Why europe
Erika Staël von Holstein Portrait

Erika Staël von Holstein is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Re-Imagine Europa (RIE). She has two decades of experience in bridging science, society, and policy, with a focus on societal transformation and the impact of narratives on shaping our world. Erika serves as an advisor to numerous national and European organizations and is a member of the Spanish government’s International Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council. She also participates in various expert European committees, including the EU Science Diplomacy Working Groups.

A leading expert in depolarization and the role of narratives, Erika has developed numerous analyses and methodologies to understand these phenomena better and propose practical solutions. Building on the successful implementation of her methodologies, Re-Imagine Europa launched in 2023 the first European Narrative Observatory (NODES.eu) under the scientific leadership of Professor Andrzej Nowak.

Previously, Erika was a member of the committee supporting Luc Van den Brande, Special Adviser to President Jean-Claude Juncker, on the “Outreach towards Citizen” Strategy Report. She has also served as Chairman of the Advisory Board of REIsearch. From 2010 to 2015, she was the Executive Director of Atomium – European Institute for Science, Media and Democracy, addressing issues such as Science in Society, Responsible Research and Innovation, Digital Science, Evidence-based Policy Making, and Citizen Engagement.

Erika has authored numerous reports and articles on these topics and is a frequent speaker and moderator at European conferences, events, and podcasts. She co-hosts Reimagine TALKS, a podcast series to challenge the way we think about fundamental topics of humanity that was launched in collaboration with leading European media in six different languages.