Asia

MSc Corporate Communications and Development Cooperation specialist, with experience in European projects, the achievement of public and private funds, the administration of profit and non-profit organisations and the management of projects for social promotion, in Europe and Latin America.

During the last 7 years, Patricia has been working as Project Manager and Communication Expert in a series of advocacy campaigns for European funded projects and for the European Commission Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development.

Project Management, Communication, Advocacy and International Cooperation for Development.

I am currently working for DG International Partnerships (DG INTPA) at the European Commission. Specifically, I work for the Unit "Effective Development Policy and Team Europe" focusing on the Team Europe approach and Team Europe Initiatives, promoting Joint Programming and Development Effectiveness, as well as the overall relations with Member States.

Previously, I was the Deputy Team Leader of the European Year for Development (EYD2015) campaign in the Unit Communication and Transparency.

Before joining DG INTPA, I was a spokesperson of the European Commission; trainee at the Cabinet of the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso; Duty House Manager of the Theatre Royal Bath in the UK; University Teacher of International and European Politics at the University of Bath; Deputy Supervisor of the Self-Access Language Centre of the University of Bath, basketball coach of the University of Bath Men's 1st and 2nd Team; and a Sergeant in the Greek Army.

I hold a PhD in International Relations and EU Politics from the University of Bath. My thesis title is "Constructing the Western Balkans". I have a MA in Contemporary European Studies (EUROMASTERS Programme) and a BA in Economics and Politics from the University of Macedonia in Greece.

> Ms Matias is a dynamic professional, an expert in policy issues, especially networking and lobbying, with 10+ years' experience in government and public affairs in different environments. Strong performance in shaping policy, project management, stakeholder engagement and advocacy.
> She has experience as consultant managing projects and teams remotely; she has also assisted with technical and judicial procedures to support international technical cooperation agreements.
> She has supervised cooperation projects and co-management of projects and budgets with UN agencies.
> She has worked in the development, bidding and management of a gender project on behalf of SCRAP weapons, highlighting women's voices from the South in disarmament and peace transition processes.
> She has also conducted research and analysis of regulatory Occupational, Health and Safety, Environmental and Social obligations on behalf of Whirlpool to ensure regulatory compliance for a new private facility installed in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil.
> She has written votes for Brazilian deputies, having obtained approval to vote against the Tijuca National Park's privatisation around Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. She also has followed-up with solid waste guidelines, Waste Duty of Care - Transversal logistic, circular economy, Ballast water management to protect local marine biodiversity and Sustainability of recyclable materials.

Hello, Vibrant Community!

I’m Marie, and since February 2022, I’ve been steering the ship here as the Community Manager of Capacity4dev.

A wanderer at heart and by profession, my academic and work journeys have whisked me across five European nations and allowed me to dip my toes into professional adventures in seven countries globally. During my BA studies at the Metropolitan University of Prague, I carved out a little piece of history as the first student to navigate through the Erasmus+ program at the International BURCH University in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Quite a ride, I must say!

Your stories, projects, and experiences are the heartbeats of Capacity4dev, and I’m here to ensure they echo throughout our online spaces, sparking connections, inspiring projects, and fostering our growing web of international cooperation.

Feel free to drop me a line at marie.zamecnikova@meldea.eu. I’m here to chat, assist, or explore collaboration opportunities that will elevate our collective efforts on this platform.

Eagerly awaiting our shared journey ahead,

Marie

My passion and curiosity about people, about 'the living', led my personal and professional paths to different places and different countries, where I have experimented with a vast range of encounters and insightful experiences.

For about 30 years I have been involved in the development and coordination of youth-related projects encompassing training courses on intercultural sensitivity and communication, project management, training for trainers, learning 2 learn, and self-directed learning, among others. I also engaged in coaching and in facilitating development and learning processes, for groups or individuals (beyond youth). I had the chance to work with local, national, and European NGOs and platforms, as well as with institutional bodies (European Commission, Council of Europe).

Since then, my path crossed the one of Gestalt therapy and I got trained as a Gestalt therapist at the Belgian Institute of Gestalt Therapy, in Brussels. To support my learning, I continue exploring, discovering and in some cases, training, in different areas such as competence development, the Neurocognitive Behavioural Approach, Inspirational Leadership through Emotional Intelligence and the Process Communication Model. I now have a particular interest in further developing my competencies in the areas of trauma healing and systemic coaching, while being trained on Systemic Family Constellations and their connection with therapy.

From 2017 to 2023, I worked at SALTO Training and Cooperation Resource Centre where I coordinated the development and implementation of the European Training Strategy of the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes.