In-house Experts

Alexandre Daoust

Co-Director, Social and Economic division & Consultant – Monitoring and Evaluation - alexandre.daoust@baastel.com

Alexandre (BA in Economics and Politics; MA in International Economic Development) is a specialist accredited by the Canadian Evaluation Society in monitoring and evaluation and results-based management. His main areas of specialization are socioeconomic development and governance. In particular, he has experience in supporting projects in the private sector (strengthening value chains) and providing assistance to businesses and technical assistance related to local commercial development. Alexandre has also conducted many mandates in education, child protection, and the environment. He has solid team leader experience in project, program, and institutional evaluations and has held senior positions in assignments related to M&E system development and strategic planning. One of Alexandre’s major strengths is expertise in managing and analyzing quantitative data. He has led many field missions in Central Africa, East and Western Africa, and Central and South America. Before joining Baastel, Alexandre worked as a project manager in export-based economic development projects. He is fluent in French, English, and Spanish. He has worked with, among others, Global Affairs Canada, the US Department of State, the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs of Switzerland, the Centre of International Commerce, CNUCED, UNDP, UNICEF, the European Commission, Oxfam-Québec, the IDB, and the OAS.

Curline Beckford

Consultant – Monitoring and Evaluation

Curline (BSc in International Relations; MSc in International Business) has many years of substantial experience in designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation systems at sectoral and national levels. She particularly enjoys developing results-based monitoring and evaluation tools, specifically logic models and performance measurement frameworks. She is skilled in monitoring and reporting on national strategic plans, including medium term planning frameworks, and conducting program and project evaluations in a variety of sectors (education, environment, health, and social protection). With extensive knowledge of strategic planning and project cycle management, she has provided support for the development and implementation of Jamaica’s long term national strategic plan, Vision 2030 Jamaica. Over the last decade, Curline has provided quality services for the World Bank, IDB, Global Affairs Canada (formerly CIDA/DFATD), UNDP, UNAIDS, UNICEF, and UN Women in research and analysis, data collection and analysis for social safety net and public expenditure reviews, evaluations, program analysis, UNDAF preparation, and proposal writing. She has experience working in the Caribbean region and at a distance in Jordan, Mauritius, and Swaziland. Curline is fluent in English and has a basic level proficiency in French.

Jon Garcia

Consultant - Monitoring, Evaluation, and Environment

Jon (BSc in Economics; MA in International Development; MSc in Environmental Policy and Regulation) specializes in environment and climate change in developing countries. He has 15 years of experience in project design, management, and monitoring and evaluation. Jon has coordinated international teams and projects relating to environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation and adaptation, including low-carbon and resilient cities, regional and rural development, agriculture and livestock, sustainable land management and forest activities, and disaster risk management. He has worked with multilateral and bilateral donor organizations such as UNDP, UN Environment, FAO, UN-HABITAT, and the World Bank, among others, as well as with national and local governments and consultancy firms in various projects funded by IDB, the European Commission, AFD, DFID, and more. He has experience with the GEF, the Adaptation Fund, and the GCF. His work has covered Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Jon is fluent in Spanish and English and has an advanced level of French.

Margarita Gonzales

Consultant – Monitoring, Evaluation, and Environment

Margarita (BA in International Development Studies; MPA) has worked with Baastel since 2012, initially as a project officer, and subsequently as an evaluator and environment specialist. She has a certificate in Programme Evaluation and has been involved in many evaluations conducted by Baastel for UNDP, IFC, the French GEF (FFEM), the Green Climate Fund, and more, most of them focused on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and finance in an international development context. Margarita also provides environmental expertise to Canadian and international organizations (IDRC, FAO, UN Environment) on a broad range of environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity, and natural resources management. Among other services, she supports the design of environment projects and environmental management plans, conducts technical studies, and provides assistance for capacity development. As a project officer, she managed a large number of projects for organizations such the WBG, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, Global Affairs Canada, and more. Prior to joining Baastel, she was involved with children’s issues and with social enterprise. She is fluent in French, Spanish, and English.

