About us

Cédric Hananel is the Director of Technopolis Group’s Communication Agency Arctik.

Since 2011, he is pushing forward sound communication strategies and operational excellence. Specialized in institutional communications and sustainability, Cédric is committed to developing solutions for positive stakeholders’ engagement, impact-driven activities, and creativity.

He holds a Master in Sociology from the University of Louvain and a Master in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University (USA). Cédric is the coordinator for Environmental Communication at IHECS Academy. He is the co-author of the book “L’économie circulaire en Région de Bruxelles-Capitale” published in 2020.

Rita Borgnolo specialises in campaign and people management, particularly within the European public sector. She has worked on projects involving audiovisual and communication campaigns, large-scale high-level events, and digital initiatives.

Before joining Arctik, Rita gained extensive experience managing multimillion-euro communication campaigns at ICF Next, where she oversaw the delivery and quality management of the entire project management team. Prior to this, she was part of the ProPager group, focusing on event organization.

Rita holds an MA in International Relations and Conflict Studies from Kent University. She is fluent in English and French, and is a native Italian speaker.

Hannah manages communication projects with a focus on European public affairs and sustainability.

Having worked in several countries, Hannah has developed an international profile. Before joining Arctik, Hannah has worked for four years as a project manager at ICF Next where her focus was on delivering integrated campaigns. She has also worked in Vietnam.

Hannah received an advanced master’s degree in creativity & marketing from Solvay Brussels School – Economics & Management and a BA in graphic design from the University of Bournemouth. She is fluent in Norwegian and English.

Chloé joined the team in September 2018 as a communication consultant. She is supporting Arctik with projects such as beCircular, PSF and EREK.

Prior to this, she worked for a year as a Communication Assistant at Fluxys. She was involved in both internal and external communication projects. It provided her with experience in event planning and project coordination. She has also been an intern at Le Vif l’Express an at the European Institute for Research on Mediterranean and Euro-Arab Cooperation (MEDEA).

Chloé holds an MSc in middle east politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She is fluent in French and has a good command of English.

Christophe has a wealth of professional experience in the fields of EU policy, communications and knowledge management.

Between 2010 and 2016, Christophe was responsible for coordinating the EU LIFE Programme’s external communications team. Other high-profile positions in Christophe’s career portfolio include Head of communications within the Brussels-based Publicis Consultants firm, a one-year posting as a Brand Manager at Belgacom (telecom), four years as a consultant for the European Commission’s DG Communication, and two years with the French embassy in Brussels, as their European correspondent.

Christophe holds a master’s degree in linguistics, marketing and communication, as well as a degree in business and law. He speaks French, English and Spanish.

Marianne joined Arctik as Operations, HR, and Finances Manager in September 2021.

Her previous experience is very diversified as she has been working in the banking sector for 10 years (including 3 years in the City of London), followed by 12 years with an import & export company as Finance & RH Manager and 4 years in the management team of one of the biggest Belgian construction companies as Human Resources & Communication Director.

She studied Business Administration at the University of Liège (Belgium), followed by an MBA in Chicago.

She speaks French and English and has a good working knowledge of Dutch.

Gabriella joined Arctik in 2023 as a Senior Communication Consultant managing communication projects with a focus on European public affairs and sustainability. Gabriella has over 20 years experience in working on environmental and climate issues with the European Commission as her main client. Her expertise lies in environmental policy analysis, communication and project management.

Before joining Arctik, Gabriella has worked as Project Manager for the Circular Economy Framework Contract with DG Environment and in the LIFE Communications Team where she covered policies such as the EU Plastics Strategy, the EU Chemicals Strategy, the Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, Air Quality, and the EU circular economy. She also helped organise the ReSet the Trend campaign, the EU Ecolabel/EMAS campaigns for sustainable tourism.

Prior to this experience, Gabriella was a blue book stagiare in the Commission and has previously worked in research projects on coastal management within the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.

Gabriella holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Management and Control and a Law degree from the University of Pisa. She speaks English, Italian, French and Greek (basic).

Nuala has been working at the interface of communication and European policy for 15 years with a focus on regional and urban issues.

She spent 5 years heading up the URBACT programme’s knowledge and communication activities. She has overseen many knowledge sharing projects on gender equality, housing, urban renewal, digital transition and sustainable urban development. She led URBACT’s contribution to major policy documents such as the Leipzig Charter for Sustainable Urban Development (led by the German Presidency of EU in 2018) and the Urban Agenda for the EU. She has edited several publications, including the Gender Equal Cities report, policy papers on integrated urban development and URBACT results publication. 

