Key skills and expertise

Bringing over 33 years of experience, the expert is an agronomy engineer specializing in agro-enterprise economics, business management, and operations. Career highlights include founding and co-founding successful agricultural companies and serving as an Independent Director for a $180M company. Technical skills encompass budgeting, finance, accounting, information systems, and procurement. Responsibilities have included leading international projects, offering expertise on agricultural value chains and policies. Notable accomplishments include managing companies with a $2.5 million annual portfolio and implementing climate-smart agricultural techniques, as well as contributing to donor-funded projects that promote sustainable agricultural development.

Project experience and donor exposure

The expert has worked across diverse projects involving collaboration with international donors such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), European Union (EU), and Agence Française de Développement (AFD). Involvement includes providing expertise on agricultural economics, policy, and trade, focusing on donor-funded projects that promote sustainable development. These initiatives span national and regional scales, primarily in the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, covering themes like agricultural value chains and farmer-centric approaches.

Sectors and geographic focus

With a background in sectors including rural development, information and communication technology, research, finance and accounting, and agriculture, the expert has previously held roles such as founder, business owner, and independent consultant. Cross-cutting expertise includes integrating digitalization in agriculture and infrastructure in rural development. The expert has managed projects with a regional and country-specific focus, providing strategic guidance on agricultural value chains and policy, and collaborating with stakeholders across the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Extensive geographic experience includes work in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, France, Indonesia, Lebanon, Mali, Niger, Pakistan, Qatar, and the UAE. There is a particularly deep familiarity with Middle Eastern agricultural dynamics, engaging in regional development projects and providing expertise in agricultural economics, policy, and enterprise development within diverse cultural and governance contexts.

Languages and education

The expert is fluent in French, English, and Arabic, with strong knowledge of Middle Eastern dialects and intermediate proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic. These language skills have been utilized in various professional contexts, including international projects across multiple countries, collaboration with multilingual teams, and stakeholder engagement in agriculture and development sectors. The educational background includes a degree in Agronomic Engineering with a specialization in Enterprise Economics from AgroParisTech, France. Additionally, the expert completed a Micromaster Program in Data, Economics, and Development Policy at MIT, USA, and holds an Auditor degree with a specialization in Comparative Agriculture and Agricultural Development from Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon, France.