Institut Pierre Werner Names Sonia da Silva as New Director

On Wednesday 10 September 2025, Luxembourg’s Institut Pierre Werner (IPW) announced the appointment of Sonia da Silva as Director of the Institut, effective 1 January 2026.

According to the IPW, she will succeed Olivier Frank, who led the Institut from 2011 to 2025. The Board of Directors expressed its gratitude to Mr Frank for his commitment and dedication during his tenure, on behalf of the three founding governments.

Born in the Grand Duchy in 1975, Sonia da Silva worked for many years as a journalist (1997-2011) before moving into publishing as project coordinator at Editions Saint-Paul (2011-2014) and later communication as Head of the Press and Communication Department at MNAHA (2014-2025). Holding a PhD in Literature, she is also trained in literary translation and has been a founding member of the “Printemps des poètes” since 2007. As a translator, she focuses mainly on contemporary Portuguese poetry as well as more canonical works, including Coimbra poets and Fernando Pessoa.

The IPW describes itself as a European cultural centre, established in 2003 in Luxembourg at the initiative of the German, French and Luxembourgish governments. It organises readings, lectures, exhibitions, film and theatre evenings on European and cultural themes and fosters encounters between German, French, Luxembourgish and European figures in the fields of literature, art, politics and science. With its diverse programme, the Institut aims to encourage exchange and multilateral reflection on Europe in the spirit of Colpach, inherited from Luxembourg industrialist Emile Mayrisch and his wife Aline Mayrisch de Saint-Hubert - a spirit of Franco-German reconciliation and dialogue that remains an important part of Luxembourg’s identity today.