Sarah Lebel

Consultant – Environment

Sarah (BEng, MSc in Bioresource Engineering – McGill; PhD in Climate Change Adaptation – Leeds) is a climate change adaptation and resilience specialist with a multidisciplinary background. She most recently worked for the Secretariat of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility (STAP-GEF, UN Environment), where she managed the climate change adaptation portfolio. Her provided operational and strategic advice to the GEF, with a focus on project design and evidence-based decision-making. As such, she has first-hand experience with Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), GEF strategies and policies, project design, logical frameworks and theory of change, knowledge management, and M&E and learning, among others. She has additional expertise in the areas of climate finance, rural development, sustainable land management, conservation agriculture, food security, climate change mitigation, international waters, and biodiversity conservation. She also has extensive experience with international agricultural research, having worked at CGIAR centers in Peru and India, as well as with several national-level agricultural research organization across Africa. Sarah speaks French and English fluently and has knowledge of Spanish.

Marion Douchin

Consultant - Monitoring, Evaluation and Environment

Marion (a graduate in Environmental Engineering and Management and in International Relations with a specialization in Cooperation and Development) has been working in the field of international cooperation and development aid since the end of her studies. Her expertise focuses on the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects, as well as the development of strategies and action plans, in the fields of biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation and sustainable management of natural resources. Marion has collaborated with various international institutions (UNEP, UNDP), environmental organizations and funds (IUCN, The MedFund) and bilateral (AFD, FFEM) and multilateral donors (Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility). Prior to joining Baastel in 2019, Marion held various positions in AFD's operations department, both at headquarters and in the network (notably in Mexico), in the sectors of sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and climate. She is fluent in French, Spanish and English.

Alecia Bennett-Bryan

Consultant - Results - Based Management, Monitoring and Evaluation

Alecia (BSc Sociology; MSc Social Policy) is a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist and a certified Project Management Specialist. She has over ten (10) years of experience and expertise in the areas of Results-based Management (RBM), Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and Applied Research. She has provided programme monitoring, evaluation and learning support to development partners including the World Bank, UNDP, IOM and CDB for donor funded programmes and projects in the areas of justice sector reform, public safety, migration and development, integrated community development; climate change and disaster risk reduction. She has co-authored a number of instrumental publications in the areas of sustainable development, justice sector reform and international migration and development

Sara Trab Nielsen

Consultant - Environment

Sara (BA in International Service; Master’s in Global Environmental Policy) is an energy and climate change specialist with more than a decade of experience working with sustainable policy, strategy and programming, project development, and monitoring & evaluation. Sara comes with a background that both involves mitigation and adaptation to climate change and have experience designing results-based financing (RBF)/Payment for Results (PFR) and public-private partnerships (PPP) as well as detailed theories of change and M&E frameworks. She has worked on energy access in Lao PDR, Cambodia and Zambia, strategic planning for climate funding in Vietnam, the Philippines, and the Caribbean, and climate change adaptation in The Gambia and Belize. Prior to joining Baastel, Sara spent several years at The World Bank as well as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and have during the past decade gained experience collaborating with several multilateral and bilateral development partners including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), UNDP and UN Environment, the World Food Program, SIDA, SNV Netherlands, and GIZ. She is skilled in direct client interaction and has led several country visits cooperating directly with government officials and in-country private sector players, civil society as well as local community groups. Sara speaks fluent English and Danish.

Giovanna Montagner

Consultant - Monitoring, Evaluation and Environment

Giovanna (BA in International Affairs; MA in Urban Studies; IPDET alumni) joined Baastel in 2021. She has worked as an evaluator and researcher since 2009, with a focus on complex interventions, qualitative methods and theory of change approaches. She has led and participated in projects related with environmental and social sustainability -including climate change adaptation and mitigation, agricultural value chains, environmental regulation and urban management- mainly in Mexico and Latin America. Prior to joining Baastel, she worked as an evaluator and knowledge manager at CLEAR LAC, and as an evaluation manager at the Mexican Ministry of the Environment, where she helped develop a monitoring and evaluation system for Mexican climate policy. Giovanna is fluent in Spanish, English and Italian, and has an intermediate level of French.

