Gary Machado

Executive Director

Gary joined EENA in October 2006. He is responsible for the strategic development of the association and administrator of the EENA Board. Over the years, he led the creation of several successful EENA membership platforms, committees and events. He is in charge of government affairs and he managed a number of advocacy campaigns in Brussels. Gary holds a MA in European Affairs from the Political Science Institute of Strasbourg and a BA in Economics from the University of Orléans and the Abertay University in Dundee. A Europe-trotter, he studied or worked in Belgium, France, Ireland, Spain, Poland and the UK. He is a French national, also fluent in English (spiced up with some little basics of Spanish and Polish).

Jerome Paris

Managing Director

Jerome is the Managing Director of the organisation. He joined EENA in February 2009. As Managing Director, he is responsible for the smooth running of EENA activities. He also leads the development of EENA networks (Corporate members; Public Safety Officials; Researchers; Mobile Network Operators) and supervises all services provided to EENA members. He is a French national, also fluent in English (the absence of a French accent is not guaranteed). He holds a Master in European Law and Political Sciences as well as a Master in Management of Organisations, both from Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University.

Cristina Lumbreras

Technical Director

Cristina joined EENA in October 2010. She coordinates all of the technical and emergency services’ operations activities of the association. She also represents EENA in the international standardisation development organisations. Prior to joining EENA, Cristina served as IT manager of Madrid’s 112 centre in which she designed the IT components. She was a member of the Spanish delegation in the European Commission’s working groups on 112 and eCall. Cristina holds a MA in Computer Science and an MA in Marketing, both from the Autonomous University of Madrid. As a Spanish national she is naturally very fond of Spanish food, but she has adapted very well to Belgian mussels, chocolate and waffles. She is fluent in English and French, conversant in German.

Freddie McBride

Director of Digital Communications Policy and Regulation

Freddie joined EENA in January 2021. He works closely with Cristina on topics such as standardisation and NG112. He also supports Benoît on regulatory and advocacy matters, including the fostering of NG112 in Europe.

Freddie is a senior telecoms expert with over 20 years’ experience in the ICT sector. Before joining EENA, Freddie was the Deputy Director and Expert in Numbering and Networks at the European Communications Office (ECO). Previously, he worked for 6 years at the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), Ireland’s telecoms regulator, and held engineering roles at Logica CMG, Spectel, Ericsson and ESB.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Studies, a master’s in Computing and Information Systems and a postgraduate diploma in Regulatory Governance.

Benoit Vivier

Public Affairs Director

Benoît joined the team in September 2015 and is in charge of EENA’s public affairs work. He is EENA’s liaison with the institutions of the European Union as well as other stakeholders, and works on increasing the awareness of the European emergency number 112 in Europe.

Benoit is also working on dedicated EENA programmes, including leading the file of emergency location and Advanced Mobile Location. Benoît has graduated in European Affairs from the College of Europe in Bruges; before that, he studied in Sciences Po Lille. He also spent one year abroad in Gothenburg (Sweden) as an erasmus student. Benoît is a French/Belgian national and speaks French, English, Spanish and Swedish.

Amy Leete

Communications & Press Manager

Amy joined EENA in August 2022. She is responsible for planning and coordinating EENA’s communication strategy, in close cooperation with the Events team. She has an MA in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh. She lives in Brussels and has experience within the NGO sector, the UN, and European political parties. A British national, she is a native English speaker and tries her best in French. Outside of her love of comms, you can find her experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, supporting the Welsh rugby team, or talking about her three cats.

Hélène Simon

Events Officer

Before joining EENA in September 2023, Hélène worked for 8 years in the field of events planning, both private and public. She has a degree in interior architecture. She is a detail-orientated person and loves to help people to make everything happen in the world of events. She loves to play and watch rugby, enjoy good food and wine, and loves to travel.

Mouna Takieddine

Events Manager

Mouna joined EENA in October 2022. She is in charge of the organisation of all EENA events and ensures their smooth running alongside Mathilde, EENA’s other Events Manager. She brings experience in events at a European level, as a project manager in the world of office real estate, and a solid knowledge of legal compliance with European laws. Born Belgian, she is proud of her Syrian heritage and lived in the United States for a couple of years where she perfected her (very American) English. Beside her weird passion for orderliness, she enjoys tackling her teammates on the rugby field, discovering new restaurants, and pulling out quotes from Friends & Lord of the Rings all the time.

Alexis Gizikis

Project Manager

Alexis is working as Project Manager at EENA since he joined the team in 2015. He is responsible for planning and coordinating EENA’s participation in different projects. Alexis is involved in projects about social media for emergency management, emergency caller location, eCall and lately piloting new technologies in PSAPs. In the past, Alexis has worked in the ICT sector, since 1999 and has been involved in management, R&D and consulting activities. He is a Greek national, and he holds a Master of Engineering (MEng) from the University of Aberdeen, in Scotland. He has lived and worked in the United Kingdom and speaks fluent English.

Alexandra Olson

Project Officer

Alexandra joined EENA in June of 2022. Alongside Alexis, she is responsible for coordinating EENA’s participation in various projects. She has a master’s in International Development (MA) from University of Kent- Brussels School of International Studies and a master’s in Cultural Anthropology and International Development (MSc) from KU Leuven. As a U.S citizen, she has an expertise in issues surrounding social inclusion, migration, gender equality, and indigenous rights. She has previously worked as a coordinator for the EU-funded project BuildERS, which sought to better understand how vulnerable populations in Europe cope with natural and man-made disasters.

Pascale Furnelle

Office Manager

Pascale joined the team in October 2022 and is in charge of office management.  She ensures a smooth running of office administration, logistics and HR. She also supports the event and communication teams.

Prior to join EENA, Pascale held several office manager positions in European associations in Brussels. She graduated in Marketing and Communication in Brussels and is a Belgian national with French as a mother tongue (she is also fluent in English). From time-to-time Pascale lights up the dance floor with her DJ skills.

EENA Conference & Exhibition, 2023