Ten years, ten stories: the European Young Leaders (EYL40) programme celebrates its 10th anniversary

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Ten years ago, motivated by the urgent need to tackle the increasing disconnect between citizens and policymakers, and to rebuild the trust that is vital to democracies, Friends of Europe crafted a leadership programme unlike any other: the European Young Leaders (EYL40) programme.

“Building on the understanding that diverse voices make better policy, we wanted to craft a pan-European programme that not only involved policymakers, civil society and business but also included the voices of artists and athletes, unicorn entrepreneurs, leading journalists, activists and scientists. And so, we brought together a diverse selection of young leaders from different nationalities, backgrounds and political viewpoints for the first time in 2012. It is the group’s growing dynamism that has allowed these committed and engaged leaders to exchange, debate and form ideas on how to better serve their communities, challenge traditional policy outcomes and rebuild trust with citizens,” comments the programme’s director, Nathalie Furrer.

“By crossing these borders and boundaries, we have been able to build a supportive community that looks beyond exchanges of pleasantries and business cards, and rather towards genuine connection and collaboration. Even outside of programme activities, the young leaders support and team up with one another. It’s fantastic to watch this trusted environment among peers grow and evolve.”

When asked to describe the EYL40 programme in one word, Furrer responds without hesitation: “Inspiring.” She continues, “the leaders who are enrolled in the programme represent an alternative leadership for an inspiring Europe. They represent real change.”

Nathalie Furrer, Director of the EYL40 programme

To celebrate the programme’s anniversary, we will travel through the past ten years and share ten inspiring stories, presenting one European Young Leader from each class, their biggest leadership challenge and their hopes for the future of Europe. We will also re-discover #CriticalThinking articles authored by young leaders throughout the years.

Come along with us on this journey – keep an eye on our Twitter and the #10YearsOfEYL40 hashtag, and pay special attention to our LinkedIn page!

An Italian professional volleyball player who played with her national team at the 2014 World Championship, Valentina Diouf’s career has seen a meteoric rise, being a true role model for girls and women in sport. Valentina, alumna of the EYL40 Class of this 2022, has won gold medals with the national Italian team at the U20 World Championship and Mediterranean Games. She currently sports the #7 jersey for LKS Commercecon Łódź in Poland, prior to which she played for Wealth Planet Perugia in Italy. (Image credit: Africa Nouvelles, 2016)

Rokhaya Diallo, alumna of the EYL40 Class of 2013, is a journalist, filmmaker and human rights activist committed to anti-racism work. She hosted and co-edited “Egaux, mais pas trop” (“Equal, but not too much”), a series of reports on diversity issues in France, and has previously held a number of noteworthy positions in the television field. Widely lauded for her work in favour of racial and gender equality, and exposing injustices in these and other areas, Diallo has become one of France’s most prominent figures in this space. (Image credit: Rokhaya Diallo)

Christel Heydemann, alumna of the EYL40 Class of 2014, is the CEO of Orange renowned for her experience in the telecoms sector and in managing business transformations, and the second woman at this level of responsibility in the entire CAC 40 stock market.

One of the youngest chefs to rise in the ranks of the restaurant world, and member of the EYL40 Class of 2017, Eneko Atxa has opened several restaurants in Spain, Japan, Portugal and Brussels, including the 3-star Michelin restaurant Azurmendi in Basque Country. His culinary endeavours champion sustainable practices, from rainwater collection to seed bank production, and have received distinctions from gastronomic gurus, including The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Elite Traveler and Fourchettes, among others. (Image credit: Eneko restaurant)

Selected as a 2015-2016 EYL40 member when he was a serial entrepreneur, Stefunko co-founded and became the first chairman of Progresivne Slovensko, a social-liberal pro-European political movement which saw the President of Slovakia and a European Parliament VP elected, as well as committed itself to transforming the education system, extending same-sex marriage rights, and introducing better well-being to Slovakia.

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The first stories of our anniversary celebration feature volleyball player Valentina Diouf; Rokhaya Diallo, a journalist, filmmaker and human rights activist; Christel Heydemann, the CEO of Orange; renowned chef Eneko Atxa; and serial entrepreneur Ivan Stefunko.