Naomi Harris

Consultant - Results-based Management, Disaster Risk Management

Naomi (MSc. Rural Planning and Development and International Development; BA [H] International Relations and Development with a minor in Spanish) joined Baastel in 2021, supporting the Result-based Management (RBM) team and the Disaster Risk Management team. Before joining Baastel, Naomi worked with international institutions (United Nations International Organization for Migration), Non-governmental Organizations (Cooperative Development Foundation of Canada, the Association of Volunteer Centres and Volunteer Engaging Organizations of Alberta, Youth Challenge International) working in international cooperation, focusing on RBM and M&E in the areas of food security, cooperatives, climate change adaptation, migration, and alternative livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and North America. Naomi is fluent in English and has advanced knowledge of French and Spanish.

Noemie Watanabe

Consultant – Climate change and economics

Noémie (Master 1 in International Expertise at Sciences Po Aix, France - Master 2 Crises and development actions at the Institute of Economic and Social Development Studies of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France) joined Baastel in 2021, supporting the Environment team. Her areas of specialization are international cooperation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable urban development. She has developed expertise in programming, monitoring and evaluation of development projects related to urban resilience, climate finance, sustainable resource management and biodiversity conservation. She has collaborated with international organizations (UN ESCAP, UN-Habitat, UNDP, UN Women, the Asian Development Bank) and has contributed to projects funded by the European Commission, particularly in relation to environmental migration. Before joining Baastel, Noémie worked at the French Embassy in Japan for international cooperation, in an environmental NGO in Japan in the energy transition sector, then at UN ESCAP in Bangkok for sustainable urban development in Asia-Pacific. Being passionate about innovative low-carbon solutions, she also has experience in the sector of social entrepreneurship in France, she has worked in collaboration with emerging economic actors of ethical fashion, circular economy and sustainable agriculture. She is fluent in French, English, and Japanese and Spanish at an advanced level.

Pieter Dirckx

Consultant - Environment

Pieter (MA in Law and economics and MA in European Law) joined the environment division of Baastel in 2021. He worked previously as an intern in the European Parliament, in the parliamentary committees of agriculture and environment, and as a researcher at Milieu Consulting. Pieter is fluent in Dutch and English and has an advanced level of French.

Manon Bastin-Héline

Consultant - Environment

Holding an engineering degree in Biological Engineering and a master's degree specializing in strategy and negotiation for the management of ecosystems in international environment (AgroParisTech), Manon is a junior consultant in the Environment division since April 2021. After three years as a study engineer in a pharmaceutical group, she chose to orient her professional choices towards environmental management, adaptations to climate change and biodiversity conservation. She is fluent in French and English and has good knowledge of Spanish.

James Leaver

Consultant, results-based management, monitoring, evaluation and learning - james.leaver@baastel.com

James (BA in Business Administration; Minor in General History and Master’s in International Development) joined Baastel in 2021. He is a results-based management, monitoring, evaluation and learning specialist with more than 12 years’ experience. James has a keen interest in education, income generation, civil society strengthening, community stabilization, inclusion, political participation and south-south cooperation. He has experience working in Latin America and Africa, collaborating with international organizations (IOM, UNDP, ECLAC and World Bank), Latin American governments and NGOs. He is fluent in English and Spanish and has advanced knowledge of French.

Laetitia Glasser

Consultant in Monitoring and Evaluation - laetitia.glasser@baastel.com

Laetitia joined Baastel in 2022 as a Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant in the Social and Economic Development Department. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Montreal and a Master's degree in Development Economics from CERDI (Center for International Development Studies and Research). She specializes in local development and has focused her expertise on Sub-Saharan African territories. Laetitia has notably worked in the framework of a technical assistance program dedicated to climate change and access to energy in African cities. She was also responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of an urbanization and private sector development project in Rwanda. Laetitia is fluent in French and English.

