All In Plus closing event – Speakers' biographies

13 February 2025, 9.00am - 5.00pm
Hybrid format (Luxembourg / online)
Organised in the framework of the All In Plus joint European Union - Council of Europe project
Preceded by a reception organised by the Ministry of Sports of Luxembourg and the screening of the film "Sportives : le parcours médiatique des combattantes", directed by Marie Lopez-Vivanco and produced by Patrick Chevallier (12 February, 6.00pm - 9.00pm)
Disclaimer: Each speaker has provided their own picture and short biography which are published hereunder.
Screening of the film « Sportives : le parcours médiatique des combattantes »
Q&A with Marie Lopez-Vivanco and Patrick Chevallier
Moderated by Francine Hetherington Raveney
Marie Lopez-Vivanco
Film director
Patrick Chevallier
Film producer
Over 50 years of volunteering for sport.
Writing a book “50 years of volunteering, is that reasonable?” A life story in the service of sport.
Strong advocate for gender equality in sport.
Speaker at the CNOSF’s Sport Sante Foundation from 2001 to 2015
In 2010, creation of Juvacom Médias for the production of sports films.
- 2014 production of a series of photos on the fans during the Olympic Games in Athens.
- 2015, production of 2 reports made by young people from Toulouse and Agen on women’s football and doping. Shooting in France and Quebec.
- 2016 co-production of a film «XIII filles en ovale» a documentary about women’s rugby.
- 2020-2021, production of a documentary film on sports associations in priority areas of the city of Toulouse
- 2020, release of the film «Sportives: le parcours médiatique des combatantes».
- 2023, creation of SAS Juvaprod, an audiovisual production company around sport in association with Marie Lopez Vivanco.
- Since 2023, two productions have been created:
- La Traversée, a film about the crossing of the Mediterranean in Kitesurf
- Sports Stories in Palestine
Projects in progress:
- Sports: women at the edge of the field?
- The weight of the eye: a documentary on the Boccia.
- Motif'Accion: A February to April 2025 expedition in Patagonia and Chile on the theme of global warming
Francine Hetherington Raveney
Deputy Executive Secretary, Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), Council of Europe
Since 2000, she has worked in a number of international organisations, including the Council of Europe, where she was a project manager for the Eurimages film fund for 11 years (2009-2020), and WHO Europe (2004-2005) where she was a Managing Editor. She is the founder, former Executive Director and currently an Honorary Member of the European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network. She is also a member of the New Dawn Film Fund jury and regularly teaches pitching and gives presentations at festivals and universities throughout Europe.
Since April 2021 she has worked as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), where she oversees resources, works with the Governing Board and partner organisations to ensure that topical thematic activities (such as gender equality, diversity, integrity and good governance in sport) and conferences (e.g. on combating gender-based violence in sport) are dealt with smoothly and effectively.
Opening session
Alexandre Husting
Adviser, International and European affairs for the Luxembourg Ministry of Sports; Chair of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) of the Council of Europe
Matthias Kloth
Head of the Digital Governance and Sport Department, Directorate of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law, Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe
Normunds Popēns
Deputy Director-General of DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
From 2011, Normunds Popens has been the Deputy Director General for Implementation in the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission and in charge of overseeing the implementation of structural and cohesion fund programmes in EU member states and candidate countries.
Before joining the European Commission in March 2011 he has occupied several posts in the Latvian diplomatic services.
Notably from 2007 until 2011, he was a Permanent Representative of Latvia to the EU.
Before that he dealt with European affairs as Undersecretary of State of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has been also responsible for the issues of foreign trade and transatlantic relations and has worked as an Ambassador in Norway, Iceland and in the USA as a diplomat.
Keynote speaker
Interviewed by Francine Hetherington Raveney
Aauri Lorena Bokesa
Spanish athlete (400m specialist)
Francine Hetherington Raveney
Deputy Executive Secretary, Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), Council of Europe
Since 2000, she has worked in a number of international organisations, including the Council of Europe, where she was a project manager for the Eurimages film fund for 11 years (2009-2020), and WHO Europe (2004-2005) where she was a Managing Editor. She is the founder, former Executive Director and currently an Honorary Member of the European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network. She is also a member of the New Dawn Film Fund jury and regularly teaches pitching and gives presentations at festivals and universities throughout Europe.
