Team
Hakan Ayçiçek
Secretary General
haycicek@unitee.eu
Working closely with UNITEE’s members, Board and President, Hakan leads the organisation’s European advocacy strategy, fundraising efforts and initiatives supporting migrant-led businesses and more inclusive economic participation. He combines expertise in mental health, migrant integration and socio-economic inclusion with experience in European advocacy and project management. With a background in psychotherapy specialising in family and couples counselling, he has supported migrant communities through psychological care, mentoring and resilience-building. Before joining UNITEE, he worked with the European Professionals Network (EPN) as Secretary General.
Vanessa Cotterell
Project Coordinator
vcotterell@unitee.eu
Vanessa coordinates UNITEE’s EU-funded projects, supporting project and communication management, partnership development and the preparation of European project applications. Her expertise focuses on diversity and inclusion, particularly inclusive entrepreneurship as a pathway to participation, empowerment and belonging for women and migrant communities. She also brings experience in qualitative research and uses creative approaches, including podcasting and embroidery workshops, to foster connection, empowerment and intercultural exchange. She speaks English, German, French and Spanish, with basic knowledge of Arabic.
Ümit Vurel
Videomaker
Ümit is responsible for UNITEE’s audiovisual content, bringing European projects and their stories to life through video, photography and digital media. He has extensive experience in video production, cinematography, event coverage, interviews, livestreaming and multicamera productions, working with non-profit organisations, EU projects and a range of public and private sector organisations. A graduate of Hogeschool van Utrecht, he combines creative vision with strong technical expertise to support UNITEE’s visibility and communication. He speaks Turkish, English and Dutch, with basic German.