Inaugural Conference

Brief biographical notes

Marion Eckardt is a rural development leader with a strong European profile, shaped through more than a decade of engagement in ELARD, the European LEADER Association for Rural Development. She has served as both President and Vice President of the organisation, working to strengthen the voice of rural communities in EU policy and to foster collaboration across 31 countries.

Marion Eckardt currently leads the ELARD Knowledge Hub, an initiative she founded to connect practitioners with international research, innovation and policy processes. Her work focuses on building bridges between local experience and European decision-making, and on promoting inclusive, resilient rural futures.

She holds a Diplom in Geography from Humboldt University of Berlin, where she specialised in regional development, economic geography and rural–urban dynamics. Marion Eckardt is based in Sweden where she also operates as manager of the Local Action Group in Halland. She continues to contribute to European rural policy and cooperation through advisory and network roles.