Since April 2021 she has worked as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), where she oversees resources, works with the Governing Board and partner organisations to ensure that topical thematic activities (such as gender equality, diversity, integrity and good governance in sport) and conferences (e.g. on combating gender-based violence in sport) are dealt with smoothly and effectively.
Interview of two high-level athletes from Luxembourg followed by Q&A
Interviewed by Andrea Wimmer
Charline Mathias
Athlete (800m specialist) from Luxembourg

Charline Mathias is one of the most successful sportswomen Luxembourg has ever had. She was a middle-distance runner. Now retired from her active career as an athlete, she works for the Institut national de l’activité physique et des sports (INAPS) in Luxembourg.
Charline stepped onto the international stage in 2009, participating in events such as the Games of the Small Countries of Europe (GSSE) hosted by Luxembourg. She won a gold medal with her teammates of the 4x400m relay race and a bronze medal in the 800m competition. Over the years, she participated in several GSSE. She won a total of four gold, four silver and one bronze medals. She holds national records and was multiple times champion of Luxembourg.
Some of her career highlights are the qualification for the world championships 2015 in Beijing and the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro as well as her participation in three European championships. After going through hard times due to injuries, Charline had a great comeback season in 2024 when she improved her own national record of 800m and reached the semifinal of the European championship in Rome.
Christine Majerus
Professional cyclist from Luxembourg

Christine Majerus is a Luxembourgish cyclist, who dominated her sport in her country for many years, twelve of them as a professional sportswoman. She is now working in the civil administration of the Luxembourg army.
Christine played various sports before giving all her energy to cycling. In 2007, at the age of 20, she won her first national title. By the end of her career in November 2024, she was a 43-time Luxembourgish champion in different cycling disciplines.
She represented her country in four Olympic Games: in 2012, 2016, 2021 and 2024. Some of her many career highlights were a gold medal (team time trials) with her team Boels Dolmans at the world championships 2016, three silver medals (team time trials) and a strong fourth place at the world championships 2018in cyclocross. She also won several world tour competitions.
Andrea Wimmer
Sports journalist, Luxemburger Wort
During her university studies of communication and politics in Berlin and Munich she made her first steps in local journalism at the newspaper Berliner Morgenpost. The German Press Agency (dpa) was the next station. Her profession as a sports editor there led Andrea to many interesting places and events worldwide. Primarily, she wrote about alpine skiing, formula 1 and the football club FC Bayern München. Between 1991 and 2004 she was part of the dpa editors team at five Olympic games and several world championships. Afterwards she continued as an editor for other departments of dpa.
In 2010 she came back to sports reporting as a freelance journalist in Luxembourg. Mostly she works for the Luxemburger Wort, covering a wide range of disciplines from football to rhythmic gymnastics. Her special interest are the sportswomen in the Grand Duchy, their way to international success, but also their fight for gender equality.
Women in sports media
Moderated by Francine Hetherington Raveney
Elsa Arapi
Women’s Sport Lead, European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
Jeff Kettenmeyer
RTL journalist (Luxembourg)
Born in Luxembourg.
Sports Journalist at RTL Luxembourg since 2012.
TV commentator of the Luxembourgish Football National Team since 2014.
Started as a freelancer on Radio DNR while at university in Luxembourg.
Signed his first contract with DNR in 2010 and moved to RTL two years later.
Marco Noël
Journalist at Mental (Luxembourg)
Dovilė Šeduikytė-Suslavičienė
Head of Sports Group, LRT (Lithuania)
Francine Hetherington Raveney
Deputy Executive Secretary, Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), Council of Europe
Since 2000, she has worked in a number of international organisations, including the Council of Europe, where she was a project manager for the Eurimages film fund for 11 years (2009-2020), and WHO Europe (2004-2005) where she was a Managing Editor. She is the founder, former Executive Director and currently an Honorary Member of the European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network. She is also a member of the New Dawn Film Fund jury and regularly teaches pitching and gives presentations at festivals and universities throughout Europe.
Since April 2021 she has worked as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), where she oversees resources, works with the Governing Board and partner organisations to ensure that topical thematic activities (such as gender equality, diversity, integrity and good governance in sport) and conferences (e.g. on combating gender-based violence in sport) are dealt with smoothly and effectively.
