New stage of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation in Spain and France

We are starting a new academic year and, with it, a new stage for the Foundation, in which we present with great enthusiasm the three new directors who from now on will be at the head of the teams in Spain and France: Lucía Casani, general manager for Spain; Francesco Cingolani, Director General of el17 – House of Alliances; and Benoît Mounier-Saintoyant, Director General for France.

Within the period of maturity in which the Foundation is currently located, aligned with the new 2024-2028 action plan that is being developed by the teams in Spain and France, we are very excited to share and explore new dialogues and ways of acting together with these new figures in our Executive Committee.

The three will answer directly to Philippe-Loïc Jacob, who is part of the Delegate Committee together with Marina Nahmias and Jacques Nahmias. In this way, they will be part of a new organization of the Foundation, which will be structured around three directorates: one in France and two in Spain.

Each of them will accompany the teams and bring their own perspective, vision and experience to our work in their two main areas of intervention: Sustainable Food and Citizen Art.

From here we warmly welcome you and we are eager to take firm steps towards a more inspiring and sustainable future.

All of them come from different professional fields, which will allow their previous experiences to contribute to enriching the global vision of the Foundation. Through these profiles we invite you to get to know Lucía Casani, Francesco Cingolani and Benoît Mounier-Saintoyant more closely.

Lucia Casani, Managing Director for Spain

Lucia Casani joined the Foundation’s teams in Madrid on 4 September as Managing Director for Spain.

Lucía has a degree in Audiovisual Communication from the Complutense University of Madrid. Between 1997 and 2001, he participated in different film and advertising projects. In 2002, coinciding with the birth of La Casa Encendida, she joined the centre’s team as Audiovisual Coordinator, a position she held until 2009, when she became head of the institution’s Culture Department. In 2014, the then director of La Casa Encendida, José Guirao, handed over the baton to Casani, who has since strengthened the importance of the institution as a reference space for contemporary Spanish culture and for social and environmental thought and action.

Its commitment to a contemporary and multidisciplinary, intergenerational and accessible programme has transcended from the local to the international sphere, establishing collaborations with institutions around the world, and whose programme has served to shape and question part of our current imaginaries.

Undoubtedly, he is an outstanding figure in the culture of the city of Madrid who will enrich the different actions of the Foundation with his knowledge.

Francesco Cingolani, CEO of el17 – House of Alliances

Francesco Cingolani has taken up his position as director of el17 – Casa de las Alianzas, an innovative and socially responsible real estate development project based in the Madrid neighbourhood of Delicias.

Francesco is an architect with an outstanding international career, having lived and worked in Paris, Madrid and Italy. He launched and directed for six years the Executive Master of Advanced Architecture “Design by Data” at the École des Ponts ParisTech and in 2014, inspired by the need to change the traditional approach to urbanism and give prominence to communities of neighbors and users, he founded Volumes in Paris. This innovative space became a laboratory dedicated to social innovation and transdisciplinarity.

Under the auspices of Volumes, he founded Foodlab, an association that provides access to kitchens and other resources in a flexible and affordable way, with the purpose of incubating and promoting projects in the social economy linked to sustainable food. In addition, Francesco is a member of the Supervisory Board of the Fab City Foundation, a global organization that promotes the development of self-sufficient and sustainable cities. He also leads Villae NGO, a citizens’ initiative that aims to transform the Villa Buonaccorsi, a heritage of inestimable artistic and architectural value that has been semi-abandoned in his hometown, into a vibrant European civic center dedicated to urban regeneration and art.

Francesco, who has always had a special affinity for Madrid and has looked for reasons to return, sees in the el17 – Casa de las Alianzas, project an exceptional opportunity to realize his dreams and aspirations.

Benoît Mounier-Saintoyant, Managing Director for France

Benoît Mounier-Saintoyant joined the Paris office, 40 avenue Hoche, on 12 September as Managing Director for France.

With the power to act as the main driving force, Benoît has harnessed the levers of social innovation and equal opportunities to develop a career in the service of social and ecological change.

After studying industrial engineering, he took charge of a non-formal education centre for street children in the Philippines. On his return to France, he became involved in Unis-Cité and then the French Red Cross to encourage young people to commit themselves as citizens. He then co-founded the Benenova association, whose objective is to develop a collective volunteering commitment accessible to as many people as possible, and which today mobilises 25,000 volunteers. He joined Avise in 2012 before taking over the direction of the social mission of the Entreprendre Foundation in January 2020.

Her professional career fully coincides with the values and objectives of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation. Her expertise in social innovation, her knowledge of social economy ecosystems and philanthropy and her approach to impact will be invaluable assets to the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation in France.

The arrival of Lucia, Francesco and Benoît brings not only their vast experience and unique perspective, but also a renewed energy and passion to carry forward the foundation’s fundamental vision through our two lines of action: Sustainable Food and Citizen Art.

Their different trajectories and visions converge in a common purpose: to contribute to a more just, sustainable and inclusive world. We are excited to start this “course” with them and are confident that, together, we will create synergies that drive the Foundation’s transformative action.

Welcome to this new chapter! Together, we will continue to write a story of impact, innovation, and commitment.

In the image: The management team of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation in full. From left to right: Philippe-Loïc Jacob, Francesco Cingolani, Benoît Mounier-Saintoyant, Marina Nahmias, Lucia Casani and Jacques Nahmias