Alain Galaski 
Managing Director
Carole Capitaine 
Association Manager
Chris Downes 
Manager, International Trade & Regulatory Affairs
Maryse Hervé 
Manager, ECCO's Food Practice
Frances Hunt
Manager, Food Regulatory Affairs
Elena Miceli 
Manager, Pharma & Nutrition
Laurent Reverdy
Manager, EU Affairs & Agrifood Policy
Caroline Rey
Manager, EU Affairs
Maria del Pilar Estebanez 
Office Manager, Administrative Assistant
Vanessa Billen 
Administrative Assistant
Alain Galaski
Managing Director
Alain Galaski is the owner and Managing Director of ECCO. He joined ECCO in 1984, became a partner the following year and took over the company in 1992. Alain had come to Brussels in 1982 for a contract working at the European Commission. For the last twenty years he has been managing European trade associations and leading or contributing to major business collaboration projects. Since 1991 Alain has been devoting his energies to managing a leading industry association. Alain has degrees in international relations and law. He is fluent in English, French (mother tongue) and German.
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Carole Capitaine
Association Manager
Before joining ECCO, Carole worked as a Public Affairs consultant in Brussels, specialised in trade issues. She graduated in law and holds a postgraduate degree in European law from the Centre Universitaire Européen – Nancy. She manages and provides administrative support to trade associations in food and pharmaceutical sectors. She is fluent in English and French (mother tongue).
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Chris Downes
Manager, International Trade & Regulatory Affairs
With a first degree in languages at Nottingham University, Chris moved to Brussels where he completed a Masters in European politics and more recently an LLM in international law. Prior to joining ECCO, he worked for six years at a Brussels-based consultancy specialised in EU food and nutrition policy. Chris focuses within ECCO on international trade policy and trade law. He is Secretary-General for a European Trade Association in the food sector. He is fluent in French and Dutch and has a good knowledge of German.
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Maryse Hervé
Manager, ECCO's Food Practice
Maryse graduated as food microbiologist engineer (IMiB-ESMISAB – France) and worked for 11 years for several companies in the food ingredients sector, on R&D, marketing, communication and crisis management. Before she joined ECCO, Maryse also worked for four years in Brussels as Regulatory Affairs Manager with a sectoral association in the food sector. Maryse is fluent in English, French (mother tongue) and has a good knowledge of German and Italian. She currently serves as Secretary General for several associations in the ingredients sector.
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Frances Hunt
Manager, Food Regulatory Affairs
After completing a first degree in Law and French at Hull University (UK) and a diploma in French Law at Grenoble University (France), Frances moved to Paris to do a Masters in European Public Affairs (Institut Catholique de Paris). She then spent two years in Brussels working as a lobbyist in the European Public Affairs department of a large multi-national retailing company, with particular responsibilities for food dossiers and work with the European Food Safety Authority. Frances is currently Secretary General of a large international trade association and European trade associations in the food sector, focusing on regulatory affairs and communication. She is fluent in French, English (mother tongue) and Spanish.
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Elena Miceli
Manager, Pharma & Nutrition
Elena completed her studies at the faculty of Pharmacy (with a focus on nutrition) at the University of Palermo in 2002. Her role at ECCO is to provide scientific and regulatory support to the food and pharmaceutical ingredients industry. Prior to joining ECCO, Elena worked on technical and regulatory issues for a European pharmaceutical trade association in Brussels. She also completed a traineeship with the European association of pharmacists. She speaks fluent English, Italian (mother tongue), French and Spanish.
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Laurent Reverdy
Manager, EU Affairs & Agrifood Policy
Before joining ECCO, Laurent worked for the European Commission at the evaluation unit of DG Agriculture. Previously, he did a traineeship at the European Parliament, working with the Institutional Affairs Committee during the 1996 intergovernmental Conference. He also worked for Eurocontrol, where he participated to an internal audit on bilateral contracts with Central and Eastern European countries. After two years of Classes Préparatoires HEC, Laurent graduated in Business Administration and also holds a postgraduate diploma in International and European law from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas. Laurent is fluent in English, French (mother tongue), Spanish and has a good knowledge of German. He is currently Secretary-General for a European Trade Association in the food sector, specialising in agricultural policy and regulatory affairs.
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Caroline Rey
Manager, EU Affairs
Caroline first graduated from the Institute of Political Studies Lille (“Sciences Po Lille”), where she received high quality education and specialised in EU affairs. She also holds a Masters degree in European Politics from the “Institut d'Etudes Européennes” of the “Université Libre de Bruxelles”, with a specific focus on the EU’s food safety policy. Before joining ECCO, Caroline worked for three and a half years for a Public Affairs and Press Relations consultancy based in Brussels. Caroline’s working languages are French (mother tongue), English and Spanish.
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Maria del Pilar Estebanez
Office Manager, Administrative Assistant
Having joined ECCO in 1985, Maria has gained a solid experience in the administration of trade associations and has acquired a wide range of skills in line with the company’s development. Within ECCO, she carries out the general daily duties that ensure a smooth running of the company. Her skills in communication and finance are also put at the service of ECCO’s clients. As well as providing administrative support, she is responsible for managing the accounts of the associations run by ECCO. Finally, Maria’s good inter-personnel skills are complemented by her knowledge of languages: she is fluent in French, English and Spanish.
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Vanessa Billen
Administrative Assistant
Before joining ECCO, Vanessa worked with two well-known European
Associations based in Brussels.
After obtaining her diploma as a commercial and administration assistant,
she studied English at an international language school.
Her good knowledge of the field of EU Associations and her wide ranging
experience giving secretariat support is an asset to the ECCO team.
Vanessa is responsible for organising meetings and events for several key
clients. She is fluent in French, English and Dutch.
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