Team
Jérôme Pero
Secretary General
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Jérôme is Secretary General of FESI. He represents the sporting goods sector in Europe and speaks for EU companies, national federations and retailers.
Jérôme joined FESI in 2007. He became Public Policy Director in 2015 and Board Member of the European Commission European Week of Sports Advisory Group in the same year. Jérôme is also Member of the European Commission Advisory Board to improve economic and policy knowledge in the field of sport related industries. In 2017, he was appointed Secretary General of FESI, overseeing all the activities related to the Federation, including advocacy, planning and strategy.
Jérôme is also coordinating the work and activities related to the following committees: Digital (innovation and wearable technology), Product compliance (REACH and other chemicals legislations, consumer information), Corporate responsibility (goods practices, industry leadership, members states initiatives), and Sport (football, winter sports and promotion of physial activity).
He holds a Master’s degree in political science and European Studies from the Université libre de Bruxelles.
Jérôme is a Luxembourgish national. He is fluent in English, French, German, and Luxembourgish.
Youri Mercier
Deputy Secretary General
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Youri is Deputy Secretary General of FESI. He assists the Secretary General in the representation of the Federation.
Youri joined FESI in September 2016 as Public Policy Manager. One year later, he has been appointed Deputy Secretary General, assisting in the coordination and advocacy planning of the Federation.
Youri is also coordinating the work and activities related to the following committees: Digital (e-commerce), Trade (customs and trade preferences), and Product compliance (product safety and standards).
Before joining FESI, Youri has been policy officer at the European Branded Clothing Alliance (EBCA) and consultant at Hanover Communications.
He holds two Masters Degrees in European Studies and European Economic Law, respectively from the College of Europe (Natolin) and Science Po Paris.
He is a French national and is fluent in English. He also has some knowledge of Spanish.
Luca Boniolo
Sustainability Policy Manager
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Luca joined FESI in September 2016. As policy manager, he is responsible of organizing and coordinating the activities related to FESI’s steering committees. He oversees the following policy areas: sustainable development, circular economy, supply chain, privacy, data protection, and Brexit.
Luca studied Political Science at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa and holds a Master’s degree in European Studies from the University of Florence.
Luca is an Italian national. He is fluent in English and has a very good command of French and Spanish. He also has some knowledge of German.
Ariane Gatti
Communication Officer
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Ariane joined FESI as Communication and Public Affairs Officer in October 2018. She oversees FESI’s internal and external communication strategy and supports the coordination of the Intellectual Property Rights taskforce. In 2021, she has been elected Chair of the Communication group of the All policies for a healthy Europe Alliance Coalition.
Before joining FESI, Ariane worked for two years in a European public affairs consultancy in Brussels, where she specialised in intellectual property and communications.
She holds a Master’s degree in European Studies from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Ariane is a French national. She is fluent in English and has a good command of German and Spanish.
Pauline Paganon
Office and projects coordinator
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Pauline joined FESI in November 2019 as Office and Project Coordinator. As such, she is reponsible of assisting the team by ensuring the efficient administration of FESI’s office and logistical needs. Her reponsibilities also include finding new opportunities for European projects partnerships.
Before joining FESI, Pauline worked as a policy officer for a public affairs consultancy in Brussels.
She graduated in European affairs from Sciences Po Lyon (France) and studied for one year at the Free University of Berlin.
Pauline is a French national. She speaks English, German and Italian.
Zoltán Lengyel
Policy and Communication Intern
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Zoltán joined FESI as an intern in September 2020. As such, he is responsible for supporting FESI team in policy affairs and communication activities.
Zoltán studied International Relations at the Corvinus University of Budapest and is currently a master student of International Sport Development and Politics at the German Sport University.
Zoltán is a Hungarian national. He is fluent in English and has a good command of German. He also has some knowledge of Italian.