Steering Committee
Klaus Bondam
Klaus Bondam was born on the island of Bornholm, Denmark, in 1963 to a Danish mother and a Dutch father. His work at the Danish Cultural Institute in Benelux, of which he is Director since January 2011, has given him a unique opportunity to combine his strong personal interest in Danish culture, art, society and European cooperation. His job is to improve awareness of Danish culture, art and society in the Benelux through dialogue, networking and exchanges.
Berthold Franke
Berthold Franke is the Regional Director Southwest Europe, Director of the Brussels Institute and Goethe Institute’s delegate for European affairs since august 2009. He has a PhD in Political Theory and worked as musician, journalist and university teacher. He joined the service of the Goethe-Institut in 1989. He regularly publishes articles in German magazines and newspapers on topics of culture, cultural policy and foreign cultural policy.
Ronald Grätz
Ronald Grätz is the Secretary General of the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa).
Cécile Peyronnet
Cécile Peyronnet is responsible for the European Affairs at the Institut Français in Paris. Prior to this, she spent 5 years at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Head of the Artistic Policies division. Previously she served as Cultural Attaché at the French Consulate in Atlanta then as Artistic Director and Vice President of the French Institute Alliance Française in New York. She is also member of the EUNIC strategic group.
Isabelle Schwarz
Isabelle Schwarz (France / Germany) is Head of Programmes and Advocacy at the European Cultural Foundation which she joined in 2002. Previously, Isabelle Schwarz was Executive Director of ENCATC, the European Network of Cultural Management and Cultural Policy Education. Earlier posts include the World Commission on Culture and Development, the Council of Europe, the Ministry of Culture of France, and cultural NGOs in London, Paris, Brussels, and Copenhagen. She serves on several boards and juries.
Gottfried Wagner
Gottfried Wagner is advisor to the Austrian Ministry of Culture and Education. For many years, he was Director of the European Cultural Foundation, Europe’s only independent, supranational and pan-European cultural foundation, and of KulturKontakt Austria, a European centre of excellence and resources for education, culture and the arts in Vienna.
Elvira Marco
Acción Cultural Española (AC/E)
Elvira Marco is the General Director of the public agency Acción Cultural Española (AC/E). From 2001 to 2006 she was General Secretary of the Spanish Agency for Cultural Action Abroad (SEACEX). Then she moved to the private sector, where she worked as an independent advisor and developed the Arts and Culture Management Programme with the IESE Business School. Elvira also lectures and writes on cultural diplomacy and arts management. She is a trained lawyer and has a degree in Political Science, and is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Italian.
