Nathalie Labourdette joined the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in 1999, where she founded and led the EBU Academy until the end of 2023. The creation and implementation of a strategy and brand for the EBU Academy – a knowledge marketplace – were crucial in providing approximately 110 European broadcasters from 55 countries with an excellent service in the field of continuous training. Expertise in pedagogy and training engineering enabled the development of unique formats such as (e)Master Class, (e)Workshop, online learning sessions, and regional learning hubs. Over 1000 new professionals were trained each year, enabling companies to actively manage their talents, co-create an effective strategy in terms of skills and know-how, and ultimately integrate innovation within the enterprise.
Nathalie Labourdette was a member of the Board of Directors of the ASBU Academy – the Arab States Broadcasting Union – from 2017 to 2023, after developing a close and trusted partnership with ASBU since 1999 and subsequently contributing to strategic reflection for the establishment of the ASBU Academy.
She served as panel president, panelist, and speaker at the Asia Media Summit from 2007 to 2019, while also building an annual specialized training offering under the two labels.
Between 2014 and 2022, Nathalie Labourdette developed a new service for broadcasters: Peer Evaluation. The proper application of the public service values adopted by the EBU is analyzed through a precise methodology, culminating in a concrete implementation report. Nine reviews were conducted, four of which were in Central and Eastern Europe.
From 2013 to 2018, she was the founder and secretary of WEM, the Women Executives in the Media network, a dynamic forum for networking, sharing professional experiences, and striving for greater influence in the sector. Six international meetings were organized. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Creative Skills Europe since 2018. She was part of the Media Education Expert Group from 2007 to 2013 and the Social Dialogue Expert Group from 2008 to 2012 at the European Commission.
Before joining the EBU, Nathalie Labourdette was an administrator at the European Commission in Brussels. Within the Audiovisual Policy Unit of DG X – EAC -, she elaborated, drafted, and facilitated the adoption by the Council of Recommendation 98/560/EC on the protection of minors and human dignity on the Internet.
She began her career in the audiovisual industry. She produced documentary and feature films, then worked as a journalist-producer at SR, Radio Sweden, in Stockholm, was a programmer at the Nordic Film Festival in Rouen, and later responsible for distribution at Films de l’Atalante, Paris.