Our team | Cycling Industries Europe (CIE)

Paul Walsh, originally from Ireland, has lived in Brussels for over 20 years and brings more than 12 years of experience working in Brussels-based associations. He holds a master’s degree in Association Management and has worked across a wide range of sectors, including aviation, research and innovation, tourism, and medical devices. With  expertise in European advocacy and stakeholder engagement, Paul’s cross-sector knowledge and collaborative leadership support the mission of Cycling Industries Europe to advance sustainable mobility and grow the cycling industry across the continent.

Lauha is a policy and advocacy professional with extensive experience in public affairs and strategic communications at both EU and global levels. She has served as Policy Director at Cycling Industries Europe since it was founded in 2019.

Lauha leads several expert groups, including bike sharing, leasing and sustainability. She is also a co-founder of the Women in Cycling network, which currently has more than 3,000 members and promotes greater diversity in the cycling industry.

Prior to CIE, Lauha helped establish one of the first EU representation offices for Finnish regions in Brussels and worked as an expert at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy. She later served as Communications Director at the Global Wind Energy Council, promoting renewable energy worldwide.

Lauha has authored several publications on wind energy and renewables. Her leadership in sustainable mobility has been recognised by Zag Daily (Mobility Leader: Women Making Moves) and Cycling Weekly (Agents of Change: The women who are changing the way we all ride).

Lauha holds an MSc in Political Science, International Law and Communications. She has two daughters, speaks English, French, Swedish and her native Finnish and lives in Brussels.

Jacques focuses on getting greater support for cycling as a key industry for Europe. He co-runs the expert groups on market intelligence, supply chain and innovation. 

A career lobbyist with 16 years’ experience working in the EU ‘Brussels bubble’, Jacques has always aspired to work for sectors that make people happier or smarter. Previously, he worked for EU organisations promoting public media and then tourism. He also teaches EU public affairs at Sorbonne University. 

He would describe himself as a ‘European’ and his young son could claim 4 nationalities. Jacques was born in London, studied in Toulouse, lives with an Italian partner and calls Brussels ‘home’.

After spending 4 years working in the news industry and covering Formula 1, Istvan switched from 4 wheels to 2 when he moved to Brussels and started working at CIE’s partner organization IMBA Europe. Originally from Hungary, he’s been bitten by the cycling bug during his university years before graduating from Corvinus University of Budapest. Now apart from his passion of racing cars he is also preaching about the benefits of cycling and can be regularly found around Forêt de Soignes on his gravel bike.

Veronica is the Membership and Communications Administrator at Cycling Industries Europe. Her passion for nature and creativity has guided her career and educational choices, beginning with a technical-scientific background and progressing to involvement in national and European volunteer projects in the environmental and youth work fields. Her interest in sustainable mobility communication has led her to join CIE and the cycling sector.

Ebru Akgün is the Sustainability Project and Policy Officer at CIE. Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, she holds a BA in Political Science and Public Administration from Bilkent University, supplemented by conservatory training in music. She later earned an MSc in Social and Cultural Anthropology and Sustainable Development from KU Leuven, specialising in sustainability in the Mediterranean agriculture. During her studies, Ebru gained experience in sustainability-related roles across Turkey, Brazil, and Belgium, in organisation from different governance levels.

Ebru has three years of experience in EU-level sustainability advocacy and lobbying, particularly in the trade and construction sectors. She is also currently pursuing a PhD in Political Science and Sociology at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the University of Antwerp, focusing on political communication in sustainability contexts

She speaks her mother tongue Turkish, and fluent in English and Dutch, and has conversational knowledge of German, French and Greek. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, playing the piano and singing, painting, writing and spending time with her beloved friends - books.