Pillar 1: “All In Plus” data collection outcomes and lessons learnt
Moderated by Olivia Conrad and Kateryna Lavryk
Susana Pavlou
Director, Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies; Consultant of the “All In Plus” joint project
Julien Trinquet
IT Expert, Consultant (“All In Plus” Dashboard)
I am 37 years old and graduated as a computer engineer from CentraleSupelec in 2012. My passion for data visualization began 10 years ago with Tableau, where I enjoyed transforming complex, even harsh data into something both insightful and engaging. I often say that I help data tell its most captivating stories. I am a big advocate of design thinking approach as it focuses on understanding real user needs.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with organizations like the Council of Europe, Decathlon, and EDF.
As a proud father of two, I strongly believe we can create a better and more inclusive world together. In my free time, I enjoy walking and climbing in the stunning Calanques of Marseille, my adopted town.
Olivia Conrad
Senior Project Officer, Council of Europe
She is a former volleyball player (at pre-national level) and still participates in multi-sport adventure races (Raid Amazones, Raid Défi d’Elles).
Kateryna Lavryk
Junior Project Officer, Council of Europe
She joined the Sport Division in 2022, contributing to the work on gender equality, child safeguarding and sport integrity at the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS). She has a background in sports ethics and integrity, anti-doping, and social research.
A former badminton athlete, she is dedicated to promoting inclusion and human rights in and through sport.
Gender equality indicators: global perspective
Moderated by Lombe Mwambwa
Abby Burton
Head of Strategic Communications, International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport
Prior to joining the IWG, Abby spent over 15 years working in elite sport, including three Olympic and Paralympic cycles with the Great Britain Cycling Team as Communications Manager and working as the Communications Lead for the Rugby League World Cup 2021.
Layne Robinson
Global Leader in Social Development, Expert in Education, Health, Youth, and Sports Policy, The Commonwealth
Provides technical advice to Commonwealth member states and works in partnership with relevant organisations to improve the lives of Commonwealth citizens.
Experienced Policy Head with a demonstrated history of working in the public policy industry. Skilled in Youth Development, Government, Research, Programme design and implementation, Public Speaking, Facilitation, and International Relations.
Strong consulting professional with a graduate degree focused on Development Economics and Political Science from the University of the West Indies, Mona.
Charlotte Groppo
Head of the Gender Equality and Inclusion Unit, International Olympic Committee (IOC)
Nancy McLennan
Fit for Life Lead, UNESCO
Lombe Mwambwa
Research Director, Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport (GO)
Best practices on gender equality in sport
Moderated by Olivia Conrad
Sara Holmgren
Social and Environmental Sustainability Expert, UEFA
She currently holds the position of Social & Environmental Sustainability Expert at UEFA. She supports the development of the 7 human rights policies (anti-racism, child and youth protection, equality and inclusion, football for all abilities, health and wellbeing, refugee support and solidarity and rights) of UEFA’s Strength Through Unity strategy through the implementation of projects tailored and targeted to reach UEFA’s short, medium and long term objectives.
Previous to this, Sara has worked in an array of roles within UEFA, developing a strong understanding of the organisations work, relationships with football stakeholders, and the everchanging landscape that is European football. Starting within the National Associations division, focusing on educational programmes, Sara quickly focused in on topics related to gender equality, diversity and inclusion. She was later moved to the Human Resource team, where she took on the role as the organisations first Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
Sara holds a Master Degree in Sport Management & Technology from the International Academy of Sport Science & Technology (AISTS).
Guido Battaglia
Head of Partnerships & Institutional Affairs, Head of Geneva Office, Centre for Sport and Human Rights
Joëlle Letsch
Counsellor and Gender Equality Expert, Member of the Executive Board of the National Council of Women of Luxembourg
Ever since I was a teenager, I have been aware of the gender inequalities in sport. As a track and field athlete, I was astonished to see that the results of the girls’ competitions were given short shrift in the Monday morning papers, in contrast to those of the boys. Examples such as this made me determined to promote gender equality in all areas of our society, help women to take their rightful place and combat prejudice and stereotypes.
With a master’s degree in Occupational Psychology, I have worked in both business and sport. I co-founded ADT-Center, a provider of on-the-job training and personal development, coaching, mentoring and psychological support services. I am very active in the women’s community and have over 30 years’ experience as a gender equality expert.
Positions held:
- Member of the Board and former President of the Luxembourg National Council of Women (CNFL)
- Adviser to the Board of the International Council of Women (ICW)
- President of Pioneering Women of Luxembourg, a non-profit organisation
- Founder member of the Luxembourg Federation of Women Entrepreneurs (FFCEL)
- Advocacy work for the Luxembourg branch of Soroptimist International and founder member of the Soroptimist Club Luxembourg Melusina.
