Meet our new Secretary General and Project Manager!

We are very excited to welcome two new members of staff to the Rural Youth Europe team this year! Spyros Papadatos has been appointed as the new Secretary General and Tomás da Cruz Machado has been appointed as the new Project Manager, working on the COCOREADO Project on behalf of Rural Youth Europe. Keep on reading to find out a little more about them.

Secretary General – Spyros Papadatos

Who are you? Where are you from?

I am Spyros Papadatos, born and raised in Greece, but living the last few years in Brussels, Belgium.

What is your background on rural matters?

I am coming from a rural area of a Greek island and this is where I spent the first 17 years of my life! In the last 3 years, rural youth issues are one of the areas I have been following from a policy perspective in the international context.

What is your role at RYEurope?

I just started as the new Secretary General of RYEurope. I am responsible for the management of the secretariat team of the organisation, and together with the board making sure that everything goes well with our projects, members, external relations, finances; in general, ensuring that RYEurope thrives as an organisation!

What would you bring to an RYEurope International Buffet?

My grandmother’s spanakopita (spinach pie) is my all-time favourite food, no second thoughts!

 Photo Credit: Council of Europe 

Project Manager – Tomás da Cruz Machado

Who are you? Where are you from?

I’m Tomás da Cruz Machado, a 24 year-old who likes to surf from sunny Portugal!

What is your background on rural matters?

I grew up in a rural area surrounded by farms of many types, cattle farms, cereal crops farms and somehow the rural world dynamic is part of my values and personality. Later I graduated in Animal Production Engineering in Lisbon and I’ve worked on a European Project named “BovINE” as a researcher the past two years. This project was regarding the sustainability of beef cattle production, helping to promote it on farms in order to give tools to farmers for a more efficient and sustainable production.

What is your role at RYEurope?

I’ve just started working as the Project Manager on the COCOREADO project. Within my various responsibilities, the major ones are to communicate the activities of the COCOREADO project to RYEurope and European stakeholders, organise workshops, help the board to design, develop and implement the project and monitor and report the project’s progress and status.

What would you bring to an RYEurope International Buffet?

Tricky question, once here in Portugal it is difficult to answer that question because all traditional dishes are fantastic, but if I have to choose one, and I invite you all to try it, it’s “Polvo à Lagareiro” (octopus).