff Regulations are regularly updated in consultation with staff members. Each new staff member receives a copy of the Staff Regulations together with her/his contract. Staff members are expected to respect AGE staff regulations. Within the Executive Committee, one Vice-President is responsible for staff issues.

The Secretariat can be contacted in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Greek and Polish.

AGE Secretariat is responsible for carrying out the tasks determined by the Council, and for running the current and administrative affairs of the platform.