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.

 Peter has been a senior executive in, and consultant to, businesses in the IT and Commercial Property sectors since 1987. His extensive experience and knowledge of a wide variety of disciplines includes the initiation and implementation of high profile, mission critical and technology-driven projects. Peter is a consummate communicator, an innovative sales and marketing professional and a forward thinking business strategist. He sits on the Council and consults to the Board of the British Chamber of Commerce EU & Belgium. He has received recognition for his business acumen from KPMG (Young Entrepreneur 1992) and Institute of Directors (Diploma in Company Direction 1997). Peter works with individuals and SME senior management and leadership to maximise the potential of their businesses. He offers guidance on strategic direction and business development, marketing and marcoms, sales/growth, exit strategies, and implementation. 

 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. 

 Jan studied literature and philosophy in Antwerp, Leuven and London. He was artistic director of the Royal Flemish Theatre (KVS) in Brussels from 2001 to 2016, and general director of the Festival de Marseille from 2016 to 2022. Since 2015 he is co-artistic director of the festival Dream City in Tunis. Jan has been working for more than two decades on the cutting edge of artistic creation and metropolitan coexistence, in Europe and in the 'Global South'. He is driven by passion and ambition to transform and develop high-quality, large-scale cultural projects with both strong local artistic and community connections on the one hand, and a vibrant international dimension on the other hand. Jan is the co-mission holder of Brussels2030, the organisation working on the candidacy of Molenbeek-Brussels to become European Capital of Culture in 2030. 

 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.