Our Team

Our team is based in Brussels, close to the European institutions, and at the heart of the digital and human rights environment.

Claire Fernandez

Claire Fernandez (She/Her)

Executive Director

Claire is in charge of EDRi’s leadership, mission and strategy, financial sustainability and oversight, and the daily management of the operations. Before joining EDRi, she worked as the Deputy Director of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), and prior to that as an independent human rights consultant, and as an adviser to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and represented the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Bosnia and Kosovo. She holds a Master degree in Human Rights from the Robert Schuman University in Strasbourg, France.

(Languages: French, English, Serbo-Croatian)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: 8C04 0EDA 7D93 8FEE 5A6C 7984 6AA8 2F3C 236C BE38

Policy

Ella Jakubowska (She/Her)

Head of Policy

Ella leads the EDRi policy team, working to increase visibility of, and facilitate connections between, EDRi's work on state surveillance, platform power and tech & society. She has experience advocating and movement-building across digital rights issues, especially relating to biometrics. She also has specific expertise on the EU's AI Act, CSA Regulation and Prüm II laws. She holds an MSc in Human Rights, with a focus on intersectional feminist sociology of science & technology. Prior to joining EDRi, she led digital transformation initiatives at a global engineering and technology company.

(Languages: English, basic French)

E-Mail:
PGP: 8B92 3E96 4E53 83F3 2F92 240A F53D 739E CFDA 2711
Twitter: @ellajakubowska1
Mastodon: @

Chloé Berthélémy (She/Her)

Senior Policy Advisor

Chloé leads EDRi’s policy work on law enforcement, migration and data protection issues, including cross-border access to data, police cooperation, EU agencies and databases. She also has expertise related to online freedom of expression and content moderation in the context of the Terrorist Content Online Regulation. Before joining EDRi, she advocated for youth rights at the European level. She holds a Double Master in European Affairs from Sciences Po Lille (FR) and Aston University (UK).

Chloé is also a staff representative in the EDRi Staff Committee for 2024-25, and also served this role in 2023-24.

(Languages: French, English, German)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: 2BFD E5C3 E6E3 6F6E C4E6 0C7F 80E4 3DF9 13C1 BFB6
Mastodon: @

Jan Penfrat (He/Him)

Senior Policy Advisor

Jan is leading EDRi’s work on platform regulation, including the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, and covers policies related to disinformation and surveillance advertising. Before joining EDRi, Jan was a freelance technology reporter at the German IT magazine Golem.de where he covered internet regulation, IT security and open source software. He started his career as a policy consultant for the lobbying firm EUTOP and was a co-founder of the Privacy Training Center.

(Languages: German, English, French)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: E19B D0B9 6467 5B97 395F 117A CE16 0278 1398 FFE6
Mastodon: @

Itxaso Domínguez de Olazábal (She/Her)

Policy Advisor

Itxaso Domínguez de Olazábal, PhD, is an expert in data protection and privacy, with a particular emphasis on commercial surveillance and the involvement of security forces in content moderation. Her work critically examines the intersection of technology, surveillance, and civil liberties. She has previously worked with 7amleh, an organisation committed to defending Palestinian digital rights, where she contributed to advancing digital freedoms in a challenging geopolitical context. Her diverse professional experience includes roles within the European Parliament and the EU Delegation to Egypt, where she engaged with policy-making and diplomatic efforts at both regional and international levels. In addition to her work at EDRi, Dr Domínguez de Olazábal is a professor of international relations and geopolitics. She regularly collaborates with think tanks and academic institutions, focusing on global politics through a critical and interdisciplinary lens. Her research spans key issues such as tech colonialism, racial capitalism and the evolving dynamics of securitisation.