Olivia Conrad
Senior Project Officer, Council of Europe
She is a former volleyball player (at pre-national level) and still participates in multi-sport adventure races (Raid Amazones, Raid Défi d’Elles).
Presentation of the “All In Plus” analytical report and recommendations
Susana Pavlou
Director, Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies; Consultant of the “All In Plus” joint project
Francine Hetherington Raveney
Deputy Executive Secretary, Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), Council of Europe
Since 2000, she has worked in a number of international organisations, including the Council of Europe, where she was a project manager for the Eurimages film fund for 11 years (2009-2020), and WHO Europe (2004-2005) where she was a Managing Editor. She is the founder, former Executive Director and currently an Honorary Member of the European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network. She is also a member of the New Dawn Film Fund jury and regularly teaches pitching and gives presentations at festivals and universities throughout Europe.
Since April 2021 she has worked as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), where she oversees resources, works with the Governing Board and partner organisations to ensure that topical thematic activities (such as gender equality, diversity, integrity and good governance in sport) and conferences (e.g. on combating gender-based violence in sport) are dealt with smoothly and effectively.
Kateryna Lavryk
Junior Project Officer, Council of Europe
She joined the Sport Division in 2022, contributing to the work on gender equality, child safeguarding and sport integrity at the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS). She has a background in sports ethics and integrity, anti-doping, and social research.
A former badminton athlete, she is dedicated to promoting inclusion and human rights in and through sport.
Closing session
Georges Mischo
Luxembourgish Minister in charge of Sport
After attending secondary school at the Lycée Hubert Clément in Esch-sur-Alzette, Georges Mischo started studying sports in Saarbrücken. He completed his teaching internship at the Lycée Aline Mayrisch before becoming a teacher at the Lycée technique pour professions éducatives et sociales (LTPES). He then joined the Lycée Bel-Val, where he taught physical education until he was sworn in as mayor of Esch-sur-Alzette in 2017.
Following the legislative elections of 8 October 2023, Georges Mischo was appointed Minister of Sport and Minister of Labour on 17 November 2023 in the coalition government formed by the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) and the Democratic Party (DP).
In 2011, he stood in the municipal elections for the first time. Three years later, in 2014, he became a municipal councillor before being elected mayor in October 2017 following the local elections. After the legislative elections, Georges Mischo became a member of Parliament in October 2018.
Floor van Houdt
Head of the Sport Unit, Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Originally from the Netherlands, she studied law and European Studies in the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium before moving to Brussels to start her career in European policy.
Charlotte Girard-Fabre
Chair of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS)’s Consultative Committee
I have been a high-level sportswoman since the age of 13, and I wish to represent this new generation of committed women. The quest for excellence and the requirement of performance led me to referee at the Olympic Games in Sochi (Russia) 2014 and Pyeonchang (South Korea) 2018, and I sharpen my skills and expertise every day to honor my 10 Olympic rings.
A fighter at heart and an explorer of new horizons, I push my limits in sport as well as in my professional life today and tomorrow. Decision-making, time management and conflict management are among my areas of expertise. Resolutely focused on excellence and performance, I accompany your teams collectively to develop a disruptive and pragmatic approach.
An ardent defender of gender diversity and the place of women in our society, I am also passionate about civic engagement: elected Secretary General of IFSO, formerly Secretary General and now President of AFCAM and Ambassador of several think-tanks, I have also chosen to act at the highest institutional level (Ministries, UNSS, FFHB, ...).
Francine Hetherington Raveney
Deputy Executive Secretary, Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), Council of Europe
Since 2000, she has worked in a number of international organisations, including the Council of Europe, where she was a project manager for the Eurimages film fund for 11 years (2009-2020), and WHO Europe (2004-2005) where she was a Managing Editor. She is the founder, former Executive Director and currently an Honorary Member of the European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) Network. She is also a member of the New Dawn Film Fund jury and regularly teaches pitching and gives presentations at festivals and universities throughout Europe.
Since April 2021 she has worked as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), where she oversees resources, works with the Governing Board and partner organisations to ensure that topical thematic activities (such as gender equality, diversity, integrity and good governance in sport) and conferences (e.g. on combating gender-based violence in sport) are dealt with smoothly and effectively.