Our Team

The European Association of Institutes for Vocational Training turns high-quality, customized project implementation services turning innovative ideas into funded projects. This ranges from EU grants to private investments identification, including consortium building, application writing, selection of experts, negotiation, budgeting, quality control, and evaluation of projects.

Theodor Grassos

SECRETARY-GENERAL

Sonia Degroote

HEAD OF OFFICE AND PROJECT

Sotiria Tsalamani

PROJECT MANAGER

Andreas Tsalamatas

FINANCIAL MANAGER

Danai Laskaratou

Financial Officer

Daiana Tsitso

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Theodor Grassos

SECRETARY-GENERAL

Theodor Grassos is Secretary-General of the European Association of Institutes for Vocational Training. He has extensive experience both at the EU level and in Greece, covering a period of over 20 years. His national experience includes reorganising a number of public bodies, while he has been responsible for ex-ante and ongoing evaluation of Human Resources Development Operational Programmes, supporting the design and delivery of restructured and modernised ALMPs in different countries. At the EU level, he has been working in multicultural environments for the past 18 years, for different DG’s and EU Programmes. Fluent in four languages, he has also collaborated with the Structural Reform Support Service (now DG Reform). So far, he has been responsible for over 100 projects of various sizes at the national and EU levels and is currently working with EU institutions and key umbrella organisations in the areas of employment, education and social inclusion. Finally, he is a member of two Working Groups of the European Commission: “Working Group on Vocational Education and Training and the Green Transition” and “Working Group on Adult Learning – Opening Up Opportunities for All”.

Sonia Degroote

PROJECT MANAGER

Sonia Degroote has a double master’s in political science- European studies and Human Rights. She is the EU project manager for EVBB with a long-standing experience in EU project design and management including drafting, implementation, financial and administrative monitoring and evaluation of Erasmus+, AMIF, Interreg, Horizon 2020, AFD (French development agency) & MEAE (French Foreign Ministry) projects and programs. With over 6 years of experience in the field of education, training, integration of disadvantaged groups and mobilities of over 200 participants. Besides, Mrs Degroote has experience as a trainer for females, migrants, refugees and youth entrepreneurs. Her professional interests cover a range of activities such as equal opportunities, inclusion, gender equality, and the fight against discrimination at school, at work and in society. She is also fluent in English, French and Arabic.

Sotiria Tsalamani

PROJECT MANAGER

Sotiria Tsalamani holds a master’s degree in Educational Sciences. Her experience revolves around Project Management in the non-profit and private sectors, where she has been involved in the management of educational projects funded by various donors. She is strongly interested in developing innovative educational material and training for youth and adults in the EU and Africa that aims to foster personal and professional development. Her expertise is based mainly on the broader field of education and lifelong learning, including media and digital literacy, social inclusion of marginalised groups and active citizenship.

Andreas Tsalamatas

HEAD OF FINANCE

Andreas holds a BA in Business Administration MSc in International and European Economics studies. He is working as a Financial Manager of EU Funded Projects. Ηe is fluent in Greek (mother tongue) and English. From an early age, he played volleyball in his neighbourhood team. His love for volleyball triggered him to become a coach in his neighbourhood team and impart all his knowledge to young children. As a volunteer in the post-graduate years, he was a member of AISEC and he tried to find free accommodation in hostels and hotels for European youth exchange programs. He wants to inspire young people to get engaged in volunteering for a greener planet. He is a food lover, an expert in Italian cuisine and he wants to taste different cuisines around the world. Also, he is charmed by black Rhum. His favourite colour is blue and the sea view gives him more power to imagine, travel to magic places, and continue being creative.

Danai Laskaratou

Financial Officer

Danai Laskaratou is the Financial Manager at EVBB, where she is responsible for the financial planning, tracking, and reporting of the association’s EU-funded projects. With a background in international business and accounting and a BSc in Management Science and Technology, she brings robust experience in budget monitoring, cost-efficiency analysis, and multi-currency financial operations. She is also fluent in Greek and English and has an intermediate working proficiency in German.

Daiana Tsitso

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Daiana has been working as a graphic designer for over six years. Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Premiere Pro and After Effects are some of the editing programmes that she is an expert on. When it comes to her job, she aims for perfection and is satisfied with nothing less. She adores fat cats, nice food and anything that involves creation. She is passionate about every form of art and she loves making new experiences. Her restless spirit led her to take up dancing & drawing lessons. She usually finds herself engaged in reading a new book, enjoying nature or doing research on her work field. She prefers face-to-face communication over computer or mobile screens. If you do not know where to find her, she is probably cleaning her desk or sanitizing her hands. She speaks Greek and English.