AOECS Team
AOECS Secretariat
Veronica Rubio - Secretary General
Veronica Rubio is a Lawyer specialized in international trade and human rights, with a master’s degree in Bioethics. For the last 19 years she has worked promoting sustainable supply chains, social corporate responsibility and small farmers’ access to the international fair-trade markets.
She has solid experience in developing certification standards and Code of Conducts. Notably, in 2008 she led the development of the Social Certification Standard for Rainforest produces commissioned by the Brazilian Government in the Amazon region for cocoa, acai and camu-camu. In 2014 she successfully led a major shift in the Foreign Trade Association (now known as afori) by reshaping the BSCI Code of Conduct and related implementation manuals as she incorporated the UN Human Rights Due Diligence approach into retailer’s commitment towards sustainability.
In addition, she has been responsible for launching the South-South Fairtrade Labelling Initiative in Brazil; the amfori BSCI Sustainable Wine Programme; the Partnership with Thai Government towards Boosting Responsible Recruitment in Thailand and the Private Pubic Partnership (PPP) on Fostering Corporate Social Responsibility in Morocco. In 2018, she led the ProTerra Foundation as Executive Director consolidating its growth, visibility and credibility. In 2019, she studied and get her Bioethics Master Thesis on SDG 5 – Gender Equality. Since September 2020 she is Co-Founder and Senior Advisor on Business and Human Rights at ETIKA.
She has solid regional experience in Latin America and ASEAN countries. She is a Spanish native speaker and is fluent in English, French, Portuguese and Italian.
Jesper Lindstrom - Marketing Manager
Jesper started working as Marketing Manager for AOECS in May 2021. He has over 20 years of experience working as a marketing manager and senior marketing consultant for various companies, mainly in the commercial sector. Jesper has an MSc in Economics with Marketing as a major. He also for five years worked as European Licensing Officer for the Swedish Coeliac Society and is currently a board member of the same society. Jesper is based in Stockholm and speaks English at a proficient level. He also has an understanding of Norwegian, Danish, and German.
Cristina De Abreu Rodrigues - Licence coordinator
(part-time)
Cristina De Abreu Rodrigues holds a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the Central University of Venezuela and an MSc in Food Technology and Control. Her education reflects her commitment to nutrition and food science, intending to contribute to well-being through healthy and safe eating. She resides in Madrid and is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. Currently, she works at the Federation of Celiac Associations of Spain (FACE).
Cristóbal Pérez Sixto - Licence coordinator
(part-time)
Cristóbal, graduated in Food Science and Technology at the University of Barcelona with, MSc in Nutrition and Health (UOC-Spain) and he’s pursuing another MSc in Training and Sport Nutrition (UAX-Spain). He’s fluent in Spanish, Catalan and English.
María van der Hofstadt Rovira -
Scientific Manager
María has a Bachelor in Pharmacy from the University Miguel Hernández of Elche, MSc in Food Science and Nutrition and MEd in Secondary Teaching for Healthcare professionals.
During 4 years she was working as a Scientific Affairs responsible in the Spanish Federation of Coeliac Societies, FACE where she carried out the development of their research grants and the creation of their Scientific Advisory List. She worked as a Quality Assurance & Quality Control Specialist in a Genetics and Immunology diagnosis Lab for another 4 years, leading the implementation of their Quality System. Currently, she has a position as a Teacher in Vocational Education in healthcare, and she's involved in some divulgative projects. She is based in Alicante, Spain. Spanish and Catalan are her mother tongues and she is fluent in English.
María was diagnosed with coeliac disease when she was 18 months old, so she grew up living with the condition and involved with the volunteer and the associative activity around it. She has been in their local association ACECOVA for so long and volunteered at the Coeliac Youth of Europe from 2016 to 2020.
The AOECS Board
The board consists of seven Directors who are elected by representatives of AOECS Member societies for a term of three years.
The Directors’ tasks include undertaking activities and initiatives to achieve the aims and objectives of the organisation.
