Longevity

Professor Michel Poulain is the demographer who scientifically identified the original Blue Zones. He opens the day with the history of the Blue Zones and the seven Living Blue Zone principles, and closes it with a positive vision of longevity.

Valentine Verdin is a dietitian-nutritionist trained at the Institut Paul Lambin, the Université libre de Bruxelles and Monash University. Passionate about healthy longevity, she helps people make accessible, sustainable and science-based food choices, and has explored these themes at international events such as the Berlin Life Summit. At Living Blue Zone she shares a concrete, scientific approach to eating well to live longer in good health.

Pim van der Ven is an architect and founder of Juli Design and Juli Consultancy. For over 35 years he has helped Dutch municipalities, housing associations, developers and investors design cities and neighbourhoods where people truly thrive. His talk shows how architecture, urban planning and environmental psychology create surroundings that make healthier, more connected lifestyles natural.

Aïna Queiroz is a biologist, author and speaker working at the crossroads of life sciences and human organisations. From ethnobotanical research in the Blue Zones to behavioural biomimicry, her work shows how deeply our health, creativity and balance depend on our daily relationship with nature.

Alexandre Mouton is a researcher at the University of Liège. His session 'Move Naturally' explores how to design environments that make movement a natural part of daily life.

Mustapha Boulémia is Operations Director of EXUVI3, a network specialising in rehabilitation, prevention and health support. A former director of medico-social facilities, he leads the structuring, performance and development of its centres, with particular attention to the quality of care pathways and to innovation. A high-level judoka, multiple French champion, European champion and world medallist, he brings the demands of elite sport to the management and performance of healthcare organisations.

Julie Saffery works at the intersection of Blue Zones research and the world of work. Founder of ReShape TRUST and representative of Living Blue Zone International ASBL to the professional world, she translates the longevity principles validated by Professor Michel Poulain into concrete practices for organisations. Her conviction is simple: a team’s health, engagement and lasting performance do not depend on individual willpower alone, but on the environment in which it operates. She supports the leaders of small and medium-sized businesses in designing workplaces where social bonds and meaning are not incidental extras, but structural conditions for health and professional longevity.

French, a mother of five and settled in Brussels for 19 years, Claire de Kerautem co-founded 1Toit2Âges in 2007, an association pioneering intergenerational housing in Belgium. Convinced that solidarity between the generations is a concrete answer to the isolation of older people and to the housing difficulties of the young, she has spent 17 years developing this innovative model, which has allowed thousands of pairs to share far more than a home: a genuine human experience built on trust, mutual support and respect. She speaks regularly at conferences and gatherings on ageing, housing and social innovation. Her work is guided by the conviction that the bond between generations is an essential lever for building a more supportive, inclusive and sustainable society.

Béa Ercolini is CEO of MyWater.community. A Belgian journalist and social entrepreneur, she led the Belgian edition of ELLE for thirteen years before turning to environmental and public health advocacy. MyWater.community produces pure, lightly mineralised drinking water at home as an alternative to bottled water, and brings together a community of health-conscious users committed to transparency on water quality.

Françoise Wallemacq is a journalist. After an immersion in Ikaria, she introduces and closes the Living Blue Zone day with cross-perspectives on exceptional longevity.