As a communication professional, Nuala has developed numerous communication strategies for European programmes (URBACT, Interreg Europe, Interreg IVC), and has overseen delivery of all aspects of the communication mix (website development, events delivery, video editing etc). 

Nuala holds a double BA (Hons) in Business and Politics with French from Trinity College Dublin (IE). She is fluent in English (mother tongue) and French. 

Agnieszka Pietruczuk joined Arctik as a Communications Consultant in September 2023. She has over 10 years of experience in European affairs, science advice for policy and science communications. Her expertise lies in strategic communications and project management.

Before joining Arctik, Agnieszka has worked as a Communications Manager for SAPEA/Scientific Advice Mechanism to the European Commission. She has also experience with numerous international non-profit organisations and Horizon2020 projects.

Agnieszka holds a Master’s degree in Sociology and a Degree in Journalism and Communications. She speaks Polish, English and French.

Alexandra joined Arctik as a communication consultant in September 2021.

She has experience as an editor, copywriter and content strategist for public campaigns and initiatives linked to, among other EU policy areas, migration, climate resilience and international cooperation. As a result, she is proficient in treating – and translating – complex policy developments in a way that is accurate, concise and accessible.

Alexandra has a B.A. in politics from Brandeis University (USA), an MSc in philosophy and public policy from LSE (UK) and a research master from KU Leuven (Belgium).

She is fluent in English and French, conversational in Italian, and optimistic about learning Dutch.

Camille joined the Arctik team in September 2024 as a communication consultant. She mainly focuses on projects related to the Belgian market.

Before joining Arctik, she worked nearly 6 years as a Marketing and Communication Manager for the product design and growth department of a consulting company. This position allowed her to dive into the exciting world of UX design, agile project management, and performance marketing, where she expanded her knowledge in these various fields.

She is fluent in both, French and English, and has a working knowledge of Dutch.

Weronika joined Arctik as a communications consultant in 2023. She works on communication strategy projects for public sector clients.

Before joining the company, Weronika worked for Frontex in Poland in the field of border security and sustainability, as well as in Deloitte Belgium, delivering strategy and policy consulting projects for EU institutions.

Weronika holds an M.A. in International Relations from Utrecht University and a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Warsaw.

She is fluent in Polish and English, and has a good command of French.

Juliette joined Arctik as a Communication Consultant in January 2025 as part of the Belgian market team.

Before joining Arctik, Juliette gained experience in communication across a variety of sectors: tourism, healthcare, architecture, and urban planning and policy. Her work in public institutions allowed her to develop expertise in public interest projects and acquire a strong understanding of the Belgian institutional and cultural landscape.

Juliette also oversaw communication for urban policy during Belgium’s presidency of the European Union in 2024.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and a Master’s degree in Communication with a focus on socio-cultural animation and lifelong education from IHECS in Brussels.

She is fluent in French, English, and Italian and has a good understanding of Dutch and German.

Mathilde is currently leading the communication and project management of ORCaSa, a European project focusing on carbon soil sequestration. She is also participating in Arctik’s business development from Paris.

Before joining Arctik, she worked as a freelance journalist based in Madrid for different French-speaking media and mainly wrote about Spanish and climate change topics. Back to France, she gained experience as a communication consultant in sustainable innovation. In addition to creating targeted content and setting up strategic communication plans, she designed websites and outreach materials to promote different European projects.

Mathilde holds a MA in Journalism and Scientific, Technological and Environmental Communication from Carlos III University (Spain). She also studied International Relations at Macquarie University (Australia).

She is a native French speaker and fluent in English and Spanish.

Having lived in several countries, Anna has developed an international profile. Before joining Arctik in May 2022, Anna gained experience in research analysis, business development, and the sales industry in London and Brussels. She has been a Business Development trainee at Stantec-Belgium, and during her studies, she also collaborated on research projects with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) of Pretoria and the IOI, an NGO in the Galapagos Islands. 

Anna holds an MSc in Environmental Change and International Development from the University of Sheffield, which has equipped her with in-depth knowledge of the complexities of global economic development and how society-environment interactions influence sustainable development policy and practice. She also holds a B.A. in Politics and International Relations, during which she has been focusing on the role of agroecology on the path toward sustainable food systems. 

