Our Team
Maureen Duru is the Founder and Director of The FoodBridge vzw. She is the author of the book - Diaspora, Food and Identity. With a background in journalism and TV production in Nigeria, her professional focus now is on cultures and mentalities, with a bias for diaspora, food and identity.
Ms Duru also offers insight and consultancy on diaspora engagements and potentials. She initiates and supports projects promoting African Entrepreneurship. She has written and presented internationally various papers focusing on migrants, diaspora identity, food and related themes.
She is a member of FOST-The international social and cultural food studies research group of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Ms. Duru holds a PhD in Social History, with a great distinction result. She is fluent in English and intermediate in Dutch and French.
Mr. Stephen Palmer is widely travelled and has experience in the hospitality industry and marketing. He currently lives in Brussels with his family and works as a Financial Adviser for one of Europe’s leading financial companies. Mr. Palmer is involved in the marketing and creative aspect of our activities. Mr. Palmer is fluent in English, with a conversational level in French and Dutch.
Ms. Grace Larose works in Customer Relations Management. She has a specialized degree in Multicultural and International management, with a dissertation on how a sports concept integrates differently in different areas and countries. She enjoys food tourism and also loves organizing cooking events and inviting friends to experience new tastes and dishes. She holds a post graduate diploma in Nutritional Therapy .
Ms. Larose is responsible for the communication and events presentation for The Food Bridge vzw. She is widely travelled, speaks 6 languages fluently, including English, French and Dutch.
Diana Dim was born in Angola and grew up in the Netherlands. She currently lives in Belgium where she is pursuing further studies in law.
A keen and talented photographer, who loves documenting arts and cultural events, Diana is also part of the creative and design team of the organization, as well as being part of the executive board. She is fluent in Dutch, Portuguese, French, English and Lingala
Stella Nyonguo works in Customer Relations Management in the Brussels Area. Mrs. Nyonguo holds a degree in Agriculture and Rural Development with special focus on food production, food value chains, food safety and security, food waste and bio-economy. She also holds Masters Degrees in both Public Administration and Business Administration.
Mrs Nyonguo has an extensive work experience in the food, agricultural and international cooperation sectors. For The Food Bridge vzw, she assists in developing business opportunities and strengthening our current position on the field via studies, evaluations, policy advice, and strategy development. Mrs Nyongo is proficient in English, French and Dutch.