Erica Gerretsen holds a Master of Business Administration from Université Paris Dauphine and a Master of Urban Planning and Local Administration from Sciences Po, Paris. Since 1995, she has worked in various roles at the European Commission, focusing on external relations. She is a French and Dutch national.

Her career includes postings in the EU Delegations in Slovenia before its accession and in Benin as an Economic Advisor. In 2003, she joined the Directorate General for International Development Cooperation (DG DEVCO), where she specialized in African affairs. In 2012, she became the Deputy Head of Unit for West Africa, and in 2013, she was appointed Head of Unit for Central Africa. Her leadership roles extended to overseeing financing for development and development effectiveness.

In 2016, she became Head of Unit for “Budget Support, Public Finance Management, and Domestic Revenue Mobilization” within DG DEVCO. By 2021, she was the Acting Director for a newly established Directorate focusing on “Sustainable Finance, Jobs and Growth, and an Economy that Works for the People.” In her previous role, she served as Head of Unit in DG INTPA E1 “Macro-economic Analysis, Fiscal Policies, and Budget Support,” and as Deputy Director in DG INTPA E “Sustainable Finance, Investment, and Jobs.”

Currently, she is the Director of DG INTPA’s Directorate G, overseeing Human Development, Migration, Governance, and Peace.