New faces at the Institute

jan 19, 2022 | News

January is finally here and we welcome our new staff members! 


First up is an intern for the Finnish National Agency for Education, Sonja Koivisto, who started her traineeship at the beginning of the month. She will be working as a Communications and Project Assistant at the Institute. Previously, Sonja was part of the exhibition team at Vaasa City Museums and curated her first exhibition in Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art. She is happy to start working with the team and to get a broader experience of the cultural sector in Brussels – a city full of cultural gems! 

EUNIC Brussels intern Chloé Chabannes-Delcourt is currently enrolled in a French-German master degree European Affairs at Sciences Po Lille. She’s very excited to discover Brussels and live in a multicultural environment. Passionate about traveling, she has lived in Germany several times and she spent a year in Canada. 

Ela Suleymangil joins us as our new Communication Officer. Born in the UK, she spent her childhood running around the busy city of Istanbul, later moving around the world for work and to complete her degree in International Relations and Politics. In 2013, a bus dropped her off in Belgium and she has been working for non-profit organisations in Antwerp and Brussels ever since. She is very excited to join the fantastic team at the institute, it is going to be a steep learning curve for this Finland-novice, but she can’t wait to start the adventure! 

Institute office closed for summer break: 18.7–16.8.2026

Our office will be closed from the 18th of July to the 16th of August. You can still email us, we’ll reply after we return. Happy summer!

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Start learning Finnish in Brussels or online this September!

Start your Finnish language journey with the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux. Classes are open to everyone, no matter where you are based. Registration closes on 28.8.2026.

Vilma Vanhanen selected for Zoöp Connections residency with Buitenplaats Brienenoord and Nieuwe Instituut

The residency takes place 1–30 September 2026 in Rotterdam as part of EUNIC Netherlands’ networked knowledge exchange programme.

EXPRMNTL 4 revisited: Belgian avant-garde legend to be screened at Cinéstesia

Cinéstesia, a new initiative exploring the intersection of film and visual arts at the Espoo Ciné International Film Festival, 21–30 August 2026 in Espoo & Helsinki.