Susana Tavares - Chair
Graduated in pharmaceutical sciences from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Porto. European master's degree in environmental analytical chemistry. She is a Ph.D. student in clinical research at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, writing her thesis.
She has more than 20 years experience in pharmaceutical industry. Started in the field of clinical research and then assumed the role of director of research quality assurance: clinical, pre-clinical and pharmacovigilance. Currently she starts is own company as quality assurance consultant.
She is a mother of a celiac boy. From 2016 to 2020 she was a member of the board of APC ( Portuguese Coeliac Society). She has been president of APC since 2020. In September 2022 Susana became a member of AOECS board.
Susanna Neuhold - Board Director and vice chair
Susanna has a University Degree on Environmental Sciences, with a specialization in Risk Assessment and its management. With a previous work experience in the food industry, she could be defined as a food safety specialist.
From 2006 she coordinates educational programs on gluten-free diet and its management at the Italian Celiac Association (AIC). As regulatory affairs manager for the AIC, she works also in lobbying national and European Institutions on issues related to food laws and support for those with coeliac disease.
The most important programs and activities her team manages directly at the AIC are: the Crossed Grain Trademark licensing, the Eating Out program, scientific dissemination on social media and educational programs in schools on the GF diet.
She loves working for a no profit association with the aim of improving the society to let it be a better place for everybody.
Mikus Vilsons - Board Director and vice chair
Mikus holds a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Latvia’s Faculty of Law and a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from its European Studies Programme at the Faculty of Economics and Management.
He has built his career in finance, banking and business management, including serving on the board of Riga’s largest stevedoring company. He currently serves as CEO of an investment fund management company and Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Financial Sector Trade Union (Finanšu nozares arodbiedrība).
As a founding member and board member of the Latvian National Coeliac Society “Dzīve bez glutēna”, Mikus has spent more than 14 years managing the Society’s legal, financial and international affairs, including the Nordic-Baltic Coeliac Meetings.
Within AOECS, he is responsible for Crossed Grain Trademark licensing for Latvian food producers. His main areas of expertise include strategic planning and organisational leadership, financial oversight, licensing, contracts and legal matters, as well as food quality assurance.
Tina Toggenburger - Board Director
Tina has been President of IG Zöliakie der Deutschen Schweiz since 2020. Since May 2024, she is co-president and CEO of the association.
Tina completed a commercial apprenticeship and various further training courses in marketing. She worked in a managed care institution for many years.
Tina is affected by coeliac disease herself and can therefore fully understand the difficulties of living with a diagnosis of coeliac disease.
Elpida Galanopoulou - Board Director
Elpida is a Social Worker and serves as the General Coordinator of the Hellenic Coeliac Society (HCS). Having lived with coeliac disease since childhood, she has been actively involved in advancing the Society’s mission for many years.
In her role at HCS, she oversees communications, membership services, events, and the national certification schemes for gluten-free products and food service establishments.
She represents the Society in international collaborations and is committed to strengthening connections among coeliac organisations, fostering knowledge exchange, and empowering individuals living gluten-free across Europe.
Michael Deutsch - Board Director, Treasurer
Elected to the Board in October 2025. Based in Austria.
Vesna Pavkov - Board Director
Vesna is one of the founders of the Coeliac Association of Serbia, established in 2007, and has been actively involved in its development ever since. Her work encompasses patient support and education, advocacy, awareness-raising, collaboration with healthcare professionals, and contributions to national regulations on gluten-free food and labelling.
A diagnosis of coeliac disease in Vesna’s family marked a turning point in her life, inspiring her to dedicate more than 20 years to improving the lives of people with coeliac disease. Drawing on personal experience, she understands the daily challenges of following a gluten-free diet and the importance of avoiding gluten exposure.
Within AOECS, Vesna has gained experience with the European licensing system and initiated the BEcME group, bringing together coeliac organisations from Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe to promote safer gluten-free dining through the Eating Out programme.