(Languages: Spanish, English, French and Arabic)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] secondname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: 12EA 89C6 C455 59DC 9A78 61E9 20C8 9B85 7E32 2C54
Twitter: @itxasdo

Janine Patricia Santos

Janine Patricia Santos (She/Her)

Policy Advisor

Janine Patricia Santos, PhD is a social anthropologist working on themes of youth, digitalisation and Global North – Global South relations in digital transformation and digital infrastructure development. She has researched, taught and published extensively on decolonization, marxist and feminist critiques on the digital tech landscape, and continues her affiliations with academic networks and institutions to which she was previously part of prior to working at EDRi (KU Leuven, Monash University Australia, among others). She has also worked as a Policy Officer/Researcher for the Office of the President of the Philippines where she is original from, establishing the National Registry to provide social protection to precarious workers in the audio-visual industry. She remains involved in youth, artist and migrant activist groups in Belgium, Europe and the Philippines.

(Languages: English, Filipino, intermediate French)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org
Twitter: @Janine_PSantos

Aljosa Ajanovic Andelic

Aljosa Ajanovic Andelic (He/Him)

Policy Advisor

Aljosa covers issues related to illegal state surveillance and hacking, online freedom of expression and the effect of technological tools on migrants and asylum seekers' fundamental rights. Before joining EDRi, Aljosa was the Head of International Advocacy in a Barcelona-based NGO, where he coordinated the "Catalangate" denounce campaign against the use of spyware in Spain. He also worked for the Catalan Government in London, Zagreb, Wien and Warsaw. Aljosa is a lawyer and a journalist and holds a Master in Laws (LLM).

(Languages: Catalan, Spanish, Serbo-Croatian, English, French)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] secondname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: 0D52 2E7C 890B 02F4 5831 3EDB 41A4 E260 9190 2B32
Bluesky: @aajanovic.bsky.social

Blue Duangdjai Tiyavorabun (They/Them)

Policy Advisor

Blue covers issues related to Artifical Intelligence (AI), as well as climate justice and the materiality of technology at EDRi.

Before joining EDRi, Blue worked at the Oxford Internet Institute. Where they investigated the societal impact of AI tools, leveraging a technical Master’s Degree in AI. In their research, they focus on a holistic, intersectional, and multidisciplinary perspective. Prior, they took part in shaping the regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising, at the European Parliament.

Blue intentionally combines their technical background in AI, with their experience in EU digital policy making, as well as their involvment in community organising. This informs their aim to work toward a digital policy landscape that centers human rights, is based on technical expertise and emphasizes the necessity to center affected and marginalized communities.

(Languages: German, English, French)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org

Community

Vanessa

Vanessa Buvens (She/Her)

Head of Membership and Community

As Head of Membership and Community, Vanessa steers reflections and consultations to inform EDRi's network engagement and membership strategy, and help improve network health and governance processes. She also liaises with colleagues and members to strengthen collaborations and coalition building efforts.
Before joining EDRi's, Vanessa worked on various civil society strengthening initiatives, for example helping establish a European network of organisations advancing justice for children across 20 countries. She brings a decade of experience working with dozens humanitarian and social justice organisations on organisational development, change management, fundraising and strategy. Vanessa holds a MA in European Studies as well as post-graduate diploma in social innovation.

(Languages: French, English, Portuguese)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org

Guillermo Peris

Guillermo Peris (He/Him)

Senior Membership and Events Manager

Guillermo’s main goal is to facilitate the synergies among EDRi members and affiliates and making sure the different organisations that constitute EDRi work in the best possible conditions. He deals with knowledge-sharing practices, improving internal communication and cooperation and supporting the development of EDRi governance mechanisms. He also organises capacity-building trainings, build coalitions and coordinates for network events. He is also constantly looking for new organisations in order to recruit them to join EDRi. If you’d like to join us, he’s the one you should talk to. In his free time he loves playing Dungeons & Dragons, cooking for his beloved ones and reading all kinds of speculative fiction. He holds a Master degree in Journalism & Communication from the University of Valencia, Spain.

