Patrizia Bussi studied at the business management Faculty of the Turin University (Italy). She is the Director of the European Network of Social Integration Enterprise (ENSIE), representing social enterprises and especially more than 3000 work integration social enterprises across Europe (30 members in 21 EU Member States, as well as Azerbaijan, Serbia and Moldavia), aiming to contribute to sustainable development through different actions such as creating links between the job market and the social integration of disadvantaged risk-groups by improving their employment opportunities and productivity, and promoting the economic viability of social enterprises and the integration and reinforcement of their role in the general economic landscape.
During her time in ENSIE, she has also worked for two Italian social economy enterprises: the Consorzio Sociale Abele Lavoro and the A-type social cooperative Stranaidea. Since 2012 she is a member of the European Commission expert group on social business (GECES), member of the working group on the role of clusters and similar forms of business cooperation, she was also member of the GECES’s Social Impact Measurement sub-group and member of the Italian GECES group, Gruppo Multilaterale sull’imprenditoria sociale. Since 2014 she has represented ENSIE in the Structured Dialogue with European Structural and Investment Funds' partners group of experts (ESIF SD) of the European Commission.
Since the beginning of 2019 she is Vice-President of Social Economy Europe.
Contact: patrizia.bussi@ensie.org, +32 (0) 496 87 22 12
Aziza Yussupova is graduated in international relations, diplomacy and conflicts resolution from the Belgian university (Université Catholique de Louvain, UCL). She has broad experience in managing teams and projects with different target groups through the management of the EaSI programme of the European Commission and other EU projects. She gained more than five years of experience working in the human rights domain through her voluntary involvement in Amnesty International’s activities and local groups. She joined the ENSIE team in 2018 as a Policy Officer. She helps in developing constructive working relationships with key influential bodies in the European Commission and national Member States to gain their support for programs and policies linked to the social inclusion and the fight against poverty. She is the person in charge for the monitoring of the EU policies and tools as the Youth Guarantee and the European Solidarity Corps. She is also the representative of ENSIE in the advisory board of the European Solidarity Corps Research Center. In addition, she has the responsibility to monitor and evaluate the European Semester process, the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights principles and the Sustainable Development Goals. Finally, she is the person in charge of the measurement of the Social Impact of WISEs/social enterprises.
Contact: azizam.yussupova@ensie.org, +32 (0) 470 85 09 19
Baptiste holds a master's degree in work Integration Social Entrepreneurship (Université Gustave Eiffel, Paris). He has been actively involved in social economy, gaining ground-based experience working for several WISEs in France. He had also the opportunity to work further on social economy during a 5-month traineeship at the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, in the European Commission. Since August 2023, Baptiste is a Policy Officer for ENSIE. He is involved in the project management and following a vast range of policy files such as, among others, the implementation of the Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP), the work relationships with the European Parliament, Cohesion and social funds, the Just Transition and the development of the social economy ecosystem in Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans.
Contact: baptiste.vasseur@ensie.org, +32 (0) 491 52 71 66
Antonio Contini is graduated in political sciences at LUISS University in Rome and completed his studies in European Affairs at Sciences Po University in Paris. He worked as intern for the European Movement International, where he moved his first steps into policy and project communication. Subsequently, he moved on with a second internship at the Green European Journal, where he gained more experience in general communication management and had a first experience with journalism and publications-related communication. Before starting with ENSIE, he had a brief experience as a trainee at the European Committee of the Regions. Antonio also successfully completed an executive master in political communication and electoral marketing, where he gained practical skills learning from communication professionals and spin doctors. He started working at ENSIE in October 2023 as a Communication Officer; in this position, he oversees the development and the implementation of internal and external communication for ENSIE. Contact: antonio.contini@ensie.org, +32 (0) 492 79 53 92
Caterina Grimaldi holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration at the Italian university ‘Roma Tre’ of Rome.She gained experience in the field of European funds thanks to her internship at the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance, during which she participated in the implementation of regional projects financed by the European Social Fund (ESF). She worked for one year as a European Projects assistant at a European non-profit organization, taking part in the design and development of projects aimed at integrating vulnerable target groups into the world of culture and sport. She has broad experience in many voluntary activities in Italy and abroad, mainly with homeless people, people with disabilities and refugees. She joined the ENSIE team in April 2022 as an Administrative Assistant, she is in charge of organizing ENSIE events and managing the financial and administrative aspects of the ENSIE team.
Contact: caterina.grimaldi@ensie.org, +32 (0)4 70 11 46 91
Camille holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economic and Social Administration from Panthéon-Sorbonne Université (Paris 1) and a Master’s Degree in European Studies from Sorbonne-Nouvelle Université (Paris 3). She also took Master’s courses in international studies at Laval University in Quebec City, Canada. During the years of studies, she volunteered with UNICEF as a coordinator of a concert project to raise funds, and has committed to several associations as a Project officer within the Professionalisation Unit of Sorbonne for the United Nations (SONU) and as head of the Student Life Unit of EuroSorbonne promoting exchanges between students and professionals in European and International careers. After a first 3 months internship at ENSIE as a Research and Communication Intern, Camille is now a Project Assistant, supporting on European projects GreenBoost4WISEs and DIGIT-ABLE. Contact: ensie@ensie.org
Balsane has two degrees one History and one English and is currently doing a Masters in European and International Studies at the Institut d'Etudes Européennes (IEE) at the University of Paris 8. She joined ENSIE's Policy unit as a trainee in policy monitoring and communication at European level.
She is involved in researching and analysing European policies in the social inclusion sector. She is also assisting the Communications Officer with the association's internal and external communications, as well as organising and taking part in European events and meetings with strategic partners. This internship marks her first professional experience in the field of the social economy and the defence of European interests.
With a keen interest in European affairs and a great curiosity about the social economy and sustainable development, she contributes to initiatives that promote employment opportunities for disadvantaged people through social innovation and the development of inclusive policies. Contact: internship@ensie.org
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