Ben Eersels is Co-Executive Director of G1000, the Belgian platform for democratic innovation, a not-for-profit organization committed to strengthening democracy by actively involving citizens in policy-making. With G1000, Ben has worked on several highly innovative initiatives, including Brussels’ permanent Citizens’ Assembly on Climate, the first of its kind in the world; the Bankforum, a citizen panel convened with a major Belgian bank on digital transformation and trust; and “We Need to Talk,” a bottom-up initiative pushing for reform of political party funding. Most recently, G1000 launched a campaign to establish a permanent citizens’ assembly within the Belgian Senate.

Before joining G1000, Ben completed a PhD on citizen participation in the Middle Ages and worked with several not-for-profit organizations on participation at the local government level and within the healthcare sector. In 2024, he was selected as a Fellow for Belgium’s 40 Under 40.