Meet Our Advisory Board

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Lulu Aertgeerts is a Flemish actress and choreographer. She pursued theatre studies at the KULeuven and dance pedagogy at the Artesis Hogeschool Antwerpen. For many years she was active in the musical department of the Royal Ballet of Flanders and played several leading roles in various theatre plays. Besides her work as a choreographer she also had various roles on television, directed productions and also acted as coach for "Idol" and "X-factor" for several years. As a freelancer she wrote, directed and choreographed for various production houses: the Royal Flemish Theatre (KVS), the City Theatre of Ghent (NTGent), Tabas & Co, Music Hall, Except, Kras. Since the foundation in 1994 of the Musical Academy at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, she has been working there as a teacher and director, and since 2013 she has been head of training.

 Joanna DRAKE has been the Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General (DG) for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) since 2021. In this role, she provides overall assistance to the Director-General in the management of the DG, contributing to the definition, coordination and implementation of strategy and policy orientation. She was previously Deputy Director-General of DG Environment (2016-2021) where she chaired a crosscutting Task Force spear-heading strategic positions for the DG on (inter-alia) the post-2020 Commission financial framework negotiations, Brexit co-ordination, the urban agenda and the future-proofing of the EU’s environmental acquis. By training, Joanna is a lawyer, graduated from the University of Malta and the College of Europe in Bruges. She held various legal and management posts in the private and public sector before joining the European Commission. 

 Andrew is originally from Oxford, UK and has always had a 'thing' for theatre. He studied acting at the Oxford School of Drama and also worked and volunteered at various times for The Oxford Playhouse and The Oxford Stage Company. 

He then spent 15 years on the road with the British Council in Japan, Thailand, Prague and Milan before being posted to Brussels. His British Council work included promoting education, English language teaching and cultural relations as a way to build relations between the UK and other countries.

He now runs Formative Communications, a training agency with offices in Brussels and London. He trains and provides strategic communications advice for EU institutions, international organisations and governments across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 

He enjoys hiking in the forests of Brussels, the gym, tennis - and of course - The Bridge Theatre.

Emma attended Bulmersche College of Higher Education at Reading University, pursuing a Masters degree in Modern European Literature and French Language, graduating in the years 1984 to 1988. Her extensive skill set includes leadership, sourcing, human resources, talent acquisition, succession planning, onboarding, management consulting, and business strategy. Emma is a seasoned professional with a strong background in recruitment and human resources. She is the founder and Director of Profile Group, a firm known for its innovative recruitment services in Belgium and the French market. She has served Belgian and international clients such as CooperVision, CEN-CENELEC, MedTech Europe, KickCancer, etc.  In 2010, Profile Group launched TalentFinder, a tool that provides an ideal solution for those situations where you choose to recruit yourself.