André Sobczak starts today as the new Secretary General at Eurocities, the network of over 200 major European cities. He brings with him over 20 years of experience as a manager and impact-oriented academic in the field of sustainability, as well as eight years of working within a city council, most recently as Vice-President of the Nantes Metropolitan Area.
In 2014, the President of Nantes Metropole personally asked André to join the city and metropolitan council in Nantes. Within two years, he became Vice-President in charge of European Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Employment, coordinating between the metropolitan area’s 24 mayors. In this role, he also represented Nantes in Eurocities’ Executive Committee and acted as Vice-Chair and Chair of the network’s Economic Development Forum.
Over the last 20 years, André has also worked in various positions at Audencia Business School in Nantes, France. As the Positive Impact Chair, he helped businesses to integrate social and ecological challenges into their business models, strategy and management practices, and to engage communities for positive change.
A champion of equality and diversity, he launched #NegoTrainig in 2017, giving women free training on negotiating better wages, designed and delivered by Audencia Business School, women’s advocacy networks, business associations and trade unions. Within four years, more than 3,000 women were trained in these negotiation skills, and 90% of them reported that they managed to increase their wages, to get a bonus or an advantage in kind.
In 2021, André developed the international action-research project, Fairwork, in France, establishing a ranking of working conditions in food delivery services through digital platforms operating in cities.
For the last two years, he has been the Chief Executive for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Audencia, where he was responsible for crafting, implementing and communicating the school’s CSR strategy.
Speaking on his first day in the Eurocities office, André Sobczak said: “I am very proud to be the incoming Secretary General of this important network, because I am convinced that to face the current ecological, social, economic and governance challenges, we need to act at the local and at the European level. I have always appreciated the values, the professionalism, the impact and the potential of Eurocities. I know that it’s a great responsibility, especially during this crucial moment for Europe, and I’m confident that together with all the members, and Brussels based staff, that I can play a role in bringing Eurocities to the next level.”
André Sobczak, a German and French national, takes over the position of Eurocities Secretary General from Anna Lisa Boni, who stepped down in December 2021 to become Deputy Mayor of her hometown, Bologna.
Dorthe Nielsen, who has been Acting Secretary General during the intervening nine months, will continue in her role as Executive Director at Eurocities.
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Notes for Editors:
- An interview with André Sobczak is available on the Eurocities website here: https://bit.ly/3KoBeWh
- More information on the recent Eurocities mission to Ukraine, which included André Sobczak, is available here: https://bit.ly/3Av3y4u
- Eurocities wants to make cities places where everyone can enjoy a good quality of life, is able to move around safely, access quality and inclusive public services and benefit from a healthy environment. We do this by networking more than 200 larger European cities, which together represent some 130 million people across 38 countries, and by gathering evidence of how policy making impacts on people to inspire other cities and EU decision makers.
Connect with us at https://eurocities.eu/ or by following our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
Media contact:
Alex Godson: +32 495 298 594 // alex.godson@eurocities.eu
