EU Careers Sessions at the UCL Department of Political Science Careers Week 2023

From 5-9 June, UCL Department for Political Science is hosting its annual Careers Week, bringing together students, alumni and inspirational speakers from a range of backgrounds, for skills sessions, panel discussions and talks designed to inform and inspire students’ considering how to put their studies to work in the world. The European Institute contributes to the Careers Week by convening a range of sessions on European and EU-related careers, which are also open to students beyond Political Science. The European Institute also hosts EU careers resources here, and convenes an annual networking reception of UCL alumni in Brussels.

Panelists' biographies:
 

Marit Sillavee, First Secretary, Citizens, Social and Justice and Home Affairs Section, EU Delegation to the United Kingdom
Marit Sillavee is an EU diplomat with over 15 years of professional experience in communications and outreach, public relations and political communication, capability building and stakeholder engagement in London, Brussels and Tallinn. She is currently working on EU citizens’ rights issues at the EU Delegation in the UK, bringing together EU Member States and NGOs representing EU citizens in the UK, and coordinating the relationship with the relevant counterparts in the UK Government and both Houses of the Parliament. In her previous role in Brussels, she was a member of the Cabinet of the European Commission President, working directly with the Head of Cabinet advising him on strategic communication, prepared briefings and coordinated the preparation of communication materials ahead of key communication moments of the European Commission President. Before joining the Commission she worked in London for a reputation management consultancy advising FTSE 100 companies on reputation management, stakeholder engagement and leadership development, running workshops and helping companies to collect measurable data on their reputation among their key stakeholders. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Public Relations from the University of Tartu in Estonia and she also holds a MSc in Communication Regulation and Policy from the London School of Economics. She spent 6 months in Beijing learning Mandarin which she found easier to learn than French.

Caitlin Griffith, Senior Communications and Engagement Officer, EU/Windsor Framework, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office
Caitlin is a Senior Communications and Engagement Officer in the EU Directorate at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, where she has worked for over a year on media and strategic communications across the breadth of the UK’s relationship with the EU, including the Northern Ireland Protocol and Windsor Framework. Prior to joining FCDO, Caitlin was a Press Officer in the Cabinet Office for 18 months working on Covid Communications during the height of the pandemic. She joined the Civil Service after completing an MA in Gender Studies at UCL in 2020, where she focused her research on gender policy in financial organisations and was awarded a place on the Dean’s List. Caitlin began her career in 2017 at the strategic communications consultancy, Hawthorn, advising clients across a variety of sectors on their corporate messaging, reputation management, crisis communications, stakeholder engagement and media profile. She graduated from the University of Manchester with a BA in History. 

Krisztina Zálnoky, Research Project Manager, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
Krisztina is a Research Project Manager in the CISL Europe office. Prior to joining the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Krisztina worked at the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission and completed internships at the UNICEF Hungarian Committee and the U.S. Commercial Service in Hungary. She gained experience in the private sector, working as an analyst at KPMG on projects related to the Common Agricultural Policy. Krisztina studied International Relations with a specialisation in European integration at Corvinus University Budapest and holds an MSc in Public Policy from University College London. Her master dissertation focused on the impact of the 2008-2009 financial crisis on democracy support in Central and Eastern Europe. Krisztina is part of the Global Shapers Brussels Hub.

Owen Morgan, Speechwriter at the European Commission
Owen Morgan graduated from UCL with a BA in Italian and Spanish in 2020. After graduation, he relocated to Brussels and began working in EU public affairs. He later pursued an MA in European Political and Governance studies at the College of Europe. Since 2022, Owen has been employed at the European Commission, initially focusing on the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement and the Windsor Framework. Presently, he holds the position of Speechwriter to two European Commissioners.

Vandha Suha, Policy Assistant, DG Trade, European Commission
Originally from Budapest, Hungary, Vanda Suha works the European Commission where she is responsible for trade and climate in DG TRADE.  In 2016, she moved to London for a BA in International Relations. During her undergraduate degree, she studied abroad in Washington D.C. for a semester. After finishing her degree in 2019, she stayed in London for an MSc in Security Studies at UCL (2019-2020). Following graduation, she moved to Brussels, Belgium, where she did the Blue Book Traineeship at the European Commission and worked as a consultant in the sustainability/digital fields before taking up her current role. Vanda is also co-leading the UCL alumni group in Brussels.