Interviewed by My-Han Trinh

You have recently taken on the role of Deputy Director for Equality and Head of Unit for Gender Equality at the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST). What are the initiatives that you are most excited about in this new role?

I took up this new role on February 1^st which was an extremely exciting and busy time with lots of awareness raising activities leading up to the International Women’s Day. For the Commission in particular, we are excited about the adoption of the new Gender Equality Strategy  on the 5^th of March that covers the 2026 – 2030 period. The publication of this Strategy marks an important milestone reaffirming the EU’s steadfast commitment to gender equality against a challenging global context and an escalating backlash. I therefore invite everybody to read it and get inspired! 

Building upon the 8 principles set out in the Roadmap for Women's Rights that was published in March last year by the Commission, the Gender Equality Strategy 2026 – 2030 emphasises a comprehensive and inclusive approach towards gender equality objectives that both empower women and girls and engage men and boys. In the new Strategy, there is a very clear focus on the fight against gender-based violence, including cyberviolence. Other important economic and societal aspects also require action, from the gender pay and pension gaps to work-life balance, from access to healthcare to women’s participation in public and political life. The path forward is clear: a fully gender-equal Europe can only be achieved when gender equality is embedded into every aspect of life, in both online and offline spheres, involving all members of society as agents of change.  

A fully gender-equal Europe can only be achieved when gender equality is embedded into every aspect of life, in both online and offline spheres, involving all members of society as agents of change. 

You are an expert in consumer protection and product safety where many exciting developments are happening, including the first-ever United Nations Principles for Consumer Product Safety. What do you see as the key gaps and opportunities lying ahead for this area? How can the European Union take the initiative in the global governance of consumer’s rights and product safety? 

I worked for nine years in consumer protection - and product safety more specifically. Throughout this time, the landscape of product safety both in the EU and in the world has changed dramatically. One of the biggest changes in the past decade has been the emergence of new types of risks associated with consumer goods, due to their evolving nature. Goods today might be partially or completely immaterial and digital, like, for example, companion chatbots, which introduce new, intangible risks for consumers. Thus, one of the things we did at the EU level was to identify these new categories of risks, in particular risks to mental health, and bring them to the attention of EU authorities and of the international community. 

Another clear shift during the last decade has been the explosion of online trade. Almost everybody today is both an offline and online consumer. However, the challenges for authorities dealing with product safety enforcement may differ when confronted with products being sold online. Therefore, we have also put a lot of emphasis on new approaches to address and enforce product safety in a digital environment. 

Last but not least, enforcement remains key and comes with increasing challenges. To tackle this, the European Commission have developed new AI-powered tools, to help authorities enforcement activities. These elements have been incorporated in the new General Product Safety Regulation adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in May 2023. On the Commission side, my team and I led the entire process with tireless efforts. The new EU law has been considered by many other jurisdictions as the most advanced in the world and served as the basis on which the first-ever UN Resolution on consumer product safety was developed. This set of principles received consensual and unanimous support at the global level, with 171 countries voting in favour of the resolution.  

Above all, we really need to keep in mind one principle for the future: even when we face difficult economic situations or challenges for businesses in Europe or anywhere else in the world, we must never forget that here we are talking about real lives. For me, there cannot be any trade-off between product safety and economic considerations. Product safety must always come first.  

There cannot be any trade-off between product safety and economic considerations.

Congratulations on the recent publication of your book “What It Takes to Be Yourself: From Seeking Success to Embodying Purpose through Compassion”!  How did your illustrious career path, with over 30 years of experience at the European Commission, converge with your journey for self-discovery? How has the experience of writing this book impacted your definitions of success? 

The book is the latest evolution on my self-inquiry and introspective path, including my search for the true meaning of career and professional success, as well as my embracing compassion through my studies at Stanford University (and other dedicated Centres) since 2019. The turning point of my journey was the COVID-19 pandemic, which really opened my eyes to our shared experience of suffering as human beings. It thus became a moral imperative for me to strive to do more and relieve the suffering of those around me, especially my colleagues. 

Along this path of self-discovery, I also learned that compassion can also be turned towards oneself.  It facilitates the development of a more balanced view of life, success and career, and helps us to be present in the moment and enjoy life more. I described these elements in detail in my book, which is half memoir and half self-help book, addressing those who would also want to embark on their own introspective journey. At the end of every chapter, I included the questions and tools that I have distilled from my personal experiences, whether they were joyful or challenging, successes or failures.  

Writing this book has helped me to finally feel and understand that there is no “one-size-fits-all" when it comes to success. Each of us can discover and define success in our own way in relation to our life purpose, because that is unique and specific to each person. Therefore, starting to understand our life purpose sheds a lot of light on how work can become more meaningful and fulfilling.  

You champion compassionate leadership in the workplace and also lead a module on “Leading with Wholeness and Purpose” in our Women Talent Pool (WTP) Programme. How do you cultivate a working culture to lead with compassion? How has the module evolved with you throughout the years?    

First of all, I speak up. I don’t shy away from sharing my personal experience. I have learned that when we have something valuable for ourselves and others, the first fundamental and necessary step is to communicate about it. In my career, I have held communication responsibilities which showed me the importance of not only doing impactful things but also talking about them and explaining clearly why we do them. Otherwise, the impact of our work cannot reach its fullest potential.  

The second element is leading by example, which means it’s not enough to talk. Here, the embodiment of compassion is fundamental. For instance, if a colleague comes to me and says they cannot handle the workload at that moment, I’ll sit down and find a solution with them, making sure they can restore their resources and regain their energy. Another example is to incorporate good habits, such as meditations and breathing practices, into team-building events to help focus our attention and calm our nervous system. 

The third element I want to underline is science-based evidence. The compassionate leadership that I explain and apply in my work as a leader and manager in the European Commission is solidly backed by extensive research and studies in compassion, which have become mainstream in the last 20 years thanks to the developments in neuroscience.  

Concerning the two-part module that I facilitate in the WTP programme, it started as my capstone project for the Applied Compassion Programme at Stanford. Thanks to Stanford University project design methodology, I only had to make minimal changes over the years. What has changed the most is that I have simplified and allowed more breathing room, so as not to overwhelm Talents with too much theory. Rather, it is more effective for them to apply the essentials on their own and exchange among themselves during small-group discussions. The feedback I have received for this module has consistently been very positive.  

In international negotiations, we are all human beings around the table. There is no robot or AI. Therefore, the pillars of compassion have also helped me along the years to engage with my counterparts, whether it was on a more consensual objective or for a more controversial negotiation, and have always resulted in the best possible result. The pillars of compassion function in any culture because they are part of our common humanity, regardless of sex, gender, race, religion or language. At the end of the day, we all wish to be treated fairly, openly, respectfully, and to be met from a place of compassion.  

At the end of the day, we all wish to be treated fairly, openly, respectfully, and to be met from a place of compassion.