Sarah D’haen

Consultant, Climate Change and Environment - sarah.dhaen@baastel.com

Sarah (MSc Bio-Engineering Land and Forest Management; MSc Environmental Technology; PhD Human Geography) is a strategic coordinator and facilitator of multi-stakeholder projects and programmes with more than 14 years’ experience in the areas of climate change impacts and adaptation, sustainable development, and natural resource management. Her core skills lie in bringing actors together across levels and disciplines and designing joint learning processes. She has facilitated science-policy dialogues around climate impacts and adaptation, and has accompanied national NAP and NDC processes, predominantly in Africa. Before joining Baastel in 2022, Sarah led several science-based projects and programmes for NGOs. Her technical expertise includes research design and support services, surveys, scoping studies, as well as climate impact and vulnerability studies. She holds a certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation, and is skilled in indicator development, (scientific) capacity building, and developing tailored training and learning products. She speaks Dutch, English, French, German, Danish, Spanish and Portuguese, and has lived, traveled, and worked in several Latin-American, African and European countries.

Jade Pichard

Consultant in Monitoring and Evaluation - jade.pichard@baastel.com

Jade joined Baastel in 2022 as a Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant in the Social and Economic Development Department. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Human Development from Maastricht University and the United Nations University. Prior to joining Baastel, Jade worked as an evaluation consultant and freelancer. She worked on projects in the public sector for different organizations (European Commission, European Parliament, Eurofound, USAID, NATO). Jade has a keen interest in poverty reduction, social protection, and human rights. She is fluent in French and English.

Marie-Claude Bourgie

Senior consultant – Sustainable finance, Climate and Mitigation - mcbourgie@baastel.com

Marie-Claude (BA Geography, MA Environment, MBA Finance) has combined a dual academic background in environment and finance to cultivate an expertise in climate finance. With over 15 years of relevant experience in the sector, she began her career as an international climate finance consultant for Global Consult and EcoRessources, guiding governments and the private sector on international climate change policies and financing models related to mitigation projects including forestry and renewable energy in Central and West Africa. She worked as Director of Operations and VP of Development for the One Drop Foundation, a foundation with a portfolio of water and sanitation infrastructure projects (WASH)  of over $110 million in 13 countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, where she was responsible for fundraising and strategic partnerships with the public, private and institutional sectors (GAC, IDB, IFC). In particular, she developed financial structures that aimed to maximize leverage to increase the social and environmental impact of projects. She then served as the first Executive Director of the Greater Montreal Climate Fund, a federally and privately funded organization whose mission is to provide financing to catalyze low-carbon solutions in the Greater Montreal region, with a focus on energy efficiency in buildings and electrification of transportation. She is a board member of the Canadian Forum for Impact Investment and Development (CAFIID). She is fluent in French and English and has a knowledge of Spanish.

Helene Coppens

Consultant in Environment and Biodiversity Conservation - helene.coppens@baastel.com

Helene Coppens (a graduate in Environmental Sciences and Management, and in International Development and Cooperation) has been mostly working abroad in developing countries of Western, Central and Southern Africa as well as, in Lao P.D.R., Peru and Bolivia. Her overall experience focuses on sustainable environmental management and solutions to address climate change issues, improve natural resource management and biodiversity conservation while contributing to local socio-economic development for enhanced sustainability. Her expertise focuses on technical assistance, project, planning, design, and monitoring and evaluation for international institutions (such as the WFP and UNEP), bilateral institutions (such as GIZ, AFD, GAC and ENABEL,) as well as for NGOs (African Parks, Noé, Eclosio) and the Private Sector. Through her work she supported and technically advised a wide range of stakeholders from local organisations to governmental officials in improving their approach in nature resource management towards more adaptive management actions. Hélène speaks French, English and Spanish.

Rommel Arboleda

Consultant - Environment - rommel.arboleda@baastel.com

Rommel holds a BEng in Environmental Engineering from USFQ-Ecuador, and a MSc in Environmental Science from UniFreiburg-Germany. He joined Baastel in March 2023. Previously, he has worked on different topics including arctic marine conservation in Canada, natural resource management framework assessment in Nepal, sustainable land use, lateral transport of carbon, and ecological baseline assessment in Ecuador. Rommel is fluent in Spanish and English.