Valérie Mertens is coordinator of communications and campaigning in the office of Brussels Regional Minister Pascal Smet. She has a master’s degree in Word and Drama from the LUCA School of Arts in Louvain and worked for over ten years as an actress, drama teacher and producer. In 2014 she started working as press and communication’s officer in Pascal Smet’s office, then Flemish Minister for Education, Youth and Equal Opportunities. When Pascal Smet started his second term as Brussels Minister of Mobility and Public Works, Valérie followed him and is currently part of his communication team. She’s responsible for translating his central policy message to transform Brussels – in the spirit of Jan Gehl – from a city for cars to a city for people to a wider audience. In this context she is, among other things, responsible for the organization of Car Free Sunday and Bike for Brussels, a campaign that aims to put Brussels on the map as a cycling city.
