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Eilleen Attard Bason Esteban

Executive Director

Eilleen is the Executive Director and co-founder of IAIS. For her, IAIS is not only an organisation, but a space where her personal journey, professional experience and commitment to social justice come together. Her work is rooted in the belief that people should have the chance to belong, participate and build better futures, regardless of where they come from or what barriers they face. As someone whose work has long been shaped by migration, inclusion and community life, Eilleen brings both lived understanding and professional discipline to IAIS’s mission. She leads IAIS’s strategic management, project development, partnerships, EU-funded programmes and day-to-day implementation. Over the past eight years, she has developed, managed and supported Erasmus+ and European Union-funded projects focused on youth empowerment, migrant inclusion, integration, sustainability, democratic participation and civil society cooperation. Her work covers the full project cycle, from shaping ideas and writing applications to managing partners, supporting participants, overseeing delivery, managing budgets, monitoring results and reporting impact. Before dedicating herself fully to civil society work, Eilleen built more than 10 years of experience in the corporate sector and more than 20 years of leadership, volunteering and organisational work in the non-profit field. This combination allows her to bring structure, accountability and strategic thinking to projects, while keeping people and communities at the centre. Eilleen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Management, a Diploma in Strategic Marketing Management, a Certificate in International Labour Migration from the University of Oxford, and an MSc in Migration, Mobility and Development from SOAS University of London. Her academic background strengthens her evidence-based approach to migration, development and inclusion, while her lived and community experience keeps her work grounded in real people’s needs. At IAIS, Eilleen provides strategic direction, EU funding leadership, migration-focused programming and international partnership development. Above all, she works to ensure that IAIS remains a hands-on, human-centred organisation: one that turns ideas into opportunities, partnerships into action, and projects into meaningful learning experiences for young people, migrants and communities.

Eilleen is the Executive Director and co-founder of IAIS. For her, IAIS is not only an organisation, but a space where her personal journey, professional experience and commitment to social justice come together.

Her work is rooted in the belief that people should have the chance to belong, participate and build better futures, regardless of where they come from or what barriers they face. As someone whose work has long been shaped by migration, inclusion and community life, Eilleen brings both lived understanding and professional discipline to IAIS’s mission.

She leads IAIS’s strategic management, project development, partnerships, EU-funded programmes and day-to-day implementation. Over the past eight years, she has developed, managed and supported Erasmus+ and European Union-funded projects focused on youth empowerment, migrant inclusion, integration, sustainability, democratic participation and civil society cooperation. Her work covers the full project cycle, from shaping ideas and writing applications to managing partners, supporting participants, overseeing delivery, managing budgets, monitoring results and reporting impact.

Before dedicating herself fully to civil society work, Eilleen built more than 10 years of experience in the corporate sector and more than 20 years of leadership, volunteering and organisational work in the non-profit field. This combination allows her to bring structure, accountability and strategic thinking to projects, while keeping people and communities at the centre.

Eilleen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Management, a Diploma in Strategic Marketing Management, a Certificate in International Labour Migration from the University of Oxford, and an MSc in Migration, Mobility and Development from SOAS University of London. Her academic background strengthens her evidence-based approach to migration, development and inclusion, while her lived and community experience keeps her work grounded in real people’s needs.

At IAIS, Eilleen provides strategic direction, EU funding leadership, migration-focused programming and international partnership development. Above all, she works to ensure that IAIS remains a hands-on, human-centred organisation: one that turns ideas into opportunities, partnerships into action, and projects into meaningful learning experiences for young people, migrants and communities.

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