Team members undertake the organisation's day-to-day operations

Despina SYMONS
Director
despina.symons@ebcd.org

Despina Symons, of Greek origin, has been Director and founding Member of the European Bureau for Conservation and Development (EBCD), a  Brussels based NGO dedicated to the conservation and the sustainable use of  natural resources, with  special focus to marine and fisheries... since its establishment in 1989.

Working closely with  all the EU institutions, Despina has been linking the  conservation and the scientific communities as well the private sector to the EU policy makers providing them with expert strategic advice for over twenty years. Furthermore, Despina has been working closely with several UN bodies such as FAO, CITES, CBD and others. 

Despina has been working closely with IUCN and more particularly its Marine Programme and the European one; she is Member of the Executive Committee of the IUCN/SSC European Sustainable Use Specialist Group  and Coordinator of its Fisheries Working Group.  She is also the founding member and coordinator of the recently established Fisheries Expert Group (FEG) of the IUCN Commission of Ecosystem Management (CEM), as well as  Member of the Advisory Board of the Countdown 2010 Initiative of IUCN.

Prior to joining  EBCD, Despina worked on fisheries related issues in Madrid , Spain where she represented the Spanish coastal fishermen to the EU and before that she worked in Canada as a free lance translator for the Secretary of State of Canada.

Mélanie LAMAISON
European Parliament Liaison Officer
melanie.lamaison@ebcd.org

Since May 2009, Mélanie Lamaison has been EBCD European Parliament Liaison Officer. Prior to join EBCD, Mélanie worked as International Coordination Officer within DG MARE.

Mélanie has gradauted with a Master 2 in European Law and World Trade Oragnisation Law from the University of Rennes, France.

Charline GAUDIN
Fishery Policy Officer
charline.gaudin@ebcd.org

Since November 2009, Charline Gaudin has been EBCD Fishery Policy Officer. Prior to joining EBCD, Charline has worked for FAO on different occasions first for  the Development Law Service and then for  the Fishery Policy and Planning Division. As a consultant, she has also done legal studies in Italy for a  trade union of fishermen. Finally, she did a stage at the DG MARE whith the Control Policy Unit where she was working on the control reform.

Charline has graduated with a Master 2 in International Law and International Organisations from the University Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris I, France.

Mirian LIMA
Adminstrator
mirian.lima@ebcd.org

Mirian Lima Desgualdo has been EBCD Office Manager since April 2008.
Prior to join EBCD, Mirian worked at the European Office of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD)- the largest iron ore exporter company worldwide- from 1982 till 2006, year at which the company closed its Belgium office.
At CVRD, Mirian was Office Manager, Information Coordinator and Chairman’s Assistant for professional matters. Through this position, Mryian acquired extensive experience in administration matters.

Mirian holds a Master Degree in Geography from the University of São Paulo (1979).

Updated 25/01/2010

© EBCD, European Bureau for Conservation and Development