Democratic participation

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

Adriana Nunes has been working at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH for several years. She studied Journalism, German Literature and Business Administration.

After working as a project manager in several GIZ projects related to Sustainable Economic Development, she is now Communications Advisor in the Team Europe Democracy Initiative (TED) Secretariat, where she is responsible for the communication strategy and activities of the Initiative. 

Before working at GIZ she worked as a journalist at the German international radio, Deutsche Welle, and as a managing editor at Könemann Verlag.

Freelance expert, highly experienced in implementing and managing EU-funded programmes and projects in the fields of support to civil society, democratic governance and human rights, with a special focus on Africa (Western and Central) and the EUROMED region.

I am a senior executive with 20+ years of experience in programme management, trade and investments, with a strong track record in EU- and donor-financed projects. I have worked extensively in Ukraine, the EU and partner countries, implementing programmes that supported democratic transition, institutional strengthening, private sector development and European integration.

As founder and director of EuroExpert, I have led advisory projects under EU4Business, GIZ and other donor initiatives, supporting SMEs, business associations and civil society to access EU markets, improve competitiveness and build cross-border partnerships. I also co-founded the European-Ukrainian Bridge e.V., an NGO with 11 offices across Europe, mobilising civil society and fostering EU-Ukraine integration.

My career includes senior management roles in international companies such as KAEFER and Hilti, where I directed multimillion-euro operations, negotiated investment projects across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and built international teams. I also managed operations of an IT company in the US, leading digital transformation and organisational development.

I am fluent in English, German, Ukrainian and Russian, with working knowledge of Polish and Czech. I am an active member of the Professional Government Association of Ukraine (PGA Ukraine), engaging in governance and policy dialogue. My expertise lies in designing and implementing EU programmes, managing multi-stakeholder processes, and building sustainable partnerships between the EU, Ukraine and neighbouring regions.

I am particularly interested in contributing to projects under DG NEAR and DG INTPA, focusing on trade, investment, digitalisation, civil society support and resilience building in Eastern Partnership and Central Asia countries. My motivation is to bridge business, government and civil society for long-term impact.