Team

As co-owner and Managing Director, Maryse has helped build ECCO into the leading European consultancy specialised in food regulatory affairs and the management of associations in the food ingredient sector.

Since joining ECCO in 2004, Maryse has served the interests of a variety of trade associations and food companies, notably as Secretary General of a leading European umbrella association in the food ingredient sector. Maryse has advised clients on food ingredient regulations and food policy in Europe and has provided guidance on regulatory processes for technical developments in food science within the EU framework, including engagement with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Maryse was appointed to the European Commission’s stakeholder dialogue group in the areas of public health and consumer protection (2009-2013) and has served on the Executive Advisory Board of Vitafoods.

Having graduated as a food microbiologist engineer, Maryse started her career in the R&D department of a French food company developing innovative ingredients. Maryse then held various leadership roles in a number of companies in the food sector within the departments of marketing, communications and crisis management, before moving to the field of food regulatory affairs.

As co-owner and Managing Director, Frances has helped build ECCO into the leading European consultancy specialised in food regulatory intelligence and association management solutions in the food/ingredient-related sectors.

Since joining ECCO in 2004, Frances has worked with senior leadership teams, providing advice on food regulation and food policy as well as guidance on strategies to devise and deliver trade association goals, issues management plans and governance frameworks. In addition to serving as secretary general to several prominent European and global trade associations in the food ingredient, food law and related sectors, Frances has held a number of leadership roles on the boards of directors of professional associations within these fields and has helped to legally establish international non-profit associations in Brussels.

With a bachelor’s degree in law and French (LLB) and a Master’s degree in European Public Affairs, Frances started her career in the public affairs team of a global food retailer where she was responsible for food and consumer policy and engagement with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). A UK and Belgian national, Frances is fluent in French, English and Spanish.

A seasoned EU professional with over 15 years of experience in trade associations in the food industry-related sectors in Brussels, Laurent joined the ECCO team in February 2024, where he is currently Director General of an international food ingredient association.

Before joining ECCO, Laurent was the Deputy Director General of the leading association for crop protection and plant biotech industry in Europe where he contributed to the strategic direction of the organisation, led regulatory and policy teams and delivered advocacy and stakeholder engagement programmes including relationship-building with food chain partners, engagement with policymakers and regulators and media outreach. Prior to this last position, he also held a number of technical, regulatory and advocacy roles.

Laurent has a Bachelor’s degree in law and a Master’s degree in EU and agricultural law. He is fluent in English, and French (mother tongue) and has a good knowledge of Spanish.

Passionate about food-related issues, Caroline has held several senior leadership roles at ECCO, serving various food ingredients sectors or an alternative proteins association as Secretary General. Caroline is currently Secretary General for a European food ingredients association and Senior Policy & Public Affairs Manager for an international food ingredient association.

Before joining ECCO in 2010, Caroline worked for a Public Affairs and Press Relations consultancy in Brussels. Caroline graduated from Sciences Po Lille, where she specialised in EU law and policies. She also holds a master’s degree in European politics from the IEE-ULB, the Institute for European Studies in Brussels, with a specific focus on the EU’s food safety policy. Caroline’s working languages are French (native language) and English. She also has a good knowledge of Spanish. After proudly obtaining the Belgian citizenship, Caroline is now learning Dutch.

Petr is currently Secretary General for two European associations and leads on nutrition, regulatory and technical affairs for two other associations in the food ingredients sector,  supporting their strategic goals. In addition to his leadership roles and representation responsibilities for association clients, including engagement with institutions and key stakeholders and the development of advocacy plans, Petr also advises clients on technical regulatory issues including the authorisation of novel foods and food additives in Europe. He has also helped to legally establish international non-profit associations in Brussels.

Before joining ECCO in 2013, Petr worked for several years at a large multi-national food and drink company in the fields of nutrition, consumer communication, regulatory affairs and quality assurance. Petr also worked as an advisor and nutrition consultant to the food industry and educational institutions.

Petr has an engineer’s degree in quality assurance and food technology (Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague) and is fluent in English and Czech (mother tongue), with a working knowledge of Slovak and basic knowledge of French.

Joanna is currently the Secretary General of a European non-for profit association and the Regulatory Affairs Manager for an international food ingredient association and for a European food ingredient association. Before joining ECCO, Joanna held the position of Regulatory Affairs Associate at a well-known Belgian-based food company, having previously spent five years at a leading food law firm as a Regulatory Affairs Specialist advising both corporate and association clients in the area of EU food and drug law. With a Master’s in European Studies with a special focus on European and International Law including Food Law, Joanna has an in-depth knowledge of the functioning of the EU and its decision-making process. She is fluent in English, German, Polish (mother tongue) and has a good knowledge of Spanish.

