Hélène (Master’s degree in International Relations at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France – MSc Environment & Development, London School of Economics) joined Baastel’s Environment team in 2023, after nearly 5 years’ professional experience with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group. After initial experiences at UNESCO and with NGOs in Cambodia, and an exchange programme in Argentina, Hélène decided to specialise in the interactions between socio-economic development and the management of sustainable natural resources and biodiversity conservation. She worked for almost three years in AFD’s Africa Department in Paris, focusing on the major trends that are affecting Africa, and on crisis and conflict prevention issues in West Africa. She then spent two years in Mozambique, where she was in charge of the portfolio of both AFD and the French Global Environment Facility (FGEF), managing fifteen projects on climate and biodiversity conservation, environmental governance and finance, and the management and valorisation of natural resources, as well as restoration and disaster risk reduction. She has also developed strong partnerships and joint projects with the European Union and other European cooperation agencies. Hélène has thus developed a strong experience in planning, designing, managing, monitoring and evaluating development and environmental projects. Hélène speaks French, English, Spanish and Portuguese.