(Languages: Spanish, English, French)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: 5C5C 52B1 9CDA 55A4 03DF 1F90 F344 995F EC18 1FF5

Fundraising and Finance

Jean Duclos (He/Him)

Senior Finance and Administration Officer

Jean is responsible for the day-to-day management in the EDRi office, including finances and HR. He has a Master degree in European affairs from the IEE-ULB.

(Languages: French, English)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: B8F4 7BD8 22FA 6D36 B802 F921 7453 8058 35DA 0BB4

Assita Kone

Assita Kone (She/Her)

Junior Administration and Finance Officer

Assita supports EDRi with administration, finance and office management. She has experience in financial auditing in Italy and holds MSc in International Business and Accounting.

(Languages: Italian, French, English)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: BE4D 3CB8 621B EE65 023B 2214 57DE 77F3 7A08 9E0A

Katarína Bartovičová

Katarína Bartovičová (She/Her)

Senior Fundraising Manager

Katarina is responsible for developing relationships and raising funds from foundations, individuals, companies and other sources. Before joining EDRi, she had over a decade of fundraising experience, primarily at Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe, Amnesty International in Slovakia, Post Bellum SK and at the Slovak Fundraising Centre, which she co-established and has been its Deputy Chair since 2009. She holds a Master degree in Film and Television Production & Management from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia.

(Languages: Slovak, English)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: 9B54 59CC BF19 B338 8150 8EC5 E812 51FA 72BF 02EE

Communications and Campaigns

Andreea Belu (She/Her)

Head of Campaigns and Communications

Andreea’s life goal is to ensure EDRi’s work is chewable & digestible for the wide public. She is responsible for developing the network’s campaign infrastructure and often co-organises EDRi’s events. In the past, she was the Board Director of the Danish NGO Oi4P, interviewed for DataEthics.eu and worked in a PET Startup. She has a Master in Business and Philosophy from Copenhagen Business School. Tweets as @EveDaRib.

(Languages: Romanian, English, Spanish, Danish)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: 66B2 48F0 35D5 C203 6561 70EE 0297 F83C C819 D5BF

Chiara Miraglia (She/Her)

Communications and Campaigns Officer

Chiara works closely on the EDRi website, social media platforms and the EDR-gram newsletter. She is a former Schuman trainee for the Secretariat of the European Parliament in the Unit for the Coordination of Editorial and Communication activities (EDCO). Before that, she had several working experiences in the non-profit sector with organisations such as Médecins sans frontières and the Italian Refugee Council. She has a Master's degree in Government and Politics - Communication and New Media and a vast passion for the digital communication sector.

(Languages: Spanish, Italian, English)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: 9C42 0599 B690 41DC 484B 1F77 CDD2 4F20 594B 613F

Shubham Kaushik

Shubham Kaushik (She/They)

Communications and Media Officer

Shubham works on EDRi’s various campaigns and communication products, including the website and social media. Previously, she supported communications for an international anti-corruption organisation in Berlin. She holds a Masters Degree in Media and Journalism, and a Bachelors degree in Economics. Her brief experience as an independent journalist in India makes her especially passionate about the intersections of digital rights and press freedom, and holding power to account. Shubham is also a staff representative in the EDRi Staff Committee for 2024-25.

(Languages: English, Hindi, German)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org
PGP: 0415 3505 EB67 49DA 28BD 6F6A FE6C F86F 372E EF8E

A photo of Brian

Brian Donnelly (He/Him)

Campaigns Officer

Brian works with EDRi’s members and allies to build coalitions and partnerships for pan-European campaigns on digital rights. He enjoys coordinating creative and collaborative, people-centred processes to bring about social change. Previously, he has worked at Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International in Ireland. Most recently, he held the position of Programmes Officer at IGLYO – the world’s largest LGBTQI+ youth network. He holds a Master’s Degree in Gender, Globalisation and Human Rights from the University of Galway in Ireland.

(Languages: Irish, English, French)

E-Mail: firstname [dot] lastname [at] edri [dot] org

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