Laurent has over fifteen years’ government affairs experience. Previously, he worked for the European Commission in the framework of its evaluation policy and for the European Parliament at the Institutional Affairs Committee. He also completed a traineeship at the Internal Audit unit of Eurocontrol. Laurent provides EU advocacy and communications support to a range of clients in the fields of industry, trade, consumers and environment policies. He has experience in setting up & coordinating activity for industry trade associations and provides strategic counsel on their management & policy direction. After a Prep Course for HEC enrolment, Laurent mastered in Management and also holds a postgraduate degree in International Public Law from the University of Paris Panthéon-Assas. He is fluent in English, French (mother tongue) and has a good knowledge of Spanish & German.

Agnese is the Secretary General of a European association and an international association in the food ingredient sector. Before joining ECCO, Agnese spent five years as a policy advisor at a European association in the agrifood sector in Brussels, engaging with EU institutions on matters of trade, agriculture, sustainability and EU food policy, as well as advising on the development of advocacy strategies. Previously, Agnese held a number of different roles in agrifood trade associations providing technical expertise and advising on EU regulatory framework and international standards related to agrifood. An Italian national and fluent in English and French, Agnese has an academic background in political science, EU law and business sustainability management.

Charlotte joined ECCO as a Food Science & Regulatory Associate in September 2024. Prior to joining ECCO, Charlotte completed a traineeship in the Nutrition and Food Innovation Unit of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), where she contributed to the drafting of scientific opinions and guidance for applicants as well as the critical analysis and data synthesis of scientific evidence to inform scientific risk assessments. Previously, Charlotte was a Research Assistant at the University of Milan’s Department of Psychology of Alimentary Consumption, focusing her research work on body weight and social stigma. She was also a Dietician Trainee at the ICANS-International Center of Body Composition Research, Clinica Mangiagalli. Charlotte holds a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition and Food Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics. A native Italian speaker, she is also fluent in English and French.

Federica is currently Communications Director for an international trade association and Senior Communications Manager for a European federation in the food ingredient sector, where she develops and executes strategic communications plans, including media relations, digital communications and campaign creation. In addition, Federica helps ECCO clients in defining their communication goals and target audiences and designs communication strategies to position them effectively. She also contributes to crisis management planning and event management.

Before joining ECCO in 2018, Federica worked as a Communications and Events Officer for two European trade associations in the energy sector, in Brussels.

Federica studied political science and communications at the LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome then completed a Master in International Relations.  She speaks fluent English, Italian (mother tongue) and French.

Alessia is an experienced EU communications professional, having spent several years leading the communications programme of the European association of the Hospitality Industry, including developing social media strategies and defining branding, digital and visual identity for the association to enhance visibility and engagement. She joined the ECCO team in February 2024, where she is currently the Communications Manager for several European and global food ingredient associations managed by ECCO. Alessia holds a Master’s degree in International Relations (Rome, Italy) and a Bachelor’s degree in literature and Linguistics. A native Italian speaker, she is also fluent in English and French.

With a background in European Public Affairs and content creation for social media platforms, Nicoleta is an experienced communications professional, having spent the past three years as Communications Officer at the European Public Health Alliance, where her responsibilities included managing editorial output, public relations and media requests. She joined the ECCO team in April 2024 as Communications Associate, where she is currently supporting several European and global food ingredient associations managed by ECCO. Nicoleta has a degree in European studies, a Masters in European Public Affairs (Maastricht), and an MSc in Communications (Brussels). A native Romanian speaker, she is also fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Having joined ECCO in 1985, Maria has several decades of experience in financial management and the administration of trade associations and has worked with a number of European and international trade association clients at ECCO. As Manager for the ECCO office, Maria oversees the financial and administration team and is also responsible for daily office management and supporting the smooth running of the company. Maria has a background in administration and is fluent in English, Spanish and French (mother tongue).

Haido has over ten years experience in financial and administrative roles in companies and associations in Belgium and Switzerland including the role of Treasury Coordinator within the financial team of the international football federation FIFA. Haido joined the ECCO team in March 2024 as Financial and Administration officer, where she is responsible for managing the accounts of several associations managed by ECCO as well as providing administrative support. Haido has a Bachelor’s degree in French language and literature (Athens). She is fluent in English, French and Greek (mother tongue).

Sophia is a financial and administration professional with over ten years of experience in various financial and administration roles across diverse corporate sectors in Belgium, including several years within the financial and logistics team at Global Power Systems SRL, where she was responsible for managing financial operations, coordinating projects and implementing process improvements. Sophia joined the ECCO team in October 2024 as Financial and Administration Officer, where she is responsible for managing the accounts of several associations managed by ECCO as well as providing administrative support. She holds a baccalaureate in Modern Literature and is fluent in English, French and Arabic.