Anna is an Italian mother tongue, and she is fluent in both English and Spanish. 

Kay joined Arctik in February 2024 as an Administrative assistant.

Her previous experience is very diversified as she has mainly been working as a freelance and interim consultant in the administrative field. She started her professional career in the aviation industry, as a Passenger Service Agent at Brussels Airport. Hereafter, she joined the SESAR Deployment Manager project (Single European Sky), funded by the European Union, as an Assistant and launched her journey in administration.

She studied Political Science at the University of Bucharest (Romania).

She is fluent in Dutch, French and English and has a good knowledge of Spanish and Romanian.

Flora joined Arctik as a Communication Consultant in September 2022.  

Flora has a wealth of experience in the fields of communications, public relations, EU policy work and project management. In her professional background, she has worked for Belgian NGOs as campaign coordinator including for the Belgian Red Cross as project officer, for the European Parliament as an assistant and as an EU project officer for the NGO ECOS. She has also worked with Arctik on several occasions, providing communication, event planning and general project management support. She started her career as a junior consultant in an EU consultancy specialising in environmental policies. 

Flora holds an MSc in Environmental Management at the University of Sheffield Hallam (UK). She also holds a Master’s degree in European Affairs from the ISMAPP institute and a B.A. in Social Sciences & Economics from the Catholic Institute of Paris.  

Flora is a native French speaker and has a good command of English.   

Natalia Cediel Contreras specialises in multilingual communication for organisations and EU projects, focusing on sustainability, digital transformation, and international cooperation. She has designed, executed and monitored communication strategies for R&I and Open Call projects, using agile methodologies. 

Before joining Arctik, Natalia gained experience with startups, NGOs, and marketing agencies, contributing to EU-funded projects under programmes such as COSME, LIFE, Horizon Europe, Global Europe and Digital Europe. She also produced digital content and coordinated events on topics like the circular economy, AI, and open innovation. Additionally, she completed a traineeship at the European Commission’s Spokesperson’s Service for foreign affairs, assisting with media relations and press materials. 

Natalia holds a diploma in French Studies from the University of Murcia and two Master’s degrees, in Multilingual Communication with International Relations at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and Green Economy at the University of Lleida and Next International Business School.  

She is fluent in Spanish, English, and French, with knowledge of German, Russian, and Dutch. 

Gloria joined the ARCTIK team in September 2024 as a communications intern. 

She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Groningen, Northern Netherlands, where she lived for two years. There she developed a passion for cheese, stroopwafels and embraced an eco-friendly cycling habit. In her thesis, she researched solutions journalism to test out innovative pathways for a more optimistic coverage of environmental topics across news outlets.

Previously, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Communications at the University of Padua, where her thesis topic centred around socially-engaged, purpose-driven corporate communications, with a strong focus on telling brand activism apart from greenwashing and other marketing ploys.

She is fluent in English, Italian and has a good conversational command of French.

Her Dutch is a work in progress, as her thrifted flannel collection.

Francesca Lazzarini joined Arctik as a communication analyst in January 2023.

Before joining Arctik, she worked as Team Assistant and Social Media Manager for an international company based in Italy. After an internship at the United Nations office in Geneva, Francesca was able to deepen and develop advanced communication skills in dynamic and multicultural contexts. Given her interest in environmental sustainability, she took part in a volunteer project funded by the European Commission to raise awareness (through the organisation of workshops and events) on environmental issues.

Francesca holds a MA in International Sciences from University of Turin (Italy). She also studied International Relations and EU Law at Sciences Po Lyon (France).

She is a native Italian speaker and fluent in English and French.

Ilya Pijpen joined ARCTIK as an environmental communications intern at the end of February 2024.

He holds a BSc and MSc in Biology, focusing on Ecology and Biodiversity, from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium). For his thesis he studied social-ecological resilience assessment tools and their application in support of development projects in Burundi.

He is fluent in Dutch and English and has a good command of French.

Alicia joined the Arctik team in September 2023 as Communication Analyst. She focuses mainly on projects related to the Belgian market, while sporadically contributing her expertise to the European teams.

Before joining Arctik, Alicia completed a Master’s degree in public relations and a specialisation in European studies and affairs at the IHECS in Brussels. She then embarked on a second Master’s in digital marketing in Gent. During her studies, she had the opportunity to do internships with Greenpeace Belgium and GrowForce, a growth marketing agency in Antwerp. It was the ideal combination of goals, values and a variety of committed projects that attracted Alicia’s interest in joining the Arctik ship.

Alicia is bilingual in French and Dutch, is fluent in English and Spanish and has a good grounding in German.

Allende joined ARCTIK as a communication analyst in September 2023.

Before joining the team, she graduated in Journalism with a specialization in Communication Direction. During her studies, she was an intern in the leading media group of the Basque Country and in a market research start-up.

After that, she served as a communication officer for different town halls and public institutions in her area, developing her writing, social media and audiovisual skills from a local and regional perspective.

Captivated by a more international background, she moved to Brussels in January 2023 to work in an NGO expertised in international cooperation, where she got immersed in European youth projects and cooperation projects of Latin America.

She is a Spanish and Basque native speaker, and fluent in English. She has a good knowledge of French and is learning Dutch.

Maitane joined Arctik in August 2023 as a Communications Analyst. Since then, she has been assisting various European projects, such as a Mission Ocean and Natura 2000.

With a background in Criminology and Social Intervention, she furthered her studies in Political Sciences at the ULB in Brussels. Before joining Arctik, Maitane worked in several European projects for DG COMM and DG DIGIT, always following her passion towards sustainability and communication.

She speaks native Spanish, English, and French.

Ann-Sofie Forsman joined ARCTIK as a sustainability communications intern at the end of August 2023. She holds a bachelor´s degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Maastricht University College Venlo. In her thesis, she researched valorised surplus food products at Dutch university canteens and the European Green Public Procurement framework.

Ann-Sofie has also obtained a master’s degree in Environment and Resource Management from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. For her master’s thesis, she conducted exploratory research on environmental engagement at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

She is fluent in English, Hungarian (mother tongue), conversational Finnish, and has a basic understanding of French.

Gilles holds a Masters degree in plastic, visual and spatial arts from ENSAV La Cambre in Brussels. Over the last ten years, he has expressed his graphic and conceptual creativity through various collaborations including corporate, agency and freelance work which have allowed him to work on a wide range of printed and digital media.

He joined the Arctik team in April 2021.

Hugo joined Arctik in September 2023 as a Graphic Designer.

He is a young graphic designer specialising in visual communication, with three years of experience in the creative industry. He began his career at Mediakeys, a communication and advertising agency, where he worked on prestigious accounts such as the Château de Versailles, Mitsubishi, La Banque Postale or Paris Musées. His expertise spans various areas of design, from branding (logos, consistent brand guidelines), print design (books, catalogs, brochures, posters) digital (newsletters, emails, banners, website),video production (editing, motion design, logo animation, and presentation video graphics).

Hugo holds a Master’s degree in Strategic communication through design from Ecole de condé in Paris.

He speaks French, Spanish and English.

Cédric has over 15 years of experience in the web and printing industry. Continuously balanced between the worlds of print and web, his expertise lies between the roles of graphic designer and web-developer. A bridging expertise that is very much appreciated by Arctik’s team and our clients!

Dan Botbol is a Belgian cameraman based in Brussels. He joined Arctik as a freelancer in 2022, where he is involved in various projects for clients such as the European Commission, Bruxelles Environnement, Horizon Europe, etc. Dan currently works as a film director in the advertising industry. He has produced more than 200 video clips and has written advertising concepts and fictions for clients such as BNP Paris Bas Fortis, SANOFI, Medtech Europe, Kellogg’s, Astra Zeneca, EU Ecolabel, etc.

For more than sixteen years, Dan has produced various documentaries and directed well-known television programs such as RTBF’s “Matière Grise.” He wrote and directed “Les Enfants du Jardin,” which has been a public success on television with over 420,000 viewers. As a director, he has written a total of 200 films, and as a cameraman, he has produced more than 400 videos. Additionally, Dan Botbol is a photographer and writer. His book “Petit condense Culturel” was published by “La boite á Pandor” in francophone countries such as France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada. Dan obtained a diploma from the Institut des Arts de Diffusion (IAD) in Belgium. He is fluent in English and French (his mother tongue) and conversational in Dutch.

Quentin is Arctik’s creative director.

He is in charge of all visual production, including print and web design, video production, digital media, apps etc. He has also worked as digital designer for The Royal Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer graphics from the Haute Ecole Albert Jacquard in Namur (Belgium). Quentin speaks French and has a good command of English.