2022 EYL40 Valentina Diouf describes the EYL40 network as “a kind of superpower: you can count on all of these people who can help you, and if you have connections, you can do everything.” Read more here.

Asked to describe the EYL40 network in one word, 2013 EYL40 Rokhaya Diallo chooses “dynamic” – a term that reflects the multifarious and at times unpredictable benefits of being a part of the EYL40 family. Read more here.

“In this highly uncertain environment, more than ever, we need leaders with vision and the ability to attract and engage people with different opinions,” comments 2014 EYL40 Christel Heydemann. Read more here.

The cross-sectoral nature of the EYL40 network has fed into 2017 EYL40 Eneko Atxa’s understanding of the world, while also serving to motivate him further. “A better world is definitely being built.” Read more here.

In terms of what the EYL40 programme meant to him, 2015-2016 EYL40 Ivan Stefunko is effusive. “So many people that I met there are role models to me: their strength, courage or intellectual capacity.” Read more here.

Viktoria Modesta is a British Latvian-born bionic pop artist, futurist, and creative director. She has established herself as a multidisciplinary artist and a creative leader, connector, and innovator in the post-disability community—bridging pop culture and art with academia, medicine, and brands in hyper collaborative multimedia productions.

Kaja Kallas, the first female Prime Minister of Estonia, is a stalwart of European values and solidarity. Named among the TIME100 Next rising individuals, she is a strong voice of support for Ukraine and champions ambitious climate and energy policies. She was nominated as a European Young Leader in 2017 while serving in the European Parliament.

Lindsey-Nefesh-Clarke_EYL40

Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke, alumna of the EYL40 Class of 2012, is a British CEO and Founder of the Women’s WorldWide Web (W4), an online crowdfunding platform dedicated to protecting girls’ and women’s empowerment in developing and developed countries around the world, promoting human rights and access to technology.

Bastian Obermayer, alumnus of the EYL40 Class of 2018, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning German investigative journalist with the Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and the reporter who received the Panama Papers from an anonymous source in 2016 and the Paradise Papers. Obermayer was part of the ICIJ’s Offshore Leaks, Luxembourg Leaks, China Cables, and other projects. After the Knight-Wallace Fellowship in Ann Arbor, MI, Obermayer helped found the investigative non-profit newsroom Forbidden Stories in 2017.

Qëndron Kastrati, alumnus of the EYL40 Class of 2020-22,  was elected the youngest mayor in Kosovo, leading the town of Kamenica at only 29. As mayor, he has been resolute in his mission to make his town a genuinely multi-ethnic community and to bridge existing ethnic divides. Now ex-mayor, his inclusive approach still earns him national attention. He continues to be a staunch advocate of constitutional rights to education in Kosovo.

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The last stories of our anniversary celebration feature bionic pop artist and futurist, Viktoria Modesta; Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas; Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke, CEO and Founder of Women’s WorldWide Web (W4); Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, Bastian Obermayer; and Qëndron Kastrati, former mayor of Kamenica, Kosovo.

For 2019 EYL40 Viktoria Modesta, the EYL40 programme opened opportunities to see the world differently. “I feel grateful to have that connection with political and government bodies; if I want to influence things now, I have a better idea how to do that.” Read more here.

“This network stays with you,” 2017 EYL40 Kaja Kallas says, appreciating the constancy of the network in an ever-changing Europe. Read more here.

2012 EYL40 Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke draws a parallel between her appreciation for the EYL40 network and her own experience as founder of a network herself, saying that “it’s impossible to express and do justice in a few words to the myriad ways that I’ve benefited […] I’ve met so many incredibly inspiring people!” Read more here.

If there is one thing that 2018 EYL40 Bastian Obermayer takes away from the potential of the EYL40 programme, it’s that “each of us has enough contacts in our respective fields, but I need to hear from engineers, doctors, artists, politicians to get their perspective, understanding of the world”. Read more here.

As an advocate and changemaker in Kosovo, 2020-2021 EYL40 Qëndron Kastrati “learned a lot” from the EYL40 network, and is “trying to think how to implement that in our context. Situations are different, but we can learn” from one another. Read more here.

Learn more about the EYL40 programme here.
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