Team

Friso Coppes

Partner at Bureau Brussels

Friso is our expert on managing relationships with the EU institutions and stakeholders. His career in European Public Affairs stretches well into its second decade. Prior to the creation of Bureau Brussels, Friso was VP Corporate Affairs for Royal Ahold in Brussels. During his work in Brussels, from 1994 on, he refined his value-chain approach to driving the issues. This goes hand in hand with improving the professional image of the company and its executives. The leitmotiv of Friso’s career can best be described as issue-driven liaison management contributing to the ‘licence to operate’ of the organisation.

Rinus van Schendelen

Partner at Bureau Brussels

Rinus is a partner at Bureau Brussels. Thereby, he is also a professor in political science at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. He is specialised in European public affairs and has published over 200 articles and 30 books on this topic. His most recent book concerning public affairs is named ‘the Art of Lobbying in the EU’. As a visiting professor, Rinus lectures at universities in the US, China, the Middle East and Europe. Rinus is also experienced in training organisation, companies and governments on public affairs. Amongst others, Rinus has advised Glaxo, 3M, Philips, Shell, Siemens and ministries of China, Finland, Hungary, Oman and the Netherlands.

Astrid Smeets

Managing Consultant

Astrid has joined Bureau Brussels in September 2018, working with clients in fields such as environment, mobility and health. As a Managing Consultant since September 2019, she also responsible for the internal management and she assists our trainees in their work and self-development.

Prior to that, she gained experience in EU affairs through traineeships at the European Parliament, the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the OSCE in Vienna and by working on the #DiscoverEU campaign. She holds a Master’s degree in European Studies from KU Leuven.

Fotis Kapsalis

Junior Account Executive

Fotis joined Bureau Brussels in February 2019, working on topics such as digital and financial services. Prior to this, he gained experience at the Dutch Embassy in North Macedonia, working on security issues in the Western Balkans and has worked on legal issues at the EU Rights Clinic in Brussels. Fotis obtained a Master’s degree in EU External Relations from the University of Kent, and a Bachelor’s degree in European Law and EU Political Integration from the University of Amsterdam. In addition to his native Dutch and Greek, he speaks fluent English, intermediate German and French and is studying Russian.

Michelle Marie Philipp

Junior Account Executive

Michelle Marie joined Bureau Brussels as Junior Account Executive in September 2019, working on topics in the field of energy, environment and digital policy. Prior to this, she gained experience working in a political consultancy specialized in healthcare and consumer policy in Berlin. Michelle Marie holds a Bachelor’s degree in European Studies from Maastricht University and a Master’s degree in European Law from the University of Edinburgh.

Alexander Navračič

Trainee

Before joining Bureau Brussels, Alexander studied International and European Law at the University of Groningen. After finishing his studies in Groningen, he pursued a specialised LLM at the University of Amsterdam, which focused on European Competition Law and Regulation. Aside from his academic activities, he pursued various internships, both in private and public sector. Alexander is very passionate about EU, sustainability, geopolitics as well as business innovation.

Johanna Huuho

Trainee

Johanna joined Bureau Brussels in September 2019. Prior to this, she gained first-hand experience in EU policy-making through a traineeship at the European Economic and Social Committee, where she was involved with various policy fields. Johanna has a Master’s degree in European Studies from KU Leuven and a Bachelor’s degree specialising in Political Culture from Maastricht University, where she also acquired a minor in Globalisation and Development Studies. Johanna has a great interest in a wide range of different policy fields, especially in sustainable development.