The Team

Paolo Falcioni has been APPLiA's Director General since January 2014. In this position, he focused on improving the Association's visibility and effectiveness within Europe and internationally. To that extent, he has been one of the founders of the International Roundtable of Household Appliance Manufacturers Associations (IRHMA) bringing together representatives from the home appliance industry across continents, to discuss global challenges including sustainability and innovation.

He is one of the Steering Committee members of the Coalition for Energy Savings, a multi-stakeholder group aimed at improving energy efficiency across Europe. He is also one of the Board members of Smart Energy Europe - smartEn, fostering demand-side management to help consumers reap the benefits of the new Energy market and co-chair of the ESAE - European Society of Association's Executives community on governance and diversity, equity and inclusion.

In 2016, he was nominated member of the REFIT platform as a representative of the stakeholder group. Paolo graduated in electronic engineering from University of Ancona, in Italy. He started working in the telecommunication sector and, after that, he worked within the household appliance industry sector where he held positions with growing responsibilities.

An Italian national, Paolo also speaks English and French fluently. In his free time, he likes baking homemade delicacies.

Candice Franck is APPLiA's Office Manager. She joined APPLiA in December 2008. She assists the Director General and the Secretariat in administrative and logistical tasks. She manages the office and is the interface with accountants, human resources services, members and external parties/suppliers. Prior to joining APPLiA, Candice worked at the European University Association, GDF Suez International and Bredin Prat Law firm as Personal, Communication and Events Assistant. Candice holds a M.A. in Applied Foreign Languages (English, Portuguese) and Business and Trade from the Paul Valery University, Montpellier, based in France. A Belgian national, Candice also speaks English and has a good grasp of Spanish and Portuguese. She likes quality food (especially truffle) and quality time with family and friends. She has a passion for photography and music. In her free time she enjoys a glass of rosé wine next to the fireplace.

Federica Lavoro is APPLiA’s Senior Communication Manager and has been part of the team since January 2021. Prior to this role, Federica has gained experience in communications and public affairs working in international governmental bodies and industry associations in the field of sustainability. Prior than this, Federica completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science at Luiss University in Rome and University of Macau (China) and a Master’s Degree in International Relations at Luiss University, in Rome. Originally from Italy, Federica also speaks English and French. In the spare time, Federica loves to take walks, travel, read and taste new food.

Maria Vittoria Sbrescia joined APPLiA as a Communication Officer in October 2023. With a background in Audiovisual Communication and Graphic Design, her previous experience working for EU Institutions allowed her to explore other paths in EU affairs, Digital Media and Events. Currently learning French, she already speaks English, Spanish, and Dutch thanks to her Bachelor's degree in Foreign Cultures and Literatures. She studied in Barcelona as an exchange student at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Born and raised in Naples, she enjoys cinema, nature, yoga, and art exhibitions in her free time.

Korrina Hegarty is APPLiA’s Senior Environment Policy Director and has been part of the team since 2007. She leads on environmental and sustainability issues relevant for the home appliance sector, including circular economy, resource efficiency, waste, chemical and materials issues. She has particular expertise in the WEEE Directive and circular economy aspects in Ecodesign and Energy Labelling legislation, having led major advocacy campaigns for the Association in the past years. With a degree in European Business Studies from Ulster University, Korrina has over 20 years experience in EU public affairs in Brussels. Prior to joining APPLiA, she was Head of South East Partners Brussels Office, a UK regional office representing local government interests, and Senior Policy Officer for the Northern Ireland Centre in Europe. Originally from Northern Ireland, Korrina also speaks French. In her free time, Korrina enjoys cooking and gardening and spending time with her family and friends. She has a keen interest in politics, current affairs and travelling to new places.

Franziska is APPLiA's Environment Policy Manager and has been part of the team since November 2022. Prior to this, Franziska was working in the Government Affairs Office of Siemens Healthineers in Brussels where she mainly focused on sustainability topics. She also gained work experiences with internships in the German Council on Foreign Relations, the European Policy Centre and the German foundation Stiftung Mercator.

Franziska holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations and a master's degree in European Studies from the Universities of Opole (Poland), Mainz (Germany) and Dijon (France).

Ada Raffaglio joined APPLiA as an Environment Intern in August 2024. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science & International Relations from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, where she also participated in an Erasmus program in Berlin. Ada furthered her education with a Master’s Degree in European Economic Governance, focusing on Policies, Economics, and Law, from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.

Fluent in Spanish, English, and her native Italian, Ada brings a multilingual perspective to her role. 

Matteo Rambaldi is APPLiA’s Senior Energy Policy Director and has been part of the team since 2003. He leads the team working on ecodesign and energy label Regulations, including measures addressing product performance that are relevant for the household appliance sector. He also follows standardisation-related matters. Matteo holds a Masters Degree in Environmental Management from the University of Durham (UK) and a Masters Degree in International Relations from the University of Bologna (Italy). He also spent one semester at Arhus University (Denmark) and at the University of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium). Prior to joining APPLiA in 2003, he worked for the European Environmental Bureau in Brussels and at the North European Marine Services Ltd in Sunderland (UK). Matteo has solid experience in working on environmental issues, mostly in Brussels. An Italian national, Matteo also speaks English, French and Spanish fluently. He also has a grasp of Dutch and Portuguese. In his free time, Matteo likes preparing a nice Sunday risotto after a basketball game.

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Giulia Zilla is APPLiA’s Energy and Environment Senior Policy Manager. She is dealing mostly with the Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Regulation for energy-related products. Before joining APPLiA, Giulia developed experience in policy analysis and advocacy while working for a European Trade Association and for an Italian confederation representing Small Middle Enterprises at the European level. She has been focusing her professional career on European energy and environmental policies and on relevant themes such as Circular Economy, Clean Energy and Low-carbon society. Giulia holds a BA in International Relations and European Studies from the University of Milan (Italy) and a MA in Energy and Environmental Change from the University of Westminster (London, UK). She also studied in Norway as an exchange student at the Arctic University of Tromsø. Giulia is Italian, she speaks fluently English and she is learning French; during her stays abroad, she also studied Norwegian and Spanish. She has a great passion for politics and she has been involved in different young political organisations. Giulia is a climber, and loves nature and mountains.

Anton joined APPLiA as a Policy Officer in March 2023 and has a background in law and European affairs. Before joining APPLiA, he worked at Rud Pedersen Public Affairs Brussels where he focused on environmental and sustainability topics. He also gathered experience as a trainee at the Legal Service to the Council of the EU and as a policy assistant at a trade association in the field of Waste-to-Energy.

Anton holds a Bachelor’s degree in International and European law as well as two Master’s Degrees in Energy and Climate Law and European Economic Law from the University of Groningen. Originally from Bulgaria, Anton is fluent in English and actively learning French. In his free time, he enjoys going to the cinema and preparing banitza, a typical Bulgarian breakfast pastry.

Candice Richaud is APPLiA’s Corporate Senior Policy Manager. She joined APPLiA in July 2008. Candice follows the EU energy and climate 2030 policies and consumer protection affairs. She is also in charge with APPLIA’s National Associations network. Before joining the APPLiA team, she completed internships at the European Commission’s DG for Competition and Interpol.

Candice has a specialisation in international law, politics & economics and foreign languages from the Universities of Grenoble & Lille (France). A French national, Candice speaks English as well as some knowledge of Portuguese and German. She enjoys listening to music at any occasion, loves architecture, decoration and travelling around.

Martin Oresic is APPLiA's EU Institution Liaison Officer from March 2022. Prior to joining APPLiA, Martin gained communication and policy experience working in the DG COMM in the European Parliament and ITRE team at Renew Europe. Prior to moving to Brussels, he held several positions in journalism and communication in Croatia and the United Kingdom.

Martin holds a master's degree in Political Communication from Cardiff University (United Kingdom) and a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and Marketing from Edward Bernays University College (Croatia). Originally from Croatia, Martin speaks English and has some knowledge of German. In his free time, Martin enjoys playing squash and tennis, traveling, and trying new foods.

Michał Zakrzewski is APPLiA’s Digital & Competitiveness Senior Policy Director and has been part of the team since 2008. Michał follows a number of different topics: market surveillance, product safety, standardisation, market research, radio equipment. He managed the Appliance Testing for Energy Label Evaluation (ATLETE) Project and manages the Bilateral Verification Procedure (BVP) for APPLiA. Michał holds a Masters Degree in International Economics and International Relations from the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH) in Poland and spent a semester at the Management University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Before joining APPLiA, Michał worked for over four years at APPLiA Polska, the domestic appliance industry’s representation in Poland, following the energy label and e-waste topics. A Polish national, Michał also speaks English and French and has some knowledge of German. In his free time after work, he loves playing with his kids and if he has some more free time, he likes travelling and reading about the history of 20th century Europe.

Lorenzo joins APPLiA in March 2024. Having a background in European Studies, he gained previous experience in EU Affairs working for several national and European trade associations with a focus on digital legislation. Born in Rome, he graduated from Luiss University with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and a Master's Degree in International Relations. Passionate about football, he cultivates his interests in psychology and philosophy in his free time.