Our Team

Value Chains Coordinator

Berta coordinates value chain activities at CREATES. Originally from Austria and Poland, she has worked for fifteen years in Senegal in agroecology, permaculture and intercultural facilitation.

Director of Development

Joan manages the project portfolio and development strategy at CREATES. A geographer, filmmaker and social entrepreneur, he has fifteen years of field experience across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

Admin & Finance Manager

Paolo manages CREATES' administrative and financial operations. A specialist in budget monitoring and project accounting, he has worked for ChildFund, Plan International and UNICEF in Senegal.

Audiovisual — Videographer & Photographer

Pape Ousman documents CREATES' work through images and video, giving visibility to field realities and the faces of Sahelian transformation.

Scientific Director

Patrick oversees the scientific direction of CREATES. A researcher at the University of Bern, he has spent twenty years working on natural resource governance and social justice, from the Amazon to sub-Saharan Africa.

Agroecology Project Manager

Saliou leads CREATES' agroecology projects in the field. An agronomist and certified trainer in Ecological and Biological Agriculture (EBA), since 2014 he has coordinated and supported agroecological projects in the groundnut basin. He holds a Master's in Prevention and Management of Food Security Risks from Gaston Berger University.

Photographer

Serge is a photographer and project manager based in Geneva. Trained at HEAD (Geneva University of Art and Design) and the University of Geneva, he collaborates with CREATES on the AgroVoiceS project, capturing through images the territorial transformations and invisible realities of Sahelian communities.

Filmmaker

Thomas produces CREATES' audiovisual content. His documentary Poisson d'or, Poisson africain, co-directed with Moussa Diop, was selected at 85 festivals and won 27 awards.

Associate Researcher

Keaton conducts research on indigenous crop preservation and agroforestry. A Fulbright Scholar, she came to the Sahel through ethnobiology and permaculture.