Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Board

Biography
Nikolaos is the current Curator of two Botanical Gardens in Greece, members of BGCI and HBGN. He worked in three different Municipalities in the Attica Region between 2000 and 2020, in suburbs of Athens, as Landscape Supervisor and Consultant for Urban Green and EU Programs (LIFE, H2020, Erasmus) and used to be Expert Consultant of Kifissia Flower Show from 2004 to 2012. He also served at the Vocational Education Landscape School (Attica) and the Institute of Agricultural Science.

As Honorary President of the Hellenic Plant Exporters and Importers Association (HEPEXIA) he represents Greece in the European Nursery stock Association (ENA) and the International Association of Plant Producers (AIPH) since 2014. He participated as Landscape Designer (Conceptual) and PM in nine EXPOS of AIPH (B1/C1 Category) with the Hellenic Garden Project, promoting Hellenic Flora and Horticulture. He also worked in Qatar, Turkey, KSA, Cyprus, Holland, Bulgaria, France, S. Korea and Taiwan, promoting self-sustaining "Hellenic Garden" worldwide in terms of Cultural Ecology with his activities and as Landscape Expert, Historic Gardens and Parks Consultant and Palm Specialist. For this reason, he was awarded with “Honorary Distinction” from Panhellenic Association of Landscape Architects.

He has been the Greek member of the Scientific Committee of the European Routes of Historic Gardens and Parks (ERHG) (with the aim of preserving local varieties and historic trees) of the "European Cultural Routes" network since March 2025. His project “Hellenic Olympic Garden” (Nantes, France 2024) “adopted” from the Hellenic Olympic Committee to promote the message for Sustainability on Greece and worldwide.

My motivation to be part of the Board and how I hope to contribute to RURACTIVE
"My aim is to transfer my worldwide experience in organising the works and projects focused on conservation and management about plant species, organic gardening practices and sustainability methods. My vision is to promote landscaping and gardening/farm techniques in relation to biodiversity, climate adaptation, local flora, intangible cultural heritage, and the connection between rural and urban areas as transformation strategy from “just feel good” to “live wisely and engaged with plants and nature”."

Biography
Andrea Lorenzini is a Senior Transport Engineer at MemEx (Italy) since 2017 where he currently serves as Head of the R&D and Policy Unit. His areas of expertise include passenger and freight transport, transport accessibility, rural and shared mobility services, smart cities, maritime transport and urban logistics.

My motivation to be part of the Board and how I hope to contribute to RURACTIVE
"I am eager to contribute to the MSAB because I believe that rural areas are a vital part of Europe. My main motivation is the opportunity to explore, identify and implement the most effective and innovative transportation solutions and organisational frameworks to improve rural accessibility. Mobility is a cross-cutting enabler for developing comprehensive policies that support prosperous and resilient rural communities."

Biography
Lucía López Marco is a veterinarian by training and holds master’s degrees in Agroecology, Rural Development and Agritourism, and in Journalism and Science Communication. Her professional career combines knowledge transfer, project management, strategic communication, research dissemination, and collaboration with farmers, researchers, civil society organisations and other stakeholders working across rural and agricultural systems.

Lucía is also a writer and rural communicator. She is the founder of Mallata.com, a platform focused on rural life, extensive and regenerative livestock farming, agroecology, ecofeminism and the revitalisation of rural territories. Her published work includes poetry, essays and testimonial writing in both Spanish and Aragonese, with a particular interest in traditional ecological knowledge, minority languages, women’s experiences, and the relationship between culture, land and food systems.

She is the Chief Operating Officer at the Datamars Sustainability Foundation, an organisation working to accelerate the transition towards regenerative farming, strengthen the role of animals within sustainable agricultural systems, and ensure that farmers remain at the centre of this transformation.

Lucía lives and works in a small village in the Spanish Pyrenees, which gives her a direct and grounded perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing rural communities. Across her different roles, she is especially interested in building bridges between local knowledge, scientific research, policy and public communication. She is committed to advancing agroecology and regenerative farming, amplifying the voices of rural women, and ensuring that rural communities are actively involved in shaping the decisions that affect their lives and territories.

My motivation to be part of the Board and how I hope to contribute to RURACTIVE
I am very pleased to join the RURACTIVE Board because the project addresses many issues that are central to my professional and personal work: rural resilience, community-led innovation, sustainable food systems and the need to recognise rural territories as places of knowledge, creativity and opportunity. I hope to contribute a perspective that combines practical experience in international project management with a strong connection to rural communities and agricultural stakeholders. I can also contribute expertise in agroecology, regenerative agriculture, communication and stakeholder engagement, as well as a particular interest in gender, cultural diversity and traditional ecological knowledge. I would especially like to support RURACTIVE in ensuring that its recommendations and activities remain grounded in the realities of rural people, are accessible to different audiences and help